When should I replace a car seat after an accident?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has provided guidelines for parents in terms of whether to continue use of a car seat following a motor vehicle collision. The NHTSA recommends that car seats be replaced following a moderate or serious collision, but indicates that a car seat does not need to be automatically replaced after only a minor collision. The NHTSA characterizes a minor collision for these purposes as meeting all of the following criteria:

• The door of the car closest to the car seat did not suffer damage.
• Inspection of the safety seat reveals no apparent damage.
• No vehicle occupants experienced any injuries.
• No airbags deployed.
• The car could still be driven after the crash

While a parent undeterred by the cost of replacing a car seat might elect to replace the child safety restraint system in an abundance of caution, the NHTSA website indicates that these guidelines are intended to reduce the risk of children being transported with no car seat while parents are waiting to replace a car seat involved in a collision. These recommendations also are intended to decrease the economic burden on parents when car seat replacement is not necessarily required.