New Ratings for Child Safety Seats

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a new five star rating system to give parents help with determining which child safety seat to purchase.  In 2006, 670 kids under the age of seven died in car accidents. Federal officials say seven out of ten car seats in the U.S. are either the wrong size for the child, not installed properly, or used incorrectly. [KRCG-TV Online]

The announcement came one day before Evenflo Company Inc. stated it is implementing a voluntary safety recall for four models of its Discovery Infant Car Seat.  Tests by Evenflo and the NHTSA show that models 390, 391, 534, 552 of the car seat could potentially become separated from its base in high impact side collisions similar to those in the tests.  Evenflo is providing owners of the seat models a free supplemental dual-hook fastener to ensure that the seat remains attached.  To order the fastener, seat owners should call Evenflo at 1-800-356-2229 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST or visit http://www.evenflo.com/Discovery.