Parents taking unnecessary risks with child car seats, BCAA survey finds

Many parents are taking unnecessary risks with their children's car seats, according to a new survey conducted by the British Columbia Automobile Association.

The survey found 50 per cent of parents believe a second-hand seat is safe as long as it is in "good condition". Furthermore, 29 per cent of parents who do use a second-hand car seat admit to not knowing the history of the seat.

Shawn Pettipas, the senior manager of community impact at BCAA, says that means they have no way of knowing if it will work properly in a crash.

"If they don't know the history of the seat they don't know if it's been in a crash, if it's been dropped or if it's been damaged in any way which ultimately could put their kids at risk," he explained. "You can weaken the shell of the car seat and it won't perform as it should in the event of a collision."

Pettipas said BCAA recommends going with a new seat as the safest option, but acknowledged for many new parents, a used car seat is a more affordable option.

"If you must use a used car seat, make sure you know the 100 per cent history of the seat, the expiry date and checking the website to make sure there are no recalls on that car seat."

Installation equally important

Other risky but common mistakes include using the wrong car seat for the age, weight or height of the child or just installing it incorrectly.

"Every car, every child, and every seat is different so the combination of all of those things leaves a lot of room to make mistakes," he said. "Read the book that came with the seat and read the book that came with your vehicle."

Parents need to regularly check the seat to see if it is still installed properly, he said.

The survey found 21 per cent of parents admit to not being sure if their child is properly secured in the car seat, and 51 per cent say they don't regularly check to see if their child's car seat is still properly installed.

Pettipas said BCAA offers free clinics for parents that provide one-on-one hands-on help with car seat installation.

Insights West conducted the online survey — commissioned by BCAA — between Jan. 30 to Feb. 2, using a representative sample of 401 British Columbian adults who drive a car and have a child car seat. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. A margin of error is not stated because the survey was conducted online.

With files from The Early Edition

To listen to the interview, click on the link labelled New BCAA survey finds parents take risks with child car seats