Car seats are the first line of safety for our children on the road. However, not all child seats can adequately protect our little ones.
Parents, take note if your car seat is from Graco. The baby products company is recalling more than 25, 000 car seats, after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the Graco My Ride 65 car seat failed to meet safety standards.
The safety agency found that in the event of a car accident, Graco’s child seat webbing “may not adequately restrain the child”. As reported in CNN, the all-important harness webbing may break during a serious crash. This might result in your little one unnecessarily suffering more severe injuries!
Fortunately, no injuries linked to the car seat have been reported so far.
Checking your car seat
If you are wondering whether your Graco car seat is part of the recall, here are the details to look out for:
Model numbers: 1871689, 1908152, 1813074, 1872691, 1853478, 1877535, 1813015, and 1794334
Production dates: 05/20/2014 – 08/01/2014.
Webbing code tag: 2014/06
To find the model number and date of manufacture, simply check under or on the back of your car seat for a white label. Once you’ve done that, you can identify the tag on the harness webbing of the harness on the back of your car seat.
Left: Sample harness webbing tag code. Right: Sample model label. (Image Credit: Graco)
Do also check out this page by Graco for more clarifications!
Graco has said that it will begin notifying owners of the recall. It’s also announced that it’ll be providing a free replacement harness for those affected, free of charge! The recall is expected to begin from 17 July, 2017. You can contact Graco here or at 1-800-345-4109.
Car safety reminders
While you and your family might never get into a car accident in your lifetime, always be safe rather than sorry! It can truly be a matter of life or death. In 2016, there were 140 road accidents with fatalities in Singapore.
Belt up —Use a car seat for toddlers, a booster seat for children above 40 pounds (around 18kg), and buckle up kids above 1.35m. According to the Automobile Association of Singapore, a proper child restraint system can reduce fatal injuries by up to 75%!
Keep the car seat straps snug — You should only be able to slip one finger underneath the harness at your child’s chest.
Have your child ride in the backseat — Preferably in the centre! Studies have found that the backseat is up to 86% safer than the front seat, and being in the middle of the backseat is 25% safer than being near the windows.
Don’t belt up and hold your child. Your child will be equally unprotected as there’s no way you’ll be able to hold on to him in a crash. In a 50km/h collision, your child would be ripped from your arms by a force 30 times his body weight.
ALSO READ: Car seat for children isn’t just a fad. It saved this toddler’s life!
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