A question we get asked about frequently is when you should replace your car seat after a car accident. Car accidents are never the same, and often this creates a grey area about whether the seat has taken any crash force or damage. Damage to the car seat shell can be invisible to the eye, therefore it is impossible to know if the seat has been compromised. There is no method of truly determining if the restraint has been damaged in an accident.
If you were involved in a minor accident where the child was occupying the car seat, we recommend that the car seat be destroyed, as the continued safety of the car seat would not be able to be determined.
If your car seat has been involved in a severe crash, we recommend that you should destroy the car seat, even if no damage to the car seat is obvious, or whether or not the car seat was occupied. We consider a “severe crash” as being one where the main body structure of the vehicle is distorted.
Some insurance companies offer vehicle insurance which covers or partially covers the replacement of your child restraint. We recommend you contact your insurer for further details. Your insurance company may require that you keep the child restraint for assessment, but do not use the restraint after a severe crash. If you are not required to keep it, see our helpful article here on how to dispose of your old or broken car seat (or feel free to use it as a pet bed!).
To help you in making an accident insurance claim, download the statement here and include it with your claim.
If you are ever in doubt, our Customer Care team is always here to help!
