Recently in the Child Safety In and Around Cars Category
by Marianne Frederick
Dorel Juvenile Group (Dorel Industries of Montreal, Quebec, Canada), and the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are recalling 1,737 child safety car seat "restraint systems", including models IC124FSM (OnBoard 35) and IC 123FSM (Comfy Carry). Consumers may remember that in mid-February 2011, Dorel recalled an estimated 800,000 child safety seats due to a harness locking-and-release button issue.
The child safety car seats being recalled now were manufactured from May 2011 through April 2012, and sold without the separate seat base that contained the required LATCH attachment assembly. Units without the LATCH assembly do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Standard No. 213, "Child Restraint Systems" and are more difficult to secure in the vehicle, thus a child may not be adequately protected from injury in the event of an accident or crash.
Dorel Juvenile Group will notify distributors and owners who have registered their child safety seats. According to the NHTSA, bases with LATCH systems will be provided at no cost to consumers who are able to verify they own affected units. Owners who have not registered their child safety seats can contact Dorel Juvenile Group at 1/877-416-8111 or email the company at
infantlatchrecall@djgusa.comTo-date, photos of the recalled child seat restraint systems have not been published to the web. Childsafetyblog.org will upload them to our website when they are available. Dorel notes on its company website that "increased scrutiny is being placed on consumer products in general and the juvenile industry in particular." We would certainly hope that Dorel, as the "world's largest manufacturer of car seats and a leader in other juvenile product categories" would place as much emphasis on bringing safer child products to the market as a leader in the manufacture of child car seats and restraint systems should. In Dorel's opinion, the company is "sensitive" to each and every recall-related incident! Childsafetyblog.org would like to see fewer child safety seat recall-related incidents!
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Posted by Marianne Frederick
Here are two good ideas parents like to put into practice: "Keeping children safe when they ride in the car by using the appropriate booster or safety car seats in the proper manner;" and "Car pooling in order to save gas, limit wear and tear on a vehicle, and rotate chauffeuring responsibilities of parents and caregivers." Both of these sound like great ideas, don't they? Is there any good reason these ideas should be mutually exclusive?
We don't think so, but, according to a study performed by Michelle Macy, MD, of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and her colleagues, "Parents who generally have their children use booster seats in the car are not consistent in their use of booster seats when carpooling."[1] Also, 79% of the group of carpooling parents in the study said they would always ask another driver to make sure to use a booster seat for their child and only 55% said they would have their child use a booster seat if their friends riding in the vehicle did not have booster seats. The data in the study were compiled from a survey of 681 parents of children, ranging in ages from 4 to 8. The article published in the February 2012 issue of Pediatrics, concluded that "social norms and self-efficacy for booster seat use may be influential in carpooling situations,"[2] which is a lofty way of saying that peer pressure is at work and it limits children's safe-riding behavior even in carpooling situations.
This means to me that as child safety communicators, we need to do a better and more thorough job in publishing the message long and loud that using restraints appropriate for a child's size every time they are in the car is very important for the safety of your child! The American Academy of Pediatrics believes health care providers have an important role in the process of communicating this message as parents view health care providers as a major resource for information on how to keep their children safe. The American Academy of Pediatrics revised their policy statement on booster seat use last year to reflect an emphasis on the size of a child, rather than a child's age, by "recommending the use of a booster seat from the time children outgrow their forward-facing car seat until they reach 4 feet, 9 inches tall, around ages 8 to 12." [3] Safekids.org says "Use booster seats from 40 to 80 or 100 pounds.
The University of Michigan study reported that despite the type of restraint used for their children, most parents (64%) participated in carpooling and that booster seats were not uniformly used when the parents were driving other children.[4] The good news is that 76% of the parents used a safety seat for their child (although they had difficulty distinguishing between a safety car seat and a booster seat so for the purposes of this study, safety and booster seats were combined into "safety seats"). The remaining 24% of parents in the study said they used restraints (safety belts), but not booster seats, for their children. Finally, children were more likely to be using safety seats if the children were younger or lived in states where safety/booster seats were mandated by law. Our conclusion: Parents and caregivers need to know the differences between booster and safety seats and always make sure to use the size-appropriate seat in the proper way for children... every time they ride in your car! Every state has a child passenger safety law and parents and caregivers need to know the law in their state. To find the child passenger safety and safety belt use laws in your state, go to
www.usa.safekids.org [5] and, please, drive and ride safely!Posted by Marianne Frederick
According to an article in the February 28 section, DriveOn in USA Today, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has postponed once more the publication of a rule which would require rear-view cameras in all model 2014 cars and trucks. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/02/report-backup-camera-to-be-required-on--2014-light-vehicles/1
Anticipating that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) can issue the final rule by December 31, 2012, Secretary LaHood informed members of the House and Senate oversight committees. DOT currently estimates that having rear-view cameras in vehicles could save approximately 300 lives annually. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that "292 fatalities and 18,000 injuries result each year from back-over incidents by cars and light trucks". Of fatalities involving light vehicles, the NHTSA says 44% are children under five years of age.[1][1] Child Safety advocate, Janette Fennell of KidsAndCars.org, commented that the news was devastating and totally unacceptable when it has been four years since the bill had been signed into law. http://ceoutlook.com/tag/rear-view-cameras/
The 2007 law requiring DOT to promulgate standards to improve the ability for drivers to view pedestrians behind vehicles was originally to have been published by February 28, 2011; however, LaHood cited the many difficult issues which surfaced during the public comment period for the proposed standards. LaHood also noted that additional research and data analyses would be required to produce the most "protective and efficient" rule that would cover a broader spectrum of vehicles and drivers than originally addressed.
Indicating that the new projected deadline for this critical safety rule would be December 31, 2012, LaHood also noted that if a final rule were not published by December 2012, that it could affect whether cameras would be installed in all new 2014 vehicles. Carmakers and regulators presently differ in their perception of how quickly a camera image "must appear after the driver shifts into reverse." The difference of two seconds could mean the life of a child standing, walking or playing behind a large SUV.
Another point of contention between DOT and automobile manufacturers is the additional cost to carmakers which would be passed on to the consumer and could raise the sticker price $200 for some vehicles. Some high-end automakers presently offer a rear-view camera as an option. There also are differences in the cameras, for instance, a driver may have to turn the radio on before the camera will work. Consumer Reports' Auto Testing Center's David Champion says, "Back-up cameras are a great thing, because visibility is getting worse in today's cars," due to changes in car styles leaning toward aerodynamic rather than visibility improvements.
[1][1] "LaHood delays rule that may require backup cameras," Woodyard, Chris et al., USA Today "Drive On", February 28, 2012; http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/02/report-backup-camera-to-be-required-on--2014-light-vehicles/1
By Marianne Frederick
Recently when I drove my car into the parking lot of a grocery store and parked, I noticed a car across from mine where a woman was standing and talking on her cell phone. I couldn't help but observe the scenario that was playing out in front of me--a serious safety challenge for a distracted caregiver was about to unfold! A young woman stood with an empty shopping cart talking on her cell phone, with her back to the open door of her 4-door sedan. Perhaps she had been interrupted by a phone call before helping her children get out of the car and into the cart. There were two young children in the car and from the way they moved in and around the back seat of the vehicle, I concluded they were not restrained by any kind of booster seat. I wondered how long the woman had been on the phone, and how long it would take for at least one of the children to find a way out of the car. Cars and pick-up trucks were entering and exiting the parking lot as the woman continued with the phone conversation without turning around to watch the children in her car--and in her care. I have to admit I was getting concerned.
As all parents come to realize, kids are nothing short of resourceful. It was no surprise finally that one young child was out of the breech and was playfully looking for a place to hide underneath a neighboring parked car. Fortunately, a male passerby loudly called the woman's attention to the fact that one youngster was out of the car and the other one was about to follow. She was aghast--I will never forget the look of realization on the woman's face at what could have happened. Once retrieved, the child was bundled back into the car with a "good-talking to," and both children were remanded to the back seat (still no booster seat that I observed), the woman abandoned her cart and drove from the parking lot. The incident lasted maybe five minutes, and it could have ended in heartbreak. Thankfully, it did not.
That's when I began to think seriously about the issue of distracted driving--and parking--especially about how parents can lose track of a child they are taking to daycare on their way to work, or how we, parents and caregivers, become so involved in what we are doing that we forget about the kids we are transporting. Yes, there are demands on our time, and yes, we are involved in careers, children's school activities and other pursuits--and we are often our family's regular or substitute chauffeurs. Lapses of attention and memory do occur and we get so committed to our routines that we may seem to be doing things by rote--but what can we do to prevent being distracted when we have children to whom we need to pay attention?
There are things we can do to remind ourselves that there are children in the backseat (even if they're not making noise). We can put a backpack, a stuffed toy, lunches or some other item in the front seat that we need to give the children when we help them out of the car at the destination. We can set an alarm on our phones or other digital devices that reminds us to check the kids we are transporting. We can write ourselves a note and tape it to the dash board. We can make lists and immediately cross items off when we have completed them. Simply paying attention to your child is one of the best duties we can perform as parents.
Maybe one of the most important rules we can make for ourselves is to never, ever leave our kids alone in a parked car, not even for a minute. Whether a car's engine is running or not, a child may be able to disengage parking gears in some vehicles. Children who are not restrained can get their limbs or head stuck in automatic windows or climb through backseats into trunks and become trapped. Children can become trapped in locked vehicles, so always take your children and your keys out of the car when you get out of the car.
And of course always remember that a vehicle's interior becomes hot rapidly when it is parked in the sun. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to high temperatures in cars with windows rolled up.
It's time to stop the distracting habits we have while we're driving--whether it's talking or texting on a cell phone (which is now illegal in some states)--or watching a video on some digital device or mobile TV, eating, putting on make-up, or even chatting while driving--it's time to become aware of what we're doing and ditch the distractions!
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by Marianne Frederick
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced over the weekend that Britax, the manufacturer of children's car seats, strollers and child and infant restraint systems, will recall approximately 14,220 Chaperone infant and child restraint systems.
The Chaperone Infant and Child Restraint Systems manufactured from September 1, 2010 through April 30, 2011 are being recalled because the harness adjuster can detach from the seat. In the event of a crash, the defective harness adjuster could cause serious or fatal injury to a child or infant as the child would not be properly restrained.
According to the NHTSA, the car restraint systems affected by this recall display the model numbers: E9L692J (black/silver), E9L692K (red), E9L692L ("cowmooflage") and E9L692M (green). The manufacture date and model number are also shown on a label on the car seat.
The company, Britax, will notify owners of the restraint systems and provide free repair kits which owners can install. The recall and mailing of repair kits are expected to begin on or about February 6, 2012. Until February 6, any car seats from which the harness adjuster has become detached will be replaced by Britax. Consumers can locate the harness adjuster at the base of the car seat. Consumers may contact Britax by calling
1-888-427-4829 or visiting the company's website at
http://www.britaxusa.com.For more information on this particular recall, consumers also may want to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or visit
http://www.safercar.gov. When discussing this particular recall with the NHTSA, consumers will want to reference campaign number 12C001000.##
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in conjunction with the company Bugaboo Americas of El Segundo, California is recalling 64,000 child car seat adapters.
The hazard involved with this particular car seat adapter is when it is used on a stroller with a wheeled board accessory for transporting a standing toddler, and the car seat is positioned so the child faces forward, the car seat can disconnect from the adapter and fall. Bugaboo has received one report when the car seat disconnected from the adapter and stroller frame, causing a minor injury to a child.
Car seat adapter models 80400GC01 and 80401GC02 are involved in this recall. Car seat adapters are fabricated so that they attach car seats to the corresponding stroller frames. They are made of silver-colored aluminum tubing with black plastic connecting parts.
The car seat adapters were sold at Babies "R" Us, Buy Buy Baby, Neiman Marcus, and other retail and independent juvenile stores, by Bugaboo.com and other online retailers from December 2005 to July 2011 for approximately $45. It probably comes as no surprise to our readers that these car seat adapters were made in China.
Parents and caregivers should stop using these adapters and contact Bugaboo for a free service kit and decals. For more information, consumers may contact Bugaboo at
serviceus@bugaboo.com or (800) 460-2922 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.bugaboo.com.To view a photo of the adapter being recalled, please visit the CPSC website at:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12067.html.##
Checking the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website for toy recalls this week, we were alerted to a major warning for parents, family members, and caregivers of young children, particularly infants, about "Bumbos."
What is a Bumbo? Bumbos are baby seats made in South Africa by Bumbo International and imported to the U.S. They are made of brightly colored, usually aqua or purple, plastic. Apparently, the inherent danger is that infants, from three to ten-months old, when placed in a Bumbo baby seat, can fall or escape from the seat by arching backward, leaning forward or sideways or rocking. In October 2007, there was a recall of the Bumbo baby seat when Bumbo and the CPSC learned of approximately 45 incidents in which babies fell from the baby seat while it was being used on an elevated surface, such as a table top or counter. In 17 of those incidents, babies suffered skull fractures.
Even more shocking, the CPSC and Bumbo International have been notified of 50 more incidents involving babies falling or maneuvering out of the Bumbo baby seat when it was placed on the floor. Those events included 2 reports of babies suffering skull fractures and one of concussion. The CPSC recall announcement says, "The Bumbo seat is labeled and marketed to help infants sit in an upright position as soon as they can support their head."
Even though the product warnings state that the seat "may not prevent release of your baby in the event of vigorous movement," we think the CPSC warning should go out to parents in the form of an "All Points Bulletin", because these seats apparently sold like hot-cakes--and everybody has them! Approximately 3.85 million Bumbo baby seats have been sold in the United States since 2003 -- at about $40 -- that's approximately $154 million, depending on whether they were purchased at full price.
If you have one of these jewels in your home, please note that the "CPSC and Bumbo International are now aware of at least 46 falls from Bumbo seats used on elevated surfaces that occurred prior to the 2007 recall, resulting in 14 skull fractures, two concussions and one incident of a broken limb."
One retailer's advertisement for the Bumbo baby seat indicates they sold for $39.99. The advertisement said, "The Bumbo Baby Seat is cleverly designed to support babies and allows little ones to sit up independently. Made from a single piece of latex-free, low-density, lightweight foam, the Bumbo Seat provides a snug and comfortable environment for your baby to sit in during feedings, play time or quality time with the family. The Bumbo Baby Seat requires no straps or fasteners to hold your baby in place and helps babies make the transition to sitting upright."
To view a photo of a Bumbo baby seat, go to the CPSC website:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12047.htmlAt this time there appears to be no provision for a refund or replacement. Childsafetyblog.org suggests parents remove this baby seat from their homes.
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At Childsafetyblog.org, we had to take a step back when we heard this sound bite on yesterday's news from several sources, including CNN's Kyra Phillips. Toxic chemicals have been found in children's car seats. We thought we must have misheard or the commentator must be mistaken. Toxic chemicals? Which chemicals and which car seats? Are the car seats being recalled?
A news station in
According to the
- Infant Seat: Graco Snugride 35 in Edgemont Red/Black & Graco SnugRide 30 in Asprey;
- Convertible Seat: Britax Marathon 70 in Jet Set & Britax Marathon in Platinum;
- Booster Seat: Recaro Pro Booster in Blue Opal & Recaro ProSPORT Toddler in Misty.[3]
The
- Infant Seat: Chicco KeyFit 30 in Limonata, Graco Snugride 35 in Laguna Bay & Combi Shuttle 33 in Cranberry Noche;
- Convertible Seat: Graco Comfort Sport in Caleo, Graco MyRide 65 in Chandler and Streamer, Safety 1st OnSide Air in Clearwater, and Graco Nautilus Elite 3-in-1 in Gabe; and
- Booster Seat: Graco Turbo Booster in Anders.[4]
HealthyStuff, a website that posts safety test results of children's products says: "Overall, car seats are improving. Between 2008 and 2011:
- The average seat ranking improved by 64% (1.5 - 2009 to 0.9 - 2011);
- The number of car seats with BFRs declined by 18% (63% 2009 to 44% in 2011)." http://www.healthystuff.org/departments/childrens-products/about.findings.php
Yet some companies continue to use more potentially hazardous flame retardants in their products than others in the industry, and HealthyStuff says those are: Baby Trend (100%), Recaro (100%), and Britax (84%).
Given that because babies who are still growing are the most vulnerable population, and many babies and young children sit in car seats for long periods of time daily, we don't understand why these products were either not tested for the presence of these chemicals-or if the manufacturers/ importers were aware, why they did not report the presence of these chemicals-- prior to placing the car seats on the market. Thus, far, no recalls of the above-listed car seats have been announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission of the car seats listed above due to the findings of the
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says it will hold off on some proposed car seat regulations until the dummies which are used in crash tests can better "mimic real children."[1] Problems with the crash dummies have caused NHTSA to propose some regs for children over 65 lbs. which leaves a whole lot of children under 65 lbs. somewhat in the lurch. In essence, this means federal regulations for automobile booster/car seats do not accurately protect our children.
What made the dummies fail? According to the NHTSA, the dummy's neck is too stiff to really recreate accurately the kind of response a child's neck would have to a crash--this would "skew the amount of crash force the child's head would experience" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crash-test-dummy-doesnt-make-the-grade/2011/03/13/AB81rNU_graphic.html ) in the crash tests. And the dummy's body is too straight and apparently too stiff to react as a child's would in crash circumstances. Also according to the NHTSA, there are differences in the friction that would occur on a live child, between the seatbelt and the child's clothed chest, and the friction between the seatbelt and the clothed chest of the dummy and they do not accurately mimic those which would exist for those of a live child--and these differences could cause a variance in the response (body-to-seatbelt) that would render the tests inaccurate or considered not a good simulation. In addition, the results of seatbelt fit measurements on a dummy as compared with a child could vary too much to be considered reliable.
In the opinion of Katherine Shaver of The Washington Post, "That's because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to develop a lifelike child crash test dummy that can accurately ensure that seats for heavier children provide the protections promised. ...Problems with developing child dummies are also a key reason why seats for all children have no federal requirements for effectiveness in side-impact, rear-end and rollover collisions, car seat experts said." http://mobile.washingtonpost.com/c.jsp?item=http%3a%2f%2fwww.washingtonpost.com%2flocal%2finadequacy-of-crash-test-dummies-leaves-many-child-safety-seats-with-no-federal-standards%2f2011%2f03%2f01%2fABBfaCU_mobile.xml&cid=578815
This blogger would like to know where the current dummy was manufactured?
[1] The
It's the first day of Spring, and we have high hopes that warmer weather is on the way after a long, cold winter in Virginia. We have high hopes for something else which is occurring in
What is a distracted driver? If you have driven on any
What do distracted drivers do when they are supposed to be focused on driving their vehicles? Distracted drivers may be doing any, some or all of the following while driving--and these are only a few of the activities we have observed:
· Eating, drinking, and/or smoking (lighting or putting out cigarettes, cigars, or pipes) while driving can be very distracting--even momentarily; spilling hot food, cold or hot drinks, or cigarette ashes;
· Talking on, listening to, or dialing cell phones;
· Typing and sending text messages via cell phones;
· Watching or listening to TV (now, I ask you...)
· Listening to recorded/downloaded music on iPod-like devices, tape/CD-players or portable radios with earphones in-ears (the latter is actually illegal in many states);
· Working on... or playing games... on laptop computers;
· Changing clothing; putting on make-up;
· Reading the newspaper, books or maps.
The aforementioned are only some of the things distracted drivers do. We are sure you can add other erstwhile activities you have seen people doing when they should be focused on driving, to the list, as distracted driving has become so prevalent, so commonly occurring. The issue really impressed me while driving on a state route near my home; I noticed an SUV approaching in the rear view mirror at a rather high rate of speed. The SUV came close enough that I noted a neighbors' young daughter driving and excitedly talking on her cell phone (which was held by her neck) as she gestured with her hands. My sole thought was: What is holding the steering wheel? (And, yes, I called her mom--not to tattle, but simply to ask in whose name the car was insured...)
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