Drop-side cribs ban takes effect: Will it save lives?

(CBS) The government has gotten serious about crib safety. Federal guidelines that take effect on Tuesday ban the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs, which have been blamed for dozens of deaths.

The guidelines, issued by the Consumer Products Safety Commission, also require manufacturers to make cribs sturdier and more durable.

"I am very pleased that the new mandatory crib standards will stop the manufacture and sale of dangerous traditional drop-side cribs and will vastly improve the structural integrity of cribs," Inez M. Tenenbaum, chairman of the commission, said in a written statement.

The new rules mark the first change in U.S. crib standards in 30 years, according to Reuters.

The commission has more on crib safety.