Strollers: Keeping the Next Generation Safe

The Duchess of Cambridge has one. So do Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller and a host of other high-end moms. Selling for roughly $1,000, Bugaboo strollers are a must-have item for well-wheeled babies, but does expensive mean safe? 

In January of this year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall for Chameleon and Donkey models of Bugaboo strollers. Approximately 46,000 strollers were sold in the United States that pose a choking and fall hazard for infants and young children. Manufactured in China, the strollers are marketed by Bugaboo International of the Netherlands. 

Despite the popularity of Bugaboo and other strollers, the CPSC has long been concerned with stroller safety. In May, the agency voted to establish safety standards for strollers, travel systems, jogging strollers and carriages to prevent mechanical failure of important structural components, including: 

• Handlebars
• Wheel assembly, park and brake locking features
• Car seat attachment within the pram or stroller
• Canopies and shields 

The CPSC noted 1,200 stroller-related incidents between 2008 and 2012 that included 360 injuries and four deaths. Frequently reported hazards involve: 

• Collapse of the stroller
• Entrapment of the child or the child’s head
• Amputation of fingers in hinges of the canopy or stroller
• Falls caused by failure of wheel, brake and restraint systems 

The proposed safety standards include current voluntary recommendations and new rules to decrease pinching and entrapment of folding travel equipment. The latest, most expensive stroller on the market might not be the safest. If your child is injured in a stroller accident, seek experienced legal advice.