Car Seats Recommendations

Although the law stipulates certain rules for Car Seats there are also additional safety features that Car Seat manufacturers have introduced which you should consider. Examples include car seat expiration, differing legislation and booster seat recommendations.

Six Year Expiry

The first thing to remember when buying a child seat is that most have an expiration date, typically six years, and almost all are only deemed suitable for one crash event. This isn’t the law, but is certainly is advice that should be followed by parents.

The above pictures the Honda FRV Six Seater interior seating view.

Different Countries with Different Legislation

Legally speaking, different countries have different legislation, which tend to depend on the age of the child. This means that in most cases, parents need only look into the law in their home country before deciding on which they need. However, different laws come into play when driving abroad and this gets even more confusing when in the US and Canada, for example, where laws change from state to state. Therefore, make sure you check how different countries apply laws on child seats before traveling to avoid any nasty surprises.

Booster Seat Recommendations

Although not strictly law, the UK Department of Transport advises parents that their children should remain in a booster seat until they are 4ft 11in, or 150cm, tall. This is because adult seat belts are specifically designed to restrain people of a certain height. If your child isn’t sufficiently tall and heavy enough to use an adult seat belt, then its ability to restrain is severely compromised without a booster. This can be extremely dangerous in the event of a collision.

Suitable Seat for Age

Parents should also be aware that some critics of child seats have pointed out that they often do not provide any additional support or protection for children above the age of two years. It’s a controversial theory that is yet to impact on legislation

• Airbags
• Current British Law
• The Middle Row 3-Seat Conundrum
• Fitting a Child or Baby Seat
• Thinking of Buying a Second Hand One?
• The Different Types Explained
• What Does ISOFIX Mean?
• Which Should You Buy
• Which Should You Choose