In July this year, The British Medical Journal (BMJ) carried out a study into car seat safety which concluded that rear facing car seats should be used until the age of four. Before this it was advised that babies be placed in rearward facing baby seats and not moved to a forward facing seat until they weighed at least 9 kgs and could sit up unaided. Once a child is above the maximum weight for a rearward facing seat or the top of their head is above the top of the seat, the advice was to move them into a forward facing seat.

However, the BMJ's study brought some aspects of this advice into question, causing confusion among parents and even some retailers, nationwide. Worryingly, also in July, a survey published by Which? found that more than a third of parents underestimate the age or height at which a child can travel without a car seat.

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?

Thankfully, the Baby Products Association (BPA) issued a statement shortly after the BMJ's announcement to help clear up any questions consumers may have had about the safest way to travel. The Association agrees that there are safety arguments that support travelling backwards in the event of a head-on collision, and this applies to both children and adults alike and in other modes of transport, like rail for example.

"We recommend that parents keep their child in rear facing infant carriers for as long as possible and not to switch to a more convenient forward facing seat at the earliest opportunity. However, most parents globally will eventually make the change because rearward facing child car seats are simply impractical in most situations. They take up a large amount of room in the car, usually necessitating the front seats to be moved forward and they don't even fit in smaller cars."

"The most effective way to improve child safety in car seats is to ensure that the child is correctly fitted into the seat and the seat is correctly fitted into the car." The BPA's research has shown that an incredible 75% of children's car seats are fitted incorrectly, which, whether forward or rear facing, means the child is in danger should a collision occur.

On a lighter note, we all know that children get bored on very long car journeys, so a range of accessories that allow parents to concentrate while driving should also be offered. From sun canopies and sun blinds to head support cushions and travel blankets, there are a range of accessories designed to make the journey more comfortable. A car tidy is also a great way of storing books and toys for the journey, making them easily accessible when required.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---