Parents May Not Know When Car Safety Seats Are Recalled

Parents often breathe a sigh of relief once they buckle their toddlers into automobile safety seats.

That might be a false sense of security.

Since 1968, there have been 39 recalls of various models of child safety seats by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency that oversees the devices. Some seats failed to meet federal safety standards, while others had defects such as harness failure, shell cracks or buckle problems.

To make matters worse, consumers aren’t likely to find out about recalls of defective seats or other equipment problems, the Center for Auto Safety, a Washington-based nonprofit consumer organization, charged during congressional hearings last week.

“Probably only 6% of owners of defective safety seats learn of the recalls,” says Russell Shew, a spokesman for the center. “That compares with about 40-50% for automobiles.”

Counters Kent Milton of the federal agency: “The rate is about 14%, but that’s still lower than we’d like.”

To complicate matters, some retailers aren’t aware of recalls and continue to sell defective safety seats, says Laura Polacheck, a spokeswoman for the center. In a 1989 telephone survey conducted by the center, only one of 19 retailers knew about a recently recalled child safety seat.

“We called the 800 number of a manufacturer whose infant seat had (just) been recalled,” Polacheck says, “and the operator (who answered) said, ‘No problem.’ ”

To solve the problem, the Center for Auto Safety suggests setting up a national registry of consumers who purchase child safety seats.

The NHTSA is looking into the idea, Milton says.

Until the center’s idea--or a similar one--becomes reality, a buyer-beware approach seems best. Consumers can take steps to help guarantee the seat they choose is safe.

* Before you shop, obtain the new edition of “Shopping Guide to Car Seats,” just revised by the American Academy of Pediatrics. (To obtain the guide, send a business-size self-addressed, stamped envelope to the American Academy of Pediatrics, P.O. Box 927, Elk Grove Village, Ill. 60009-0927.) Among the Academy’s tips: Install seats for infants (birth to 20 pounds) facing backward. Pad a newborn’s seat with diapers to prevent slouching. Try the seat in the car before buying it. Don’t be taken in by glitz. “Low-priced and high-priced models generally provide equal crash protection,” the academy says.

* When you find the child safety seat you want, don’t buy it right away, suggests Shew of the Center for Auto Safety. First copy the manufacturer’s name, model number, and toll-free telephone number. Telephone the manufacturer and ask whether there has been a recall or any equipment problem with that car seat model. For extra insurance, write the Center for Auto Safety, 2001 S Street N.W., Suite 410, Washington, D.C. 20009. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and ask for a list of recently recalled car seats. Or call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s toll-free auto safety hot line, (800) 424-9393, for recall information.

* Once you’ve purchased a seat, write to the manufacturer, Shew suggests. “In the letter, note the make and model of the seat, the date purchased and the manufacturer. Ask that the company register that information in their files. Ask to be notified in case of a recall.”

The problems with child safety seats shouldn’t dissuade parents from using them, experts emphasize.

“Even defective car seats are better than no seats at all,” Shew says.

POINT / COUNTERPOINT Matter of Marital Fidelity

Cheating is not unusual in marriages, according to surveys by marriage counselors and such controversial cultural historians as Shere Hite. Up to 70% of U.S. married couples have been involved in affairs, their polls find.

The obvious question: Can you keep a long-term relationship monogamous simply by building your partner’s ego and paying special attention to his or her needs? Here are two views.

* YES: Alexandra Penney, New York, author of “How to Keep Your Man Monogamous” (Bantam, 1989).

“For most people it’s possible. There are certain men and women who will never be monogamous. They have ego needs that can’t be met or nurtured by another person. But for most couples, paying attention to the partner’s needs is the first step toward maintaining monogamy.

“What are those needs? Men’s main ego needs are based on achievement, acceptance, accomplishment, power and sexuality. Women’s main ego needs are to love and be loved.”

* NO: Peggy Vaughan, La Jolla, author of “The Monogamy Myth” (Newmarket Press, 1989).

“Most people think they have the power to prevent their partner’s affairs. They think, ‘If my partner loves me and feels good around me, he won’t be attracted to someone else.’ Not true.

“Your partner will be attracted to other people, regardless of how happy he or she is with you. Couples need to stop fearing the attraction. That is normal. Couples need to talk about the realistic prevalence of affairs. This kind of frank discussion diminishes the fascination with the secrecy surrounding most affairs.

SHOP TALK It’s Not Chicken Soup, but It’s Hot

So you didn’t get a flu shot this year and now you feel achy. There is a new treat-yourself option called TheraFlu, promoted as the first over-the-counter hot liquid medicine for flu.

Users dissolve a lemon-flavored powder into hot water and drink it as often as every four hours. One formula has a decongestant, antihistamine and analgesic; another formula includes those medicines plus a cough suppressant.

TheraFlu may sound as miraculous as chicken soup, but consumers should still check with a pharmacist first, advises Teresa Miller, spokeswoman for the California Pharmacists Assn.

“You may not need all those medicines,” she says. “A pharmacist can assess which medicines will be most helpful based on your symptoms. You may be better off taking separate products and fewer products. You might need a decongestant, for instance, but not an antihistamine.”