Injuries from vehicle accidents are a leading cause of fatalities for children, and many people may not realize that car seats have an expiration date. Fitting a child in a proper and current car seat will help reduce their chances of being seriously hurt in an accident.
If your child winds up hurt because someone else caused an accident, you may need to file a personal injury lawsuit right away.
An expired car seat may fail to fully protect your child in the event of a crash. Expired car seats are not safe and should not be used by anyone. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, you should not use a car seat after six years from the date of manufacturer if you cannot find an expiration date or past the posted expiration date.
The leading reasons for retiring an expired car seat include the facts that:
- Components get worn down
- Technology improves, which is indicated by the fact that the rate of motor vehicle crash deaths for every one million children younger than 13, decreased by 80% between 1975 and 2020.
- Be careful getting rid of expired car seats because you do not want another parent to end up using one of these components. When dealing with this, go to a local recycling facility
- Mark the plastic base as unsafe
- Cut off all straps, fabric and foam padding
- Use a screwdriver to remove as much metal on the item as possible
- Discard the straps, foam, fabric and plastic or mixed metal pieces.
If your child has been injured in a car accident because of another person’s negligent behavior, you need to hire an experienced San Francisco personal injury lawyer immediately.