Yesterday we were rear ended..

We are all fine, it was extremely minor, there isn't even a mark on my car. I was merging onto a main road (there is construction so they were detouring us) and there was is normally a yeild sign there, but because of construction there was an oddly placed stop sign, I Stopped of course, and started to inch out, and realized a car was coming up fast, on the road I was merging onto, so I braked again and stopped but did not brake hard, suddenly I felt a bump on the back of my car, enough to bump us forward slightly but not much, It was a utility van. We both pulled over and exchanged info and checked out our cars, he had a small dent on his bumper which he did not seem phased about.. my car bumper is spotless.

I have called the car seat companies, all three seats were occupied. (yes the kids were in the car and were fine thank god) I had Julianna in a harmony cruz in the third row, which I will just replace. I had Fiona in a recaro vivo on the passenger side second row. I called Recaro and they said they go by NHSTA guildlines and they say the Vivo is fine. I also had Nolan in a Nautilus on the drivers side second row. Graco says replace. Do you all agree with this? or should I keep using the graco and the cruz? or replace all three? or go with the plan I have?

LMK what you think, DH wants me to call the guy and ask him to help us replace the seats if they need to be replaced, but he was old and I doubt he even knows that kids ride in car seats these days and would understand. I would rather just not have to replace any but if I do, I do. (I already put an iso up in swap)
 
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MomToEliEm

Moderator
Just based on the description of the crash and the lack of damage to your car, I probably wouldn't replace if I were in a similar situation. I tend to prefer the NHTSA guildelines for crash replacement over "always replace". A light tap on the bumper to me probably would do less damage to a carseat than running over a speed bump in the parking lot.

You know more about how it felt though and if it felt like a "crash" to you, then replace the seats.
 

ninejr

New member
You are the only one who knows if it was a "crash", we had someone slide into us this winter. Super low speed not a mark on our bumper, we didn't replace seats (two radians and a Graco bucket), it just wasn't really a crash, I could have done more damage slowly backing into a mailbox.

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org
 
This year alone I have come outof a store to find the side of my leased car, scraped up, someone hit me in the parking lot while I was in the store. replaced the nautilus from that since it was that door, and I had no idea how hard I was hit.

Then I swerved to miss someone who came into my lane at target and hit the little fence right where it sticks out and dented up and broke the plastic onmy front passenger fender, (have to pay to replace that now) still deciding if I should use that maestro anymore)

and now this.. so not having to replace the seat this time when I have so many scrapes and dents to fix on the car I lease as it is.. I am still undecided about the maestro but I think I might keep using it, it didn't feel like much for a hit even though it looks like crap on the car. I am thinking this nautilus from getting rear ended yesterday is probably fine.. I think gracos policy is a bit over the top sometimes.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
I'd probably not replace any of them, but that's how much I trust the nhtsa...

when that policy first came out, I wouldn't have said that.

Heck, I still say probably just because I wasn't there, I'm not you, and only you really know how severe/mild it was.
 

bnsnyde

New member
We were tapped from behind and I didn't replace anything. I barely knew we were hit. It was really, really minor. But the guy didn't stop to exchange info, we were in a very busy road, and well, that's that. There was nowhere to stop. I still have his plate number.

I think I run into the junk in front of the van in the garage with more force than what hit us! Lets me know when to stop...
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
You have to be the one to make this judgment call. From what you're describing I probably wouldn't consider it a "crash" but I wasn't there.

I believe part of the reason for the "replace after any accident" guideline is to just remove all doubt. Not that every bump and scratch requires a replacement, but that one person's "minor accident" is not the same as another person's "minor accident."

If I were a car seat manufacturer I would tell people to replace after any accident. I've seen too many times when someone has said it met all NHTSA's criteria and you find out later that they're still seeing a chiropractor for neck pain and the car had to be towed from the scene. It cuts out all the guesswork when you just say "replace replace replace."

But as a car seat owner, I trust NHTSA's guidelines (having read them carefully and I interpret them quite conservatively - a bruise is an injury, for example) and I wouldn't replace seats in an accident that I felt was too minor to cause damage.
 

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