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Dear JPMA Industry Partner,

We wanted to make you aware of a recent story published in the Sunday edition of the Chicago Tribune focusing on the child restraint system industry. Unfortunately, the article does not highlight all the hard work our car seat members and industry does towards the safety of this great product.

You can read the full story at:
Kids at risk -- chicagotribune.com

JPMA tried diligently to provide the Tribune with scientific research and data in the support of the safety of child restraints, including letters to the reporters and editor in chief. JPMA has prepared the following statement in response to the article.

JPMA Supports Safety of Child Restraint Systems Despite Recent Selective Reporting

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), which represents the leading manufacturers of child restraint systems in the United States, is very concerned with articles, such as the Chicago Tribune series, that may unnecessarily undermine public confidence in the performance of infant child restraints. No product is more effective at reducing fatalities and injuries to children.

All child restraints sold in the United States are required to satisfy the rigorous mandatory performance standards established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which simulate conditions that are more severe than 98% of real world vehicle crashes. In addition, all child restraints sold in the United States are certified by their manufacturers as compliant before they can be offered for sale. Manufacturers conduct extensive testing on their child restraints, using both in-house and independent testing laboratories. Such testing assures compliance before marketing their products and confirms continuing compliance during production. The Government also independently tests child restraints every year to ensure compliance with its rigorous standards. All designs including shield and harness-incorporating restraint seats are required to meet the performance requirements of the mandatory NHTSA regulations.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) research shows that child restraints reduce the risk of injury to children to less than one percent and are much more effective than using seat belts alone or no restraint at all. CHOP researchers regularly share findings with and collaborate with NHTSA and the auto and child restraint manufacturing communities to find ways to reduce this injury risk even further.

Another important topic that has been in the news recently is that of side impact testing. According to The Center for Injury Research and Prevention at CHOP, less than one percent of crashes reported to Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS) since 1997 involved infants in rear-facing seats in side-impact crashes. Among these cases, the risk of injury was less than one-half of one percent. JPMA feels side impact crash testing is vital, but the real issue involves overall vehicle safety of the passenger compartment, so all child occupants are protected, regardless of whether they are in a vehicle-incorporated or add-on restraint.

The federal motor vehicle safety standard, FMVSS 213 is a comprehensive mandatory federal performance regulation that requires stringent compliance by child restraint manufacturers and importers. The standard requires real world simulated crash testing to ensure crashworthiness of child restraint systems. Such seats have been remarkably effective at reducing the risk of death or serious injury to children in motor vehicles.

JPMA actively promotes the safe use and selection of car seats, booster seats and child restraint systems through a variety of industry and consumer programs. JPMA is in favor or more stringent testing and regulation as necessary, but only if such stringency is based upon real world accident data and not hypothetical speculation.

As a well respected media outlet, the Chicago Tribune is responsible for providing accurate information. It is in the best interest of moms and dads nationwide to avoid inaccurate or misleading information, such as occurred with recent mis-reporting on child restraint systems by Consumer Reports.



We will continue to keep you updated on this and other hot issues in the industry as they arise.

Thank you.
Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA)
15000 Commerce Parkway
Suite C
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054
856-638-0420
856-439-0525 (fax)
jpma@ahint.com
JPMA: Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association

	Rear Facing Car Seats A rear-facing seat is one in which the infant faces the back of the car. Always install a rear-facing seat in the back seat of your car. This is the safest position for an infant. NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags.

	Booster Seat A booster seat raises your child up so that the car's lap and shoulder belts fit correctly. The lap belt should fall across the upper thighs. The shoulder belt should go across the middle of the shoulder and chest. A booster seat is used for older children up to about 80 pounds. Some states have passed laws requiring booster seats for children up to age 8 or 80 pounds. Check your state's law.

	Britax Parkway - Click for more info The new Parkway Booster from Britax builds on their company's reputation as the maker of some of the safest seats on the market today. It's one of the only boosters to offer True Side Impact Protection - the EPS foam-padded headrest and side "wings" aren't just great for naps, they're engineered to provide vital protection to your child in the event of a side-impact crash. (Side-impact crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 6-14, making this an issue of major importance for booster seats.)