Car Seat Safety and Aftermarket Products
Mirrors, Head Supports, and Seat Belt Tighteners Pose Threat to Kids
Aug 20, 2009
When it comes to car seat safety, parents want the best for their child. However, in their quest for "the best," sometimes they wrongly think that by using an aftermarket product improves their child's safety. However, this is not the case. Most aftermarket products are not approved by car seat manufacturers as being safe.
Car Seat Aftermarket Products
Aftermarket products are any devices that are sold separately from the car seats, such as toys, positioning or tightening devices, or thermal covers. Most of these items have not undergone testing, and many have no government standards policing their safety value.
Car Seat Manufacturers' Opinions on Accessories
More than likely, parents will find warnings about aftermarket products printed in the car seat manual. Though the wording may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, they all boil down to the same thing. The message is clear; do not use aftermarket products because they can violate the integrity of the seat. In most instances, using them will render the warranty of the seat null and void.
An example of a statement issued by Britax: "The use of non-Britax Child Safety, Inc covers, inserts, toys, accessories, or tightening devices is not approved by Britax. Their use could cause this restraint to fail Federal Safety Standards or perform worse in a crash. Their use automatically voids the Britax warranty."
Child Passenger Safety Technicians Agree
It could be assumed that these policies are simply ploys by car seat manufacturers to get parents to buy more of their product line. However, Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPST) agree with the manufacturers. Car seats are tested and approved for use without the use of aftermarket products. In some cases, it is not known how aftermarket products will affect the seats performance. In other cases, research shows devastating results.
Car Seat Buntings, Infant Head Supports, and Harness Strap Covers Interfere With Harness Straps
There are three particular products which are intended to increase the child's comfort during the car ride which can have poor affect on the performance of the car seat harness.
- Car Seat Buntings. Buntings are intended to provide a soft lining for the baby to sit on and serve to blanket the car seat. The goal of buntings is to keep the baby warm during bitter weather.
- Infant Head Supports. These pillow-like products are meant to provide stability to the young infant's head.
- Harness Strap Covers. Strap covers are meant to eliminate chaffing at the neck and shoulder area.
When any of these items are sold with the car seat, they have been designed for that specific restraint. In this case, the items have undergone crash testing and have been approved by the manufacturer and government standards. However, buntings, head supports, and strap covers sold by unapproved manufacturers can interfere with how the harness performs in a crash. The padding in these accessories may cause the harness to become too slack in the event of an accident, causing it to perform poorly. In severe cases, children may slip from the harness completely.
Toys, Mirrors, and Roll Down Shades Become Dangerous Projectiles
The problem with toys, mirrors, and roll down shades is that in a crash they become projectiles. A car going 55 miles per hour that crashes sends those objects flying at dangerous speeds. Upon impact, they can cause severe injuries like cuts, bruises, and concussions.
Seat Belt Tighteners Damage Seat Belts
Parents wanting to get a good and snug car seat fit have turned to seat belt tighteners like the Mighty-Tite. The problem with these devices is that they get the seat in tighter than it was ever intended to be. What CPST's found was that seat belt tighteners can affect car seat performance in the following ways.
- It can damage the car seat by causing warping and stress fractures along the seat belt path.
- It can cause damage to the seat belt, causing the belt to snap in two.
Seat Belt Positioners Cause Injury to Soft Tissue
Seat belt positioners are another product geared toward child comfort and disguised by some manufacturers as meant to protect the child by pulling the seat belt away from the neck. In doing so, positioners improperly move the belt over soft tissue. In an accident, devastating injuries might occur to organs. The bottom line with this particular product: if a child is having an issue with the seat belt not fitting at the neck, then he should be in a booster seat.
New car seats and booster devices are manufactured to meet safety standards and tested to be certain they are up to par. There really is no need for these devices. Parents should focus on keeping car seat safety simple. There is no need to complicate automobile travel with children with unnecessary equipment like aftermarket products.
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