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Congressional Report: Manufacturers Misled Consumers, Booster Seats Pose Head And Neck Risk To Children

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Jesse Stiller Contributor
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A newly-released congressional investigation revealed that certain children’s car booster seats may pose a significant risk to a child’s head and neck areas despite “passing” safety tests.

The House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, under the Committee on Oversight and Reform, released a report on Thursday, warning parents about poor advice from booster seat manufacturers, according to CBS News.

The 33-page report, requested by Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and Katie Porter (D-CA) found that manufacturers of these seats, such as Artsana, KidsEmbrace and Baby Trend, were recommending poor advice to parents that the seats were safe for children under 30 pounds.

Expert consensus, according to the report, was that booster seats were unsafe for those under 40 pounds.

The report also noted that children who survive side-impact collisions suffered severe injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, concussions, spinal cord injuries and even paralysis. (RELATED: National Center On Sexual Exploitation Blasts Pornhub’s Promises To Change: ‘Pornhub Cannot Be Trusted’)

Manufacturers were marketing these seats as “side-impact tested,” according to the report, despite no federal guidelines on what constitutes as “passing.”

“The manufacturers actions appear to constitute unfair and deceptive acts and practices in violation of federal and state consumer protection laws,” the report stated.

Video released from ProPublica, as reported by CBS News, showed crash-test dummies swinging wildly during side-impact crash tests, especially in the head and neck area.

According to the subcommittee report, Evenflo and Graco have switched to the 40 pound standard, while others have not.

The investigation into car booster seats began in February of this year when ProPublica released an article documenting the issues with the marketing of these booster seats and issues with their testing.