DES MOINES, Iowa – With the start of garage sale season, a reminder that there may be appealing deals for products like car seats, but buying used seats could also be dangerous. Kristel Wetjen, pediatric trauma nurse coordinator at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, says it’s recommended people do not buy car seats at garage sales because their history is unknown, such as whether they’ve been involved in a crash.

“Once a car seat has been in a crash, there’s been extra stress put on that plastic and the webbing for the harnesses,” she says. “When you buy a car seat at a garage sale you have no idea if that seat has already been exposed to that, therefore making it less safe for your child in your car.”

Wetjen says some car seats being sold at garage sales could also have missing or broken parts, or may have been subject to a recall in the past. While Wetjen says you shouldn’t buy a child safety seat at a yard sale, she says it is vital for parents to have car seats for kids, as they can greatly reduce the risk of injury or death.

“Somebody being restrained in a car seat can reduce the risk of injury by 80 to 90 percent, based upon how they’re restrained,” she says. “The biggest new change from the American Academy of Pediatrics is to keep children rear-facing longer than forward-facing. That reduces the risk of injury by 500 percent.”

Wetjen also stresses the importance of proper installation. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 75 percent of children are riding in car safety seats that aren’t properly installed or don’t fit correctly.

(Iowa News Service)