Car Seat Lawsuit & News Blog

Examine Your Seatbelts for Safety

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:21:22 -0400

Without a doubt, seatbelt failures can pose very dangerous risks to someone who is riding in an automobile. While there are instances of unavoidable manufacturer defects there are also those instances where seatbelt failures could have been avoided. For example, when you affix a seatbelt be sure that you have properly and completely latched it into place. If the seatbelt is not properly latched then it might come free when the car impacts with another car. So, always latch the seatbelt properly and listen for the "clicking" sound that indicates it has been properly affixed. Your safety and the safety of any passengers rely on it.

Consumer Product Safety Commission Pronouncements

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 14:26:30 -0400

When you walk up and down the aisle of any store in the United States you come face to face with a host of products of all varieties. These products can serve either functional or entertainment purposes but they all should come with a reasonable expectation of safety. Of course, information regarding the safety of a product may arrive after it already has been released to the public. In such a case, the Consumer Product Safety Commission may issue a warning regarding any newly discovered risks with a product. This is not alarmism as much as it is a reliable means of keeping people safe from potential dangers in the marketplace that may not have otherwise been obvious.

Seatbelts Minimize Truck Accidents

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 16:24:06 -0400

It goes without saying that one of the most important items needed for reducing injuries in a truck accident is a seatbelt but they are only valuable if people wear them. Many decades ago, installing seatbelts in cars was not mandatory and the customer had to ask for them. Of course, all cars come with seatbelts now but many people opt not to wear them even in states where there are mandatory laws. Such actions are not wise because seatbelts - as the saying goes - save lives and their use should be employed by any responsible driver. Yes, they truly are that important.

Has a loved one died from a SUV rollover?

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:02:45 -0400

SUVs and faulty tires have the cause of many deaths. Is it the driver's fault? Probably not. SUVs should be safe not violent driving machines. If someone in your family has suffered the ultimate tragedy from a SUV rollover, then it's time to contact Anapol Schwartz, Pennsylvania law firm with experience in SUV rollover and car accident cases. Or call toll-free 1-866-735-2792. 1710 Spruce Street, Philadelphia PA 19103

Car Seat Safety Clinic Finds Most Child Car Seats Not Properly Installed

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:30:41 -0400

A free child safety car seat check held in Virginia Beach last week found that of 50 car seats, only three were installed correctly. Most of the car seats were too loose, facing the wrong way, and had the harness straps in the wrong spots.

A new car seat law goes into effect July 1, 2007.

Certified child safety seat technicians from several agencies teamed up to offer parents free child seat inspections. Seats came out, and technicians climbed in. Adjusting some seats proved harder than others.

But getting it right is a lifesaver.

Beginning July 1, kids will spend more time in their safety seats. The new law boosts the age from five to eight, and closes the gap on a higher rate of injuries and death due to adult sized seat belts.
If your income level makes it difficult to purchase a child safety seat, you can qualify for a free one. Just contact the health department in your area.

SOURCE: http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=6688110&nav=23ii

Changes in Child Seat Belt Laws

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:50:40 -0400

Changes to the child passenger safety law go into effect Friday and the new rules focus on children in booster seats. Most seat belts are designed for adults and can cause serious injury to children. The Commission says 71 percent of deaths from car accidents could be eliminated if every child under 16 used an appropriate safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt.
The law includes the following:

Children under 8 years old, unless they are at least 4' 9" tall, must ride in a booster seat.
Children under four should be in a child restraint seat.
Infants should be in a rear facing car seat until they are one year of age and 20 pounds.

Children should also avoid the front seat until they are 13. Less than five percent of all drivers use booster seats for children over four years old.

http://www.kxly.com/news/?sect_rank=1§ion_id=559&story_id=11508

California Assembly Approves of Booster Seat Rules

Wed, 9 May 2007 15:36:03 -0400

Leave it to California to be ahead of the national curve in child safety car seat rules - pending necessary signatures. California children would be required to ride in booster seats for two additional years - until age 8 - under legislation approved Monday by the Assembly.

The measure by San Francisco Democrat Gene Mullin was adopted largely along party lines, 44-25, most Republicans were opposed.

Assembly Bill 881 would provide an exception for very tall youngsters, 4-foot-9 or taller, who could use a seat belt rather than a booster seat. The legislation, if signed into law, would become effective in January 2009.

Current state law requires children to ride in a car seat until they are 4, then a booster seat until they are 6 years old or weigh more than 60 pounds. AB 881 also would require children to ride in the back seat of vehicles until they are 8, two years later than current law.

The booster seat bill now goes to the Senate.

http://www.sacbee.com/102/story/170642.html

Kids not in car seats or restrained; driver jailed

Wed, 9 May 2007 15:33:16 -0400

A Cincinnati woman is in jail, accused of speeding while five children were unrestrained in the back seat of her car. After the woman was pulled over, police noticed five children in the back seat. None of the children were using seat belts or in car seats.

The five children were ages 6, 5, 1 and two of the children were 2 years old. The woman is being charged for speeding and seat belt and safety restraint violations.

You have to wonder why none of these children were in car seats, booster seats, or using seat belts. Fortunately, none of them were injured.

see: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070508/NEWS01/305080024

Dorel Industries consider swiveling baby car seat to boost sales

Sat, 5 May 2007 15:34:54 -0400

Canadian consumer product company Dorel Industries will market a baby car seat that swivels. Rollout will start in Europe and then eventually be sold in North America. Car seats have difficulty fitting into smaller cars which most of Europe uses.

With this new swiveling baby car seat the whole bucket swivels, faces the door. You put your child in, you put on the belts and then you swivel it and then you lock it back into the right position.

The juvenile segment of the company, which manufactures baby products, said operation earnings increased by 14 per cent to $34 million as sales of car seats and strollers proved especially strong in Germany and the United Kingdom.

During the last week of April, Dorel shares climbed $1.11 to $37.74 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

see: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/article.jsp?content=b050291A#adSkip

Crashworthy Testing

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:55:27 -0400

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/03/opinion/03sat2.html?ex=1328158800&en=acf14cab049b2f3b&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

The federal government is exploring ways to strengthen its testing and rating system for the crashworthiness of motor vehicles. The effort is long overdue but still likely to fall short of what really works.

In too many cases, the tests are weaker than they should be and fail to address current kinds of accidents, like what happens when one of today's larger SUVs collides with a smaller one.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tackles vehicle crash protection in two major ways. It sets minimum crashworthiness standards and requires the manufacturers to test their vehicles and certify that they comply. Then the NHTSA conducts its own more rigorous tests on a number of new cars. The results are converted into a five-star rating system to indicate which vehicles are more crashworthy and which are less likely to roll over. The theory is that consumers will be more interested in buying the safer vehicles, thereby giving manufacturers a strong incentive to surpass the minimum requirements.

Nowadays, a vast majority of vehicles get four or five stars, providing little way for consumers to detect differences and giving manufacturers little incentive to keep improving. Unfortunately, the tests have not kept pace with the times as more sport utility vehicles, minivans, and pickups are manufactured.

For everyone's safety, consumer advocates and vehicle insurers should press hard for the strongest possible tests and standards.