Car Seat Laws and Best Practices
Car seats are extremely important devices. Babies and small children need to have safe restraints to travel in motor vehicles. While car seat manufacturers must abide by very strict regulations when producing children’s car seats, parents should recognize that they have some obligations concerning car seats as well. Every state has specific child restraint laws, and it is vital for parents to abide by these rules to the letter. Most of these laws are the result of compromises between legislators’ practical safety provisions and the recommendations of safety experts.
Laws Vs. Best Practices
Car seat laws are basically the minimum standard that the general public must obey. Most of these laws are based on “best practice” recommendations from safety experts involving various factors, such as weight and height restrictions, orientation of the car seat, and vehicle types. However, most state laws include specific exemptions that sometimes supersede or contradict laws based on “best practices.”
For example, a state may have a law stating children must remain in rear-facing car seats until age two due to average height and weight restrictions. State law may state that if a child is taller or weighs more than a car seat advises for rear-facing seats, the child may ride in a forward-facing seat, even if the child does not meet the age requirement. This is just one example of a compromise between safety recommendations from experts and manufacturers and safety provisions from legislators.
Possible Legal Issues
Car seats exist to keep children safe while riding in vehicles, so when manufacturers release unsafe or ineffective child restraint systems, parents of children who suffer injuries due to these defective or dangerous products may file product liability lawsuits against the manufacturers. In some cases, parents must only prove the product is defective to succeed in their claims without requiring additional proof.
Parents may find themselves in trouble with the law for violating car seat laws. While some children’s ages may conflict with average heights and weight for the age, parents must thoroughly examine the car seat laws in their states. While it may be acceptable to seat a child of a certain age in a seat due to the child’s height or weight in one state, it may be illegal in another. Parents should always strive to keep their children as safe as possible in the car while abiding by state car seat laws.
Choosing the Right Car Seat
It’s no secret that children are expensive. Some parents may have to purchase several different car seats until their children are old enough and grown enough to sit with just a safety belt. Some parents may be able to use an infant-sized car seat longer than others for smaller children, whereas other parents may have to upgrade much sooner for larger children.
Replace a car seat after it has been in an accident, even if it appears to have sustained minimal or no damage. Most manufacturers of car seats and child restraint systems clearly notify consumers that their products are no longer reliable after being in an accident. Minimal damage may not be visible but still diminish the seat’s safety, endangering any children who use the car seat following the accident. Even if a car seat seems to make it through a crash unscathed, it is always advisable to replace it after the incident.
Car seat laws may seem ambiguous, and the laws in your area may seem to conflict with the safety instructions that came with your car seat. It’s always best to err on the side of caution, especially when children are involved. If you have questions about your state’s car seat laws or have concerns regarding your specific car seat, reach out to an attorney for more in-depth information or contact the manufacturer for clarification.