Are Maine Parents Legally Required to Replace Child Car Seats After a Crash?

When it comes to driving with our children, we as parents take it very seriously. As a father of three boys myself, I can distinctly remember the drive home from the hospital with each of them.

All of a sudden, as soon as that newborn baby gets in the car for the first time, it's like the day you took your driving test all over again, isn't it? You strap the baby in tight, you set your mirrors perfectly, you lock in your seatbelt and you place your hands precisely at 10 and 2 on the wheel.

Then on the way home, you abide by each and every speed limit unlike you have at any other point in your driving life. As a matter of fact, the first drive home with your newborn baby you are more likely to be pulled over for going under the speed limit than over it.

However, no matter how safely you attempt to drive, there is always a chance that the unthinkable could still happen. And, God forbid you are in a traffic accident with your baby in the car, are you legally required in Maine to replace your child's safety seat?

The short answer is no, you don't. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), while it is highly recommended to replace a child's safety seat, it is not required by law, at least in Maine.

The NHTSA also explains that the decision to replace should be based on the severity of the crash. For example, if there's little to no damage to the vehicle, no airbag deployment and no injuries, there's no real need for a replacement.

However, if the answer to the aforementioned criteria is yes, they strongly urge you to replace any safety seats that were involved in the crash. If you're a parent who has more question about this, the legal experts at Hardy, Wolf & Downing have an entire page of their website dedicated to this very topic.