UVA Health warns of dangers from non-compliant car seats

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) -- As more families unknowingly bring unsafe car seats and non-U.S.-approved car seats to UVA Health, two health officials are warning parents and guardians of the potential dangers of using non-compliant car seats for their children.

The afternoon of Friday, Sept. 12, Brianna Russell, the nurse manager and Katie Kikis-Baker, clinical nurse leader, explained the risks of using seats that lack essential safety features and proper federal certification during press briefing with reporters.

According to Russell, UVA Health has identified six non-compliant car seats over the last few months, with many parents and guardians actually purchasing them unintentionally.

"The potential harm of using a non-U.S. compliant car seat can be severe injury up to death," Russell said.

Kikis-Baker said online shopping appears to be the root cause of these issues, including websites like Amazon.com or Walmart.com that sells items from third-party sellers.

"We would recommend that [you shop] at a brick-and-mortar store, or [shop] directly on the brand's website," Kikis-Baker said. "Once you've done your research, and it's nice to look at those sites to see the options, but then going directly to the brand's website to shop directly from them is the safest way to make sure you're getting the right stuff."

Russell described how they first noticed people showing up with car seats that aren't approved for the U.S. According to Russell, health officials noticed that it was a 3-point harness and not a 5-point harness -- the standard U.S. compliant car seat. This eventually led to a "bigger investigation and outreach."

Kikis-Baker emphasized the following things parents should have on their car seats:

• A label on the car seat that indicates that the child passenger safety device meets all federal motor vehicle safety standards
• A 5-point harness, which means the straps should go over the child's shoulders, down over their hips, and come together at a buckle over their crotch in the center
• A label that states the manufacturer's name, the date of manufacture and some height and weight requirements

"When our staff were looking at these car seats that didn't quite seem right, they noticed that one or more of these components were missing from these car seats," Kikis-Baker said.

Russell urged parents and families to watch out for -- a crash-tested National Highway and Safety Transportation sticker, an expiration date, the weight limits, where the harness straps should be, whether it's rear-facing or forward-facing and a registration card.

For more information, visit the Virginia Department of Health (VDH)'s child passenger safety page here.