"My old seat is better made than anything newer"

U

Unregistered

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So I gave a woman I work with (while expecting) an infant seat I had, made in 2004. I knew her old one was expired and updated car seats were not a priority with her. Her two-year old currently uses a terribly old overhead-shield seat, probably left from when her 9-year old son was little. Her baby is now almost 2 months old. She came into work and I took a peak at the car seat. It was made in 1999! I told her that our next car seat demolition date is April 4th and if she wanted to use the one I gave her, I'd be happy to recycle the old one for her. I know, not the most sensitive, but looking at that terribly old seat just made me cringe. She said, "the older seats are better because they're made better than anything currently and she'll be in this until she's too big for it.". I just said, "oh, honey, it's just not safe", even though I wanted to say SO much more! She really is a very nice person and we normally get along great. She's normally very logical about things, so this was a bit hard to swallow. What would you say to someone like this?

I was also with my husband and children the other day and saw an app. 3-4 year old child sitting in the backseat, in her car seat, not buckled! She was leaning forward, so it was very obvious she wasn't tied in. I almost yelled out at the guy at the stop light, but dh stopped me. I've called the cops on things like this before, but they're very laissez-faire about these things. Nebraska's fine is also only $25. Ridiculous. What would you do in this situation?

Thanks!

Vicki
 
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Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Over 10 years, child restraints have evolved in terms of features. Newer seats are likely to have a higher rear facing weight limit than a 10 year old seat to facilitate extended rear facing, for example, and rear facing is significantly safer. Newer/currently available seats typically have EPS foam lining, with a few exceptions like the Cosco Scenera, and 5-point harnesses instead of 3-point harnesses or shield designs, and 5-points are considered safer as well. A link with more details about the issues with shield seats are at http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/fivepointshield.aspx. Newer seats made since approx. Sept. 2003 are also required to have lower LATCH connectors which offer more installation/ease of use potential in vehicles equipped with LATCH, at least in theory. Careats with forward facing capability have also been required to have top tethers since approx. 2000/2001, and top tethering serves a safety role of reducing head excursion in forward facing kiddos during a crash. Head excursion is the amount a child's head moves forward/beyond the carseat's protective shell during a crash. You could also show her the crash test video showing an expired 10 year old seat, pretty dramatic and compelling IMHO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvCRz7BRAM0


As for the unrestrained kiddo scenario, calling it in as you did to 911 or a special number for reporting unrestrained children in your area, if such a number exists, is an option. Local law enforcement can take it from there if they have the motivation and means to make it a priority. Ideally it would be taken seriously, but I also understand thread bare staffing and limited means for enforcement. :eek: Frustratingly that's the reality in many areas with the economy cramping agencies even more lately, but calling and urging them to follow up is at least trying to make a difference. :twocents: Another way to try to make a difference is to consider becoming a certified child passenger safety technician yourself. :) There's a FAQ/article about how to go about becoming certified in the Articles section of the forum at http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=35900.
 

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