Halfords trained child car seat specialist Anne Counsell simplifies the process to make it easy for anyone involved in selling car seats to make sure they have the right degree of knowledge.

Know the law

• If your car doesn't have the correct type of child car or booster seat, children will not be allowed to travel in that vehicle.
• When travelling in a vehicle with children under three, a child restraint appropriate to their weight, regardless of age, must be used. 
• In the UK, when travelling in a vehicle with any child who          is under 135cm
• (4ft-5) or up to 12 years of age, the correct type of child restraint must be used.  
• In the ROI: Children aged 3 years or over who are under 150cms in height and weighing less than 36 kilograms must use the correct child seat, booster seat or booster cushion when travelling in cars or goods vehicles.
• The driver of the vehicle is responsible for the safety of all passengers under the age of 14 in the UK, and 17 in ROI.

Choosing the right seat

When a child is 20lbs and can sit up unaided for at least 30 minutes they can transfer to a forward facing child car seat.

The majority of collisions involve a side impact, so a child restraint needs to act as safety cage.  Every design element acts in harmony to provide the maximum protection. 

Halfords has a range of new generation child car seats developed specifically to grow with the child. , so they cover more than one weight group. For example  the Britax Evolva 1-2-3 child car seat  top left, is priced £119.99, offers added peace of mind and safety for children aged from 9 months to 12 years.

Incorporating a unique Safe-Strap which indicates when a child has been safely seated in their harness, the Evolva 1-2-3 benefits from the unique Adjusta-Fit system allowing for easy head rest and harness adjustment. Use with the integral harness for babies from 9kg - 18kg, then simply stow away the harness and use the belt guides for children from 15kg - 36kg to position the adult seat belt comfortably and safely over your child. The fully adjustable head support will also grow with a child to ensure the best support and safety through the years, and the seat can even recline, ideal for longer jouneys. The easily removable cover is ideal for cleaning and replacement, and the adjustable deep padded side wings offer excellent side impact protection.

The innovative Graco Tri-Logic range offers a simple choice of one seat for every key stage of a child's development - including, see right,  the Group 2/3 Logico L (large) seat for children 15-36kg (three to eleven years). This is the new version of the Rally Sport design. All three child seats in the Graco Tri-Logic range comes with side impact protection and extra comfortable padding as standard, and all are easy to fit.  A collection of cover fabrics, ranging from fun and funky to classic or contemporary, is offered right across the child seat range.

Fitting Advice

Incorrect seat installations are the main cause of injuries, that's its so important to ensure each seat is carefully fitted by trained staff before purchase.  There are some rules:

• Make sure the seat is the right weight and height for the child.
• Check the base of the child seat fits correctly with the car seat.
• Check that the seat is completely stable and has no excess movement.  
• And make this check before every journey.

When fitting a booster seat, make sure the child's shoulders fall onto the red clip. This means the belt is at the right height, and is a safe fit.

And very importantly, the seat must be correctly fitted, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.