From Our President: Your Safety Comes First

As 2024 arrives, we turn to our list of commitments in the new year. At CR, that list begins with safety. Whether it’s your tap water, your children’s toys, or the car you count on every day, you and your family’s safety shouldn’t be taken for granted.

That’s why CR is dedicated to providing you with trusted information on safety. In September, for example, we moved swiftly to raise the alarm about water beads, colorful gel balls sold as toys that can be deadly to children and have sent thousands to emergency rooms after being swallowed or inhaled. (See “Building a Better World, Together” to learn how to join our fight to have water beads banned as toys.) And our new special report, “CR’s Guide to Better, Safer Drinking Water,” is part of our ongoing series of investigations on drinking water in the U.S. It reveals the dangers lurking in our water, how to test it in your own home, and the steps to take to make it safer.

But CR is most effective when we work hand in hand with consumers, as we did in our campaign to prevent furniture tip-overs, which send an estimated 7,200 children to ERs each year. Our years of efforts with parents culminated in the Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY) Act, a law that led to the first mandatory stability standard for dressers and similar furniture, which took effect last September and will save many lives in the future.

This year, we’ll expand on these initiatives for a safer marketplace. CR will continue to fight (with your help) to keep our food and water safe. We’ll investigate the cyber and data security risks of digital financial tools, such as banking apps. And we’ll push auto companies to make car safety features, including automatic crash notification, standard equipment on all cars—because your safety isn’t a luxury.

Your voice helps us realize this mission. I hope you’ll join others who want to make our lives safer by going to action.consumerreports.org.