Good news, parents! CPSC has approved a new federal safety standard that will improve the safety of all carriages and strollers sold after September 10, 2015.

From January 2008 through June 2013, CPSC staff received about 1,300 safety-related reports for children 4 years old and younger that involved strollers. The numbers, which may change in the future as more reports come into the agency, include:

• Four deaths
• 14 hospitalizations
• Nearly 391 injuries

The new safety standard requires that all strollers and carriages be made, tested and labeled to minimize the hazards seen in the above incidents. These include:

• Hinge issues that have resulted in pinched, cut, or amputated fingers or arms. These issues have the highest injury rate of all hazards associated with strollers;
• Broken and detached wheels;
• Parking brake failures;
• Locking mechanism problems;
• Restraint issues, including children being able to unbuckle themselves and broken and loose stroller seat belts;
• Structural integrity; and
• Stability

Once the rule takes effect, nearly all strollers sold are required to meet the new requirements.

Source: OnSafety, Consumer Product Safety Commission

Available at: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2014/03/new-stroller-and-carriages-safety-standard-what-it-means/