safety standards - observation..

i was perusing my consumer reports magazine.... and noticed something
troubling... now, I don't think any of you folks are in the market for
infant car seats... :) but the top safety tested seat is from Britain. and
not sold in the U.S. because it doesn't fit the U.S. 'safety standards'.
but... safety standards in Britain and Europe are different, but better...
the seat that was tested was purchased in Britain and brought here for
testing... because it's not allowed to be sold here. Yet it outperformed
every other infant seat. troubling that safer seats are available, because
that means there are infants in the U.S. riding in unsafe seats. (In one
test, the test dummy was thrown 30 feet out of the car....)

i don't mean to trivialize the solution... there are conflicting standards
and conflicting means of testing. sure would be nice to get the best
experts on all continents to be able to share knowledge on topics such as
this... our grandson is 3 yrs old and I plan to tell our son about this
article.

mmj1...

It did make the news last night or this morning so perhaps it will make some
people take notice. I remember the first car seats which just hooked over
the front seats. Not even a strap to hold the child into the seat. The
purpose was so the child could see out and perhaps be more content in the
car. Never heard anything about them being involved in accidents, etc., but
extensive coverage of accidents in every state was not done at that time. In
an accident they would have to have been shot right into the windshield.
Unbelievable that at time every one thought they were great.

**Dalin**...

I guess this is changing the subject a little, but in both of our cars
there is a big warning on the front visors about strapping in your
child. We don't have a child to strap in and I wish there were some
way to remove those big warnings. They are permanently there. Not
everyone who buys a car has a child. Both our cars are foreign, I
wonder if they do this in American cars?

Marilee...

The warnings are in American made, too. I think the reason they're
permanent is because people trade in or sell their cars and the next owner
may have a child. The warnings are not just to protect the kids, they're to
protect the car manufacturer.

On a side note: We have an insured that bought a "salvage" car to restore
(he's an auto body repair person) and when he called to put insurance on it,
he told me that he didn't put an air bag back in it. After requesting the
sign-off sheet for the vehicle inspection (for road-worthiness) and talking
to the underwriter, we put the coverage on it, but wrote him a letter
strongly urging him to re-install the airbag (it's new enough that the air
bag is standard). One of the local highway patrol officers is a long-time
friend of mine, and he does these inspections when they're necessary. I
asked him if "airbag" is on the checklist. NO. He did, however, tell me
that he would ask that it be added for the future.

Marilee

**Dalin**...

Seems like everyone with a child knows the rules about car seats. Why
would the manufacturer have to be protected? It's not their fault if
a parent doesn't use a child safety car carrier. Just like it's not
the bike manufacturer's fault if a child doesn't wear a safety helmet.

The warnings are ugly.

I'm ambivalent about air bags. They work for people who refuse to
wear seatbelts. But some people have been injured by them. I always
wear a seatbelt and if I could, I would rather not have airbags. The
side airbags don't bother me, but the ones that have injured people
are the front bags.

Jean B....

Ditto re the air bags. I am 5 feet tall, and Leah is about
5'2". Those thangs are dangerous for short folks!

Jean B....

What would happen if you imported such a seat?