Child Passenger Safety Week: Is Your Little One Safe?

Believe it or not, the car seat your little one sits in every day comes with an expiration date.  Now, the seat won't start sprouting mold or inexplicably implode, but you could be putting your child at risk if you place them in an expired car seat.

When I first heard that car seats come with an expiration date, I immediately thought it was a way for the manufacturers to squeeze more money out of consumers. but that's not the case. Car seats come with an expiration to keep your tiny human safe, a fact that the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration agrees with.

Why do car seats expire? For starters, technology improves and standards change. When I was a baby, car seats weren’t even mandatory in cars. Fast forward to 2002 when car seats had long been mandatory, but they weren’t even equip with lower anchors and tethers, now a standard feature. Secondly, car seats weren’t made to last forever. With time, car seat bases can develop hairline fractures and those could shatter if you’re in a car accident. And lastly, manufacturers only test car seats for a certain amount of time so they don’t know how older car seats will hold up in an accident.

If you want to make sure the car seat you have is safe for your tiny human, the Pennsylvania State Police will be hosting a Child Passenger Safety Seat Check on Saturday September 20th from 9am-3pm at the Towanda State Police Barracks on State Route 26 in North Towanda Township, Bradford County.

This check is being held in conjunction with Child Passenger Safety Week with is happening through Saturday.  If you're a parent or caregiver and interested in attending, please call the State Police in Townada to schedule an appointment and don't forget to bring the entire car seat along with the owner's manual.