When it comes to the safety of our children, we must always be informed. One of the main issues that we should know as much information as possible about parents is road safety, something that we have talked about in Babies and more.
When it comes to car seats, there are certain precautions we should take when using them, and one of them is when it is involved in a collision. Therefore, today we answer the following question: Can I continue using the car seat after a road accident?
The car seat: indispensable for children's road safety
Car seats, whose formal name is the Child Restraint System (SRI), They are an indispensable safety product for all families, because they are the devices responsible for keeping our children protected during their journeys and trips by car.
In Babies and moreChairs for the car: the basic information that every parent should knowIn fact, car seats are the number one point of the Decalogue of Child Road Safety approved and published by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) and the Spanish Alliance for Child Road Safety (AESVI). But as we have said on other occasions, It is not enough to buy a chair and that's it.
In order for them to function as expected and fulfill their function of protecting our children, must meet certain conditions, as they are approved and new, and that they are used properly, installing them correctly and making sure that our children are well attached to them.
Once we have met all these conditions and safety measures, we can rest assured knowing that our children travel protected by their chair. This is, of course, until it is necessary to change it for another, something that may be necessary for three reasons:
- Our son already exceeded weight and size limits recommended of that model
- The chair has already reached its Date of Expiry
- Was in a collision or Vehicular accident (with or without a child in it)
As we have spoken on other occasions about the appropriate groups for each child according to their weight and size, and we have also talked about the importance of not buying second-hand chairs because they have an expiration date, today we will talk about what we should do when a chair was in a vehicle accident.
What happens to the car seat after a collision or traffic accident?
A vehicle accident is something we wish never happens to us, especially when we travel with our children. However, it is something that unfortunately sometimes happens. If you were recently in a traffic accident or collision, you should know that car seats are also affected by these.
At first glance it might seem that the chair has remained intact and has only received a jolt because of the impact, and precisely because it is not easy to see what has happened internally with it, Not all parents know that it must be replaced after being in a vehicle accident.
We must remember that SRIs are designed to absorb the impact that is received during a collision, protecting our children from possible blows or injuries, and helping to ensure that the possible damage received during the accident is minor.
In Babies and more A mother shows us the importance of always placing our children correctly in the car seatTherefore, although seeing them with the naked eye does not seem to have suffered any damage, there is a great possibility that they do have it inside. Some of the possible damages that the car seat can suffer during a vehicle accident are:
- Damage not visible in the internal structure (microcracks)
- Anchor damage
- Damage to clasps and clasps
- Internal deformations
- Tensions in the plastic
These internal damages, which are not visible to our eyes, cause the car seat to no longer be safe to use, as it will no longer protect children as before, and in case of another accident or a sudden stop, our children will be exposed to damage.
By common sense, we all understand that in the event of a serious or very serious accident, replacing it is something we must do yes or yes, but minor accidents could also damage it. In fact, according to Mapfre Foundation, many manufacturers recommend replace the chair in case of an accident with an impact speed exceeding 10-20 km / h, while the RACE recommends replacing it in case of any traffic accident.
Therefore, it is important Always read the manual or instructions booklet issued by the chair manufacturer to know what to do in these cases. Recall that in accordance with the amendment to the General Traffic Regulations that entered into force on October 1, 2015, it is required that the use of SRIs be made according to the specifications made by the manufacturer in the manual or booklet or any publication concerning the mode of use.
In Babies and more 11 keys on car seats to travel safely with childrenIn case of not having the manual or having any doubt after a traffic accident, we will have to contact the manufacturer directly, and also, we can take the opportunity to ask if they have a replacement program for these situations, as some companies take advantage of the seats involved in accidents to continue investigating and improving their products.
What to do with the car seat after a traffic accident
It is important to clarify that we must properly dispose of the chair that was involved in a traffic accident, taking it to a recycling point or dismantling it ourselves, cutting and detaching all the parts that can be removed and discarding each one separately, so that it is no longer possible to continue using it.
In this way, we make sure that that chair that has been damaged is not used as a second-hand product by another family, as we have mentioned, its effectiveness and safety have been compromised and would put the lives of children who use it at risk.
Photos | iStock
