Expired restraints!
Did you know that child restraints have an industry recommended lifespan of 10 years.
This is due to a few reasons like deterioration over time, wear and tear and a big factor is that older restraints adhere to older safety standards.
Infasecure are ten years from date of purchase and all other brands are ten years from date of manufacture.
All child restraints have a date stamped into the shell, usually as clock dials. One for day, one for month, one for year and one for the shift from that day. Manufacture date are also displayed on the information stickers around on the shell.
We always want our kids to be as safe as possible and using restraints that adhere to the current standard (AS/NZS 1754; 2013) will ensure that our loved ones are and give them the best chance if the worst case situation happens.
The two buckles seen below have been in my possession for many years. I removed them from two expired seats over the years because I noticed a big crack in the back of the buckle. Both restraints were in pretty good condition for their age and had never been in accidents. I've always kept them as proof that just because a restraint seems good, they might not be and using a restraint after ten years just isn't worth it.
Correct and tight is always right.
