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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not replace car seat after hitting a pheasant at 38 mph?

145 replies

Hhhapp17 · 24/11/2023 11:34

Guidance says any accident above 20mph means you must replace the car seat. Is it this same in this situation? Don’t really want to pay out again for another one.

OP posts:
Bramshott · 24/11/2023 11:36

I wouldn't class hitting a pheasant as "an accident" TBH. It's sometimes very hard not to hit them...

Mountainhowl · 24/11/2023 11:37

Did you panic, swerve and hit a tree after hitting the pheasant? Assuming you didnt the seat will be fine

Seeline · 24/11/2023 11:37

How big was the pheasant?!

I'm assuming you didn't feel an impact when you hit the pheasant? The car didn't deviate from its path?

I don't think it counts as an accident.

bettymoo212 · 24/11/2023 11:37

I’m assuming you didn’t crash after hitting it. So nope.

ThePineapplePrincess · 24/11/2023 11:38

YABU. Of course you need to replace it Confused

Historybooks · 24/11/2023 11:38

Was it a crash or basically an emergency stop? Was there damage to the car? The insurance company would say legally it needs replacing.

DaisyDoor · 24/11/2023 11:39

Surely hitting a pheasant isn’t an accident in that sense? You’d barely feel it.

CasperGutman · 24/11/2023 11:40

ThePineapplePrincess · 24/11/2023 11:38

YABU. Of course you need to replace it Confused

Don't be daft. How would the front of the car squishing a pheasant damage a car seat in the back of the vehicle? Where would this end? Replacing the car seat because you ran over a hedgehog? Hit a butterfly on the motorway?

EmmaGrundyForPM · 24/11/2023 11:40

I don't think hitting a pheasant counts as an accident.

Hitting a peasant on the other hand......

Strawberrycheesecake7 · 24/11/2023 11:41

I don’t think this counts as an accident. Is there damage to the car? If not you’re probably fine.

blahblaheffingblah · 24/11/2023 11:54

I lived in the wilds of Suffolk when ds was a baby, I hit fair few pheasants, never occurred to me to change his car seat.

A friend of mine once reversed into the wall on her drive and insisted on replacing all 3 of the car seats in the
car. That wouldn’t have occurred to me, either and I thought it was overkill for a little slow bump.

Ifailed · 24/11/2023 11:57

The force the unfortunate pheasant exerted on your car would have been less than someone slamming a door or dumping a heavy bag in the boot.

LadyMacB · 24/11/2023 11:57

Pheasant? Nah.

Cow? Yes.

Elephant? Definitely.

eachtigertires · 24/11/2023 12:00

No one on here can tell you. This is a question for the manufacturer of the car seat. They often have specific guidelines as to what they consider a crash.

Frabbits · 24/11/2023 12:02

Unless you hit the world's biggest pheasant surely you didn't come to a complete stop, you would have felt it but not to any degree to cause a problem.

Glarptip · 24/11/2023 12:04

Use common sense.

CoalCraft · 24/11/2023 12:06

Unless the pheasant was actually an emu I think you're okay.

Daffodilsandtuplips · 24/11/2023 12:08

ThePineapplePrincess · 24/11/2023 11:38

YABU. Of course you need to replace it Confused

She said pheasant not peasant.
No op, unless there’s significant impact damage to the front of the far and I doubt there would be. Most pheasants are low to the ground, poor flyers and by the time they’ve gathered enough momentum to lift off they’re only at radiator grill height.
I’ve hit a few, the most memorable one was stuck inside the front bumper under the radiator. I didn’t even know I’d hit it.

CormorantStrikesBack · 24/11/2023 12:10

I also wouldn’t class hitting a pheasant as an accident though I’m sure the pheasant would disagree. It’s all about the impact.

Whalewatchers · 24/11/2023 12:14

Did you mean to say peasant? This is MN afterall.

If it was a pheasant, unless you hit it with the car seat at 38mph, you'll be fine.

brunettemic · 24/11/2023 12:16

Unless said child seat was cable tied to the front of you car at the time of hitting a pheasant you’re being ridiculous.

Lizzt2007 · 24/11/2023 12:17

Whalewatchers · 24/11/2023 12:14

Did you mean to say peasant? This is MN afterall.

If it was a pheasant, unless you hit it with the car seat at 38mph, you'll be fine.

Sorry but this actually made me laugh out loud, all I can see In my head now is a woman swinging a car seat at a pheasant 😂😂

Katiesaidthat · 24/11/2023 12:18

I think you need to use common sense. Someone went into the back of me on a roundabout, as I was accelerating, hardly felt it, just some paint scraped off the bumper. No, I did not replace the damned car seat. It gets to a point when things are getting ridiculous.

Loopyloooooo · 24/11/2023 12:19

No, it wouldn't even occur to me (lax mam 🤣).

Sugarfree23 · 24/11/2023 12:20

Op I wouldn't replace for hitting a pheasant.

I've also read the difference between minor bump and accident is did the air bags go off.