November 23, 2008 16:52 Published by Stephen Cohen 0 Comments

When your baby grows out of its first car seat it is essential to maintain the same standard of safety when buying their second car seat as you did with their first. Here we discuss some of the reasons that many car seats are fitted incorrectly and give some pointers on how to avoid this.

One of the most important products that you will ever purchase is your child’s car seat and yet, especially when it comes to the group 1 stage, safety all too easily flies out of the window and colour and style become the issue. It is no wonder that around 75% of Car Seats that are currently in use are either not fitted correctly or do not fit the cars that they are in.

It would be of great interest to see what would happen to the 75% figure if the major manufacturers decided that a great contributing factor to this figure is that they are more than happy to supply outlets (Internet, Catalogues and Department Stores) that do not have the facilities and ability to ‘try’ a car seat in the Customer’s car to ensure that it fits.

Surely, a network of independent ‘Approved Child car seat Fitters’ would go a long way reducing the mis-fitting of seats. It is almost impossible to produce an easy-to-read leaflet that clearly shows whether a seat fits your car or not. An expanded training programme along with legislation that ensures that a car seat can only be sold by a qualified fitter would surely go a long way to reducing the amount of ill-fitted seats and possibly save lives.

This situation has gone on for too long now and should really be taken in hand. A car seat that does not fit properly is about as much use as a handbrake on a horse and yet we are told that 75% are not fitted properly. It would be so simple to ensure that only approved retailers can sell seats; we do it with guns and prescription medicines.

From a ‘sales’ point-of-view the amount of new babies will not change and therefore sales of seats will remain the same; just spread through more outlets and giving the ‘independent’ trade a boost at the same time.

Of course this will all change in a few years when the isofix fitting becomes a universal fitting system for all car seat, but this is a long way off and even now causes some confusion.

As with any car seat for all stages of your baby’s development, there are a few simple rules:

•    Never buy a second hand car seat

•    Make sure that it fits all of the cars that it will be used in

•    Read and understand and follow the instructions

•    Ensure that you are using a seat that is appropriate for your child’s weight

It is more than likely that if you buy a second-hand car seat you will not be aware of the seats’ history. You will not be made aware of whether or not it has been involved in an accident in which case it should not be used again; any damage may not be obvious and a damaged seat will not protect your child in an accident. A second hand car seat may well come without instructions.

Ensure that the seat fits the car, don’t simply assume. There are many reasons that a seat would be considered not to fit a car. The best way to ascertain whether a seat fits or not is to purchase it from a retailer that is qualified to test a seat in your car. If your retailer is reluctant or unsure in any way, the best action to take is to shop elsewhere.

Read your instructions!  Every new car seat will come with instructions and with clear labels fixed to the seat itself.

All Car Seats are grouped by the weight of the child and not his/her age so try to avoid the common mistakes that are made when moving from Group 0+ to group 1. Your child is ready to move out of a Group 0+ Seat when his/her weight exceeds 13kgs or when any part of their head is above the top of the seat.

Don’t be in a hurry to move your baby out of an infant carrier too early. These seats are designed for specific stages of your baby’s development; if at any time you are not sure, contact either your Nursery Retailer or the manufacturer.

Although this is inevitably another major investment it’s worth taking the time to do your research again for your own specific circumstances and your own car. Remember not all car seats fit safely into all cars so what a friend may have bought may not necessarily be the right thing for you.

Useful Websites

www.britax.eu

www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk

www.ec.europa.eu/transport/roadsafety/charter_en.htm

www.rospa.com/

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