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The number of family cars on the road, from people carriers and SUVs to Estate cars, is increasing year-on-year as families hit the road more. With this, naturally, comes the need for car seats for children, not only for the babies and toddlers, but for the growing child up to teenagehood.
Like many of us, my children in the past, and grandchildren now, have found themselves safe in both child seats and booster seats as we travel, but with new laws coming into force later this year regarding the use of booster seats, we take a look at what's available and what is legal, and ask the question:
Take a look at this video from Britax that shows the difference between a high back child seat and a basic booster seat in an accident.
At the moment, UK law states that "all children travelling in a car must use the correct car seat until 12 years old or 135cm tall." That's 4ft 5" in old money, and actually is less than in some other European countries such as France and Germany where the height limit is 150cm. (4ft 11")
Understandable when it comes to safety, but under the new rules backless booster seats - also known as booster cushions - will only be approved for use for children taller than 125cm (4ft 2") and weighing more than 22kg (3st 6.5lbs).
And that's what the video is all about, showing the 'lack' of protection that these booster seats give in the event of a crash.
Obviously, this new law, when it comes in around December time, and is concerned with new products not existing ones, is aimed primarily at children of a certain age, height and weight, but car seat safety for children starts so much earlier. This is why here at Nationwide Vehicle Contracts we have provided you with a guide to child car seat safety for you to read here.
With the majority of safety systems in modern vehicles built with adult passengers in mind, children suffer when it comes to standard specifications with seatbelts and other safety devices being too big for them - which is why there are laws and design standards in place to make sure that they are protected and enjoy a safe ride every journey.
There is the odd occasion when a child's car seat may not be used, but these are few and far between.
Besides being incredibly irresponsible and dangerous, it is also illegal to not ensure that any children travelling in a vehicle that you are driving are using the appropriate child seat for their weight, age or height. Failure to do s can result in a fine of up to £500; and it could also affect your motor insurance as well as risking civil proceedings if you fail to safely carry someone else’s child.
How the car seat is fitted is vitally important, and manufacturer's instructions should be followed to the letter because a poorly fitted car seat will not work effectively and may even endanger your child’s life. So you will need to check that:
When it comes to choosing a car seat for your bundle of joy (or bundles of energy), you will need to make sure that the child car seat you choose:
Which? suggest: "Don't be too eager to move children to the next larger seat because a big child in a small restraint will be a lot safer than a small child in a large restraint, and a child in a rear-facing restraint will be safer than one forward-facing."
With safety a priority in all cars, airbags are one safety aspect that can actually cause more problems than prevent when it comes to children's car seat safety.
Airbags inflate rapidly (and then immediately deflate), at up to speeds of 160mph. Although they are designed to cushion the occupants from any impact with parts of the vehicle that are likely to cause injury, such as the steering wheel or dashboard, the force that they exert on inflation is very considerable, and anything that is in its way faces injury. In an adult that is normally chest area, which can take the force; in a child, with height allowances, it is more likely to be their head - which can't.
So, when it comes to putting a forward-facing child seat in the front, only do so as a last resort - and if you do so, turn off the airbag, push the car seat back as far as possible and make sure that the seat belt is tight and secure.
And if your car does have an active front passenger airbag, DO NOT use a rearward-facing seat in the front. So make sure, the seat will fit in the rear of your car.
Side airbags aren't as powerful as front ones, and deploy themselves downwards to provide protection to the head. This should not pose a risk to a child in a child seat in the rear, but provide added protection.
Ad if you do switch off the airbag, remember to switch it back on once the journey has finished and the child has exited the car.
It may be of interest to note that Volvo Cars, who, back in the early 60s, was the first car maker to actively test child seats in crash tests, have launched their own range of three new child seats with a focus on design, comfort and convenience.
As Lotta Jakobsson, Adjunct Professor, PhD and Senior Technical Leader, Injury Prevention at Volvo Cars Safety Centre says: “Our focus is on ensuring that young children travel in the safest manner possible, depending upon their size and age. This means rearward-facing up to the age of at least three or four years, and after that with child seats or booster cushions until the child is up to 140 cm in height. The safety benefits are unquestionable, yet many parents unwittingly allow their children to sit forward-facing too early. One of the many reasons quoted for this is comfort – the child complains that there is not enough legroom, or is too warm due to the upholstery.”
Having developed the 3 versions - Infant, Child and Booster seats - with Britax, the new seats are designed to suit the needs of children of different ages and sizes, with a slimmer design, aimed to increase legroom and overall comfort, and were thoroughly tested at Volvo Cars Safety Centre in Gothenburg. (Although it should be noted that the Booster seats were those with a high back support, as required by law from December-time.)
“We believe that children will be more comfortable in our rearward-facing new seat and that this will encourage parents to keep their children rearward-facing for longer. This will have a direct impact on overall child safety and support our Vision 2020, where no one will be killed or seriously injured in a Volvo car by the year 2020,” added Lotta Jakobsson.