MANCHESTER, N.H. —

Consumer Reports' car seat safety expert Emily Thomas was recently rear-ended on the highway. Thankfully, she's OK, and her kids weren't in the car, but their car seats were. That raised a big question for any parent: Do you need to replace a car seat after a crash?

"If you've been in a crash, you may not always need to replace your car seat, particularly if it's a minor crash. But if it's a moderate to severe crash, then you should definitely replace your car seats," Emily A. Thomas, PhD, associate director of auto safety at Consumer Reports, said.

What's considered a minor crash? Here's a checklist from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site.

None of the passengers in the vehicle sustained any

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