Selling a car seat that has been in very minor collision

[Polestar50]

We have a BeSafe Izi Modular car seat that our baby has outgrown.

It is in perfect condition but was in the car (without baby) when my partner was shunted from the rear waiting at a roundabout.

It was not a bad accident. No injuries but the rear boot door was slightly dented and had to be replaced.

I know the guidance says you should not pass on a car seat that has been in an accident, so I'm asking for advice on what would be reasonable.

Should we just chuck it?

Or offer it for free with full disclosure that it has been in a very minor accident?

I will be happy to throw it if it has to be done but it just seems a bit wasteful as is a very good quality seat and I can't see that the accident would've done it any more harm than an emergency stop would have done.

It’s a tough one isn’t it. One the one hand nobody wants to risk a child’s safety but I think the guidance needs to be applied with some common sense. There’s also the environmental impact of disposing of things that may well still be fit for purpose.

I don’t see any harm offering it with full disclosure - each parent can decide for themselves. Personally I might consider buying something like that for very occasional use, eg by a GP or for taking on holiday. We’ve had to put car seats in the airplane hold when going on holiday and I expect the throwing around they go through is worse than a minor bump but we aren’t aware of it.

Full disclosure then people can decide.

Personally I would buy it, it is extremely unlikely that it’s damaged

Throw it away. It's so not worth the risk. I'm all for no waste etc but a child's car seat - no way.

Full disclosure if you must sell it. I'd probably throw it away, I hate the waste culture but I wouldn't take the risk with a car seat. I don't think it'd be donateable once you told people it'd been in an accident, so I'd worry.

I've never understood this whole "car seat must be replaced even after a minor collision" thing. Apparently this includes car park shunts. If something has the potential to be damaged in a low speed collision, why would I want to put my child in it?

've never understood this whole "car seat must be replaced even after a minor collision" thing. Apparently this includes car park shunts. If something has the potential to be damaged in a low speed collision, why would I want to put my child in it?

I agree, if they are that fragile, then a child thrashing around in it like they do would probably mean it’s damaged!

What happened regarding insurance at the time? Did the insurance company risk assess and if so did they deem still usable. If it’s been replaced under insurance co assessment then I don’t think you should pass it on

It's not supposed to be used again because you don't if there has been any internal damage to the seat that would prevent it from working properly in another accident. There could be a hairline crack or something they means the seat breaks under a greater force. Car seats aren't supposed to tolerate multiple blunt forces, which is why they're also not supposed to go in the hold of the plane without being appropriately packaged.

OP You could pass on your seats disclosing the bump. Chances are there's nothing wrong with it and many people would probably snap it up. However, you don't know that there's nothing wrong with it. If you don't want to just take it to the tip (with the straps cut!), you could contact your local fire station. I had to replace two seats after a crash (no visible damage) and donated them to the fire service in case they were useful for training.

Ditch it. Definitely. There could be damage that you can't see which compromises the safety of the seat. Yes, it's very unlikely and no they are not flimsy and fragile but its just not worth the risk.

When I had a minor shunt the insurance company told me to dispose of the car seat and they replaced it for me.

Maybe car seats are similar to motorcycle helmets. It's not that they're "so fragile" you shouldn't bother putting your child in it. A helmet will absorb the shock of an impact, but it does that via the material, which then is not able to absorb another shock. You can't see this with a helmet because it happens inside the shell. I imagine it'll be similar for a car seat. It's like the crumple zone of a car I suppose, where the damage is more visible - it's there to protect, then needs to be replaced / fixed.

@catlady3 but the advice is to replace a seat even after a small carpark nudge at 5mph in case of damage. It just doesn't make sense to me.

I appreciate it doesn't necessarily make sense but the advice is there from the experts because they can't advise that any seat be used if it could be in any way compromised. This includes using a seat that has been chucked about by baggage handlers or removal men. What people choose to do with the advice for their own seat and their own child's safety is their own choice but they make that choice knowing that there could be a risk which could, in the very worst case, result in the death of a child. The advice still has to stand that no car seat that has even been in a minor bump shouldn't be used again. People can do with that what they will.

*no car seat that has been in a bump should be used again!

YABU to use let alone think about selling a car seat that has been in an accident. The replacement cost of the seat would have been covered by the car insurance so YABU to have kept using it for your own child.

I had a car accident a few years ago and I was shocked by how damaged the car seats looked afterwards. However, the paramedics said that it was because they done their jobs had taken the force of the impact rather than my kids spines.

It's not worth the risk to sell it on.

No no and no. I was in a minor collision. Insurance paid for both chairs. Both looked fine but would i risk my child in them again.....no.....and if guidelines told me to buy a new chair yearly i would also do this. Should be illegal to pass on any chairs.

Just get rid. It's not worth the risk, however small.

Thanks everyone. That makes complete sense about the crumple zone and crash helmet analogy. I will strip it of anything that could be reused or recycled (seat covers etc) then take the rest to the tip.

I was mainly concerned about not throwing away a useable item rather than trying to get any money for it. But in the big scheme of things I agree that it is better to throw away than risk a child getting injured.

To be honest it never occurred to us to claim for the car seat after the accident I'm a bit gutted but it's too late now.

We happened to install our new one a few days later so never used the old one for our baby after the accident.

Thanks for the replies. It's been really helpful and I will definitely remember to claim if this ever happens again.

@Polestar50 see if your local fire service can use it for car crash training. My local service put out a plea for intact car seats every few years for this reason.

Incidentally it's worth checking your car insurance cover. The company I was insured with pre-baby would give up to £100 towards a replacement seat. I'm now with Sainsbury's who say they will replace with the same seat (or closest available model) regardless of price (as long as original proof of purchase is provided). Given that we use two almost £400 seats, we're sticking with Sainsbury's on both cars!