Families often ask pediatricians for guidance on how to install and use car seats, but a rise in low-cost or counterfeit car seats is providing new challenges to keeping children safe.
Each year, thousands of children are killed or injured in car crashes. Ensuring they are using a properly manufactured car seat correctly is necessary for a safe ride. In recent years, however, clinicians have seen an increase in the number of counterfeit car seats purchased by parents.
Raquel Denis, M.D., FAAP, a certified child passenger safety technician and medical director for the Center for Pediatric Medicine at Prisma Health in Greenville, S.C., said the number of families bringing low-quality car seats to her clinic has increased noticeably in recent years.
“It’s hard to give an exact time of when these things started showing up, but it seems over the past couple of years there has been a steady amount,” Dr. Denis said.
Families who shop online may believe they are purchasing a legitimate car seat at a deal only to be told it may not be safe for their child to use, Dr. Denis said. Car seats manufactured in other countries, for example, may not comply with U.S. safety standards.
Dr. Denis looks for visual signs that a car seat is noncompliant with U.S. standards.
“Usually, what I look for are stickers and the chest clip,” Dr. Denis said. “A lot of noncompliant seats will be missing a chest clip. In some countries in Europe, chest clips are not actually standard.”
A safe car seat has the following features:
- five-point harness strap,
- side-impact protection,
- federally required yellow safety sticker,
- minimum and maximum height requirements,
- manufacturer information,
- expiration date and
- manual and registration card.
Parents and caregivers should never use a car seat that is past its expiration date, has visible cracks, does not come with instructions and does not have proper labels.
Consumers also should check to see if the car seat has been recalled. The make and model number can be checked on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. A car seat product list also is available at HealthyChildren.org.
Sadiqa A.I. Kendi, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., and chief medical officer of Safe Kids Worldwide, said it is important for families to seek out trusted resources and partners when deciding which car seat to buy.
“Car seats are so important because seat belts and cars in general were not made for small bodies,” said Dr. Kendi, a member of the AAP Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention Executive Committee. “In order for a child to be safe in a car, if there is a crash, a car seat is what really helps protect the child in an optimal way. Even though some cheaper ones still meet the safety standard, many do not meet the safety standard.”
Families may not be aware that if they buy a seat from what they think is a reputable site, they still can end up with a counterfeit seat, she added.
To ensure a car seat is safe to use, Dr. Kendi said families should consult their pediatrician or find a certified child passenger safety technician to inspect and install a seat. Families can find a technician at https://cert.safekids.org/.
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