Well, seems we're missing something, so I'll be out, looking around since the posts following the April 2011 post aren't here. Actually, they were on another site that is now lost to time. A shovel and some time and we'll get them dug up. Until then, here's what is, or was new ...
During the covid time, this was a hot topic, so as is often the case, something old is new, again. When it comes to fake car seats, there are a few categories, a lot of misunderstanding, a lack of real knowledge and maybe a little stupid. Most of the challenges stem from education, or lack thereof. Why you ask? Because a 3-day class does not an expert make. It's a previous Blog post, and I'll be looking for it. Until then, just as with any profession that involves skill, learning over time and personal motivation, not all safety technicians, in the case car seat technicians (CPST) are created equal. Other than the current 3-day class? It used to be longer ...
I began my involvement in child passenger safety (CPS) back in the summer of 1987. Back then, it wasn't uncommon to meet a family that had a vehicle without seatbelts. My 1951 Hudson Hornet from high school in the late 70's didn't have seatbelts, and it was not only common for older cars, but it was also (and is) legal. I later added seatbelts, and that is another story. Since that time frame, I've helped people add seatbelts to more modern cars in markets/countries where seatbelts weren't and may still not be required safety equipment.
Much of what is being called counterfeit or fake in the US world of car seats is actually safety equipment imported from markets around the world that meet the safety requirements of country of origin or market of sale. Living in a college town, with an international student body, I've seen children's safety equipment from all over the world. The engineer in me says "that's cool" while the safety geek in me says "that's not going to work here".
If I have a car seat missing part of a harness, is it really missing, or is it not required "there"? It is usually the latter. But it gives the unexperienced the opportunity to say to say the car seat's fake, counterfeit or bad. I say that's perspective. Just because a part is required in one market, and not in another only reflects the meeting of engineering or performance requirements in xyz place. Just because a car seat designed for the US market has a harness clip and a 5-point design doesn't make it better than one without those features if another part of the world doesn't require them. America, we aren't the center of the universe, just the center of our universe.
Now I'm not saying there aren't fake or counterfeit car seats out there, I used to have a bunch of them. At one point in time, I had a collection of over 3000 car seats. Storage was affordable, and times have changed. Anyone say legalized weed? That's another story. But in that collection, I had car seats that looked like products from major manufacturers, but with no name, a misspelled name, a made-up name, you name it. I also had car seats from Europe, AU/NZ, China, all over the world and they were legal car seats, in their market of sale, but not legal for use in the US (vacation exemption notwithstanding, another story for another time.) They weren't fake, or counterfeit, or whatever.
So, with all this said, why is it coming up again? Slow news day? New year? Making something out of something that's really nothing, if you've got the experience. Should I show you a link I received a few times today? I'm thinking about, but I'm embarrassed for the reporter, the hospital mentioned and the making a mountain out of a molehill. My opinions, but relevant regardless. For now, I'll just say FOX31 News in Denver. I may step in it deeper tomorrow, but I have mercy for the ill-informed. For now.
