Why Can't You Use That Car Seat Anymore?

Driving is a pretty major responsibility. Even if it’s only you in the vehicle, both pedestrians and the drivers around you rely on you to stick to the rules. When you have kids in the car, that feeling of responsibility increases tenfold. 

The fact is that you’re going to want to keep your kids safe at all times. As such, you may feel a serious responsibility when they’re on the road with you. That’s why many parents are cautious drivers. Of course, our safety doesn’t fall entirely on our shoulders. You could be the best driver going and still fall foul to someone else’s dangerous maneuvers. Hence why you probably also spent months looking at the pros and cons of every car seat on the market. Better to be safe than sorry. In the end, you opted for an expensive model for maximum safety.

The trouble is, car seats are delicate things. Far from lasting the duration of your youngster’s childhood, you may need to replace that seat somewhere down the line. If you’re in any doubt about that, keep reading to find out when you should add a new car seat to your shopping list.

After you crash and burn

The impact of a car crash can weaken even the best car seats. As such, continuing to use one after this would be a risk not worth taking. If you’re worried about affording this, consider who caused the crash. If someone else was at fault, you could seek compensation with the help of professionals like those found at the law office of George Salinas. That would ensure that you can more than cover the costs of your replacement. Either way, you can’t just carry on using that old car seat. You need to buy a new one before your next family trip.

Whoops, you dropped it

For the same reasons, it’s essential you replace a car seat if you drop it. As with a crash, the impact of this can stop those shock absorbers doing their jobs. Even a small slip is enough here. The downside, of course, is that no one would be to blame but yourself. Make sure, then, to always take care when cradling a car seat. All the better for ensuring you never face a replacement like this.

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The cure of old age

It’s also worth noting that you should aim to replace a car seat at least every six years. This is for two reasons. For one, car seats aren’t made to last long. These are only used during the first two or three years of life, after all. As such, they don’t have a massive shelf life. On top of that, design in this field is forever advancing. Car seats now offer more protection than they did five years ago. And, you can bet the same will apply in another five years time. If you were thinking about using one car seat for all your kids, then, it’s past time you thought again.