Get in a collision, replace your bumper and child safety seat
After a collision the logical thing to do is to replace that dangling fender, but something the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is encouraging you to do is to replace your child’s safety seat too.
Not every collision is cause for the replacement of a child safety seat, but the NHTSA is encouraging drivers to stop and check a few things after an accident to ensure that the safety seat is still in top condition to protect your child.
There are five simple questions that you can ask to determine if the seat needs to be replaced.
1. Did the airbags deploy?
2. Is there any visible damage to the safety seat?
3. Was the door nearest to the safety seat damaged at all?
4. Was anyone in the vehicle injured?
5. Were you able to drive the vehicle away from the scene?
If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” at the very least have the seat looked at by your mechanic. So before you move that new car seat into your newly repaired car take a moment to check on the seat’s condition, just like you would to ensure it is installed correctly.
