If there is one single item that is essential for all babies, it is a car seat. Many hospitals will not let you leave the premises until you have got a car seat to safely transport your baby home. Even if you do not own a car, you will still need a car seat when you are travelling in other people’s cars.
Having bought it – fit it securely and use it! Studies by the Road Safety Team have shown that a staggering four out of five child car seats are not properly fitted and 90 per cent of child road deaths could be prevented if children were strapped in to well-fitted seats. The safest way for children to travel in cars is in a child car seat that is suitable for their weight and size. In a crash at just 30mph, an unrestrained child would be thrown forward with a force between 30 and 60 times their own body weight, seriously injuring, or even killing, themselves and other passengers. There is also a high risk that they would be ejected from the car through one of the windows. It is never safe to hold a child on your lap whilst travelling in the car. Even in a minor accident, the child could be crushed between your body and the car interior. Moreover, even if you were secured with a seat belt, the child would be torn from your arms, no matter how hard you tried to hold on. It is also dangerous to put a seat belt around yourself and a child, or around two children.
Top Tip 1
Make sure the car seat you intend to buy fits securely in your car.
Top Tip 2
Make sure your child is the right weight and height for your car seat particularly when moving from group 0+ to group 1. Your group 0+ car seat is the safest place for your child to be until his head sticks out of the top of the seat or his weight exceeds 13kg.
Top Tip 3
Ensure that you are comfortable fitting your car seat. You never know when you may need to do it and it is your responsibility.
Buying Your Car Seat
- Different types of car seat
- Which is the right size car seat?
- Whatto look for
- Usefulaccessories
- Before
you buy – important things to remember - Carseats on test
- Carseats and the law
- See our feature on Rear Facing Car Seats
Fitting Your Car Seat
Useful Links
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