Kids Car Seats'Criteria Cause Confusion

HERTFORD, UNITED KINGDOM - More than a third of parents underestimate the age or height at which a child can travel without a child car seat, reveals Which? today, as Child Safety Week begins.

The law states that parents must use an appropriate child car seat when carrying any child up to 135cm (4ft 5in) or until they reach their twelfth birthday. Only around four in ten parents got this information correct when questioned by Which?

When it came to fitting car seats, only around half of parents (53%) said they completely trust retailers to give them good advice. And 43% said a nationally-recognised car fitter’s scheme would make them more likely to trust advice from retailers.

Installing a child car seat correctly is vital to prevent injuries in a crash. Which? knows of just three local authorities in England where parents can get the full services of a Child Car Seat Centre to give advice on buying and installing seats. These are Wigan (Lancashire), Bromley (Kent) and Rayleigh (Essex).

Some child car seats are so complicated to fit that Which? thinks there is a high risk of installing them incorrectly. In its latest round of testing, the consumer organisation found this to be the case with the Renolux Next Confort and advised parents not to buy it.

Richard Headland, Editor, Which? Car, says:

“It doesn’t matter if they’re 10 months or 10 years old, children need to use child car seats until they’re taller than 135cm or they reach their twelfth birthday. Kids are at risk if they’re not properly secured in a seat appropriate to their weight and height.

“Unfortunately there’s still huge confusion amongst parents about who should be using a child car seat, and not enough advice on how to fit seats properly.”

Which? has put together an interactive child car safety quiz at www.which.co.uk/childcarseats. A guide to the best child car seats and how to fit them is also available at this address