Re: Consumer Reports Safety Alert
Hello!
First post here. My wife and I are expecting our first child on July 5th, and of course I am doing all the requisite research on car seats, strollers, and the like. I figure, get all my ducks in row before it gets too late, or I begin to freak out at the impending birth!
So, I viewed the Consumer Reports segment on the Early Show the other day with great interest. I had been lurking here and reading reviews and posts for a week or two before the segment aired, so I rushed here to see what the folks here had to say.
There were several things that struck me in the CR article that seemed to have been missed in the replies. Someone eluded to it, but never really took it head on. That is the fact that a Britax European model outperformed all the other car seats, including the US model Britax, which failed the test! I have included the link to the Euro car seat article below.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/child-car-booster-seats/car-seats-2-07/european-models/0207_seats_euro.htm
I have seen several people mention the fact that they tested the Graco SafeSeat with a 30lb dummy, and only used 22lb dummies for the other car seats. Yes they did. They tested the seats based upon the manufacturers maximum "claimed" weight for the seats.
We used a test dummy weighing the maximum claimed weight for each seat. That’s 30 pounds for the Graco SafeSeat and 22 pounds for the others.
Consumers will use their seats to the manufacturers maximum quite a lot of the time. I'm quite certain that many people purchased the Graco SafeSeat for the very reason that they could keep their child in that seat for a longer period of time, saving them money.
The crash test speeds were also mentioned. That they were higher than the NHTSA's standard tests. Sorry, but many accidents occur at higher speeds than that tested by the NHTSA. In fact, they test car seats at a lower speed than the cars they are traveling in! Um... Do the car seats have a breaking mechanism that slows them down in a crash to lower than the vehicle they are in? I think not.
From reading the article, and the companion European article, it is quite obvious that the NHTSA tests are not adequate. When a company, Britax, makes a car seat for the European market which is safer than the ones they sell here in the US, we should be paying close attention! The European crash safety standards are MUCH stricter than they are here in the US.
There is exactly ONE reason that a seat, or at the very least the technology of said seat, made for more exacting standards is not sold in the US. That reason is profit. The US is a self contained market, and if you do not have to add parts which will add to the manufacturing cost of an item, even if it is for added safety, then your profit margins are LARGER. That's it folks.
The pseudo excuse given by the Britax spokeswoman in the above linked article is particularly telling. "Britax spokeswoman Jeanna Rimmer says that nuances in the regulations and consumer preferences of different countries mean that manufacturers must create different car seats for different markets."
Consumer preferences? Are they insinuating that we "prefer" to have car seats which are less safe than the ones Britax manufactures for the European market? Of course not. It's this phrase that tells the rather obvious truth: "nuances in the regulations". The "nuance" in the regulations is that we have LESS strict regulations than they have in Europe, and so they can save money by not including the added safety features that are REQUIRED in Europe!
I don't work for CR, Britax, or any other company that makes or sells car seats. I am a VERY concerned new parent, and someone whom has always been a very vocal and forceful advocate for consumer rights. I personally do not let companies get away with jack when it comes to the products and services they sell. Put up, or shut up is my philosophy. I tend to make the companies I deal with "put up" on a regular basis. You know the old adage? "The squeaky wheel get the grease?" I'm that squeaky wheel...
So what car seat should I buy? Well, I am certainly looking at the top two performers, but the article I linked above has me thinking beyond that. I'm now looking at online companies selling the Britax Cosy Tot and the ISOFIX base. My mother travels to England on a regular basis, and I very well may have her buy us this car seat and an extra ISOFIX base for my car. I'll be contacting Britax to find our which of their US made car seats will fit on the ISOFIX base as well.
Has anyone here ever ordered a car seat from overseas? Has anyone used one of these European ISOFOX type bases that add in the rebound bar and the "foot" that attaches to the floorboard of your vehicle? Any help is of course greatly appreciated, and I will report back what I get from Britax regarding their ISOFIX base. I see that Graco also makes an ISOFOX base as well, and I'll be checking with them to see if their US seats are compatible with that base as well.
Sorry about the long first post, but this is MY first child we're talking about here, and I am not at all thrilled that our government is "compromising" my child's safety to help car seat manufacturers improve their bottom line and make their shareholders happier...