In the state of Georgia, a child passenger safety seat or booster seat must be utilized for children who are under the age of eight. There are a few exceptions to this rule, namely children who are under the age of 8 and measure over 4’9” in height are not required to be in a car seat. In addition, children who are under the age of 13 should always ride in the backseat. Those who choose to disobey this law may face fines and points can be assessed against their driver’s license.
These laws are put into place in order to protect children in Fulton County in the event of a car accident. However, a new voluntary recall issued by Graco highlights a safety issue with some the company’s toddler convertible car seats and harnessed booster seats.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently conducted an investigation into the safety of the seats. They found that the release buttons at the center of the seats’ harnesses can become stuck and hard to unfasten. This can be a safety issue when trying to get a child out of the seat quickly in the event of an emergency.
Graco agreed to recall 11 of the 18 seat models that the NHTSA asked them to recall. The defective product recall affects 3.7 million car seats made between 2009 and July 2013. The recall is the fourth largest for car seats. If Graco recalls the other models the NHTSA recommended, it would be the largest car seat recall in history.
Source: Fox 13, “3.7 million Graco car seats recalled due to buckle issue,” Greg Botelho and Mike Ahlers, Feb. 11, 2014
