A new report sheds a positive light on the number of product recalls that have to be initiated, but questions still remain.
Kids in Danger, a group that advocates for safety on behalf of consumers, has released a report detailing how in 2011 the number of children’s products recalled dropped by nearly 25%. This might seem like great news, but some are worried that this doesn’t accurately reflect a drop in unsafe products. Such a drop could indeed be indicative of a decreased danger, but it might also represent a lower number of successful investigations and subsequent recalls on behalf of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, who Kids in Danger says is too secretive with their process. If this latter reason is true, it could mean that unsafe products have not in fact decreased.
What hasn’t changed is the number of recalled products that actually get taken back or corrected. USAToday estimates that 15 to 30% of defective products are all that get returned. The rest remains on the market with consumers unaware of the danger.
121 recalled products from 2011 could be considered as intended for use by children. One seemingly positive occurrence is a decrease in drop side crib and lead contamination-based recalls. This can likely be attributed to heightened standards for such products enacted by the federal government.
As a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles, I think that a decrease in recalls is great news, and I hope it indicates companies are becoming more aware of safety. It does frighten me that an overwhelming majority of recalled products do not get returned or destroyed, which is why I try to do my part to spread the word as a Fresno personal injury attorney.