Joseph and Juliann’s mother, Karen, took the twins out one afternoon for a car seat safety check at the local police department. While they were having their seats checked, Karen put the twins in their Cosco Rock-N-Roll side-by-side stroller. After grabbing her bag out of the car, Karen turned back around to find that the children’s seats had fallen face-first onto the concrete. Both children suffered injuries, including a concussion, which necessitated a trip to the hospital. After inspecting the stroller, they found that the rocking mechanism had worn down and become disconnected from the base of the stroller after only 6 months of use.
Although Joseph and Juliann recovered from their injuries, many other children are not so lucky. Recent research on stroller hazards revealed that between 1990-2010 roughly 50 children under the age of five were treated in American emergency departments each day for a carrier or stroller-related injury. Falls from the carrier, or stroller tip-overs like the one Joseph and Juliann experienced, are some of the most common causes of injury.
Although progress has been made, injuries like the ones Joseph and Juliann suffered from in 1999 are still far too common. Stroller-related incidents are still among the most common causes of nursery product-related injuries in children under 5. These product safety hazards are preventable through key design improvements that prioritize safety. KID works with engineering students through our TEST program to address these hazards. Click here for examples of their work.
Search CPSC.gov to check for stroller recalls. You can also search SaferProducts.gov for safety reports submitted by fellow consumers even before a product has been recalled. For more information on stroller hazards and stroller safety, click here and here. Follow KID on Facebook and Twitter and sign up for our email alert to stay up to date on this issue and other product safety news.
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