Child car seats
Last updated: 16 April 2013 09:34 UKFree child car seat check days
Events run throughout the summer and are sponsored by Baby 2k, Copnor Road and Imperial Car Supermarket. A check for your car seat will normally take around five minutes and there is no need to book.
7/10 seats are still failing our safety checks. Children must travel in a child car seat until they're 135 centimetres tall or 12 years old, whichever comes first.All events will run from 10.00-3.30 in the car park outside the store
| Thursday 2 May | Sainsbury's Farlington |
| Thursday 6 June | Asda Fratton |
| Thursday 4 July |
Tesco North Harbour |
| Thursday 25 July (11-2.00) | Imperial Car Supermarket OPEN DAY (London Road) |
| Thursday 1 August | Sainsbury's Farlington |
| Thursday 5 September | Asda Fratton |
| Thursday 3 October | Tesco North Harbour |
The free child car seat checks are carried out by Baby 2k who assist the Which? Guide with their national child car seat testing and reports.
Did you know that in a crash at 30mph your body would be thrown forward with a force 40-60 times your own weight? Even a super baby couldn't withstand this. Children continue to be at risk in car accidents because they are not properly restrained. You can best protect your children by putting them in a properly fitted seat which is appropriate for their weight and size. Don't risk your child's life. Never carry a child on your lap or use a single seat belt for two passengers, whatever their age.
Adult seat belts aren't designed for children because children are proportioned differently and their bones are still developing. So until your child is old enough or tall enough to use an adult seat belt alone, they must use a child's car seat.
Top tips for buying child car seats
The Which? Guide carries out research into services provided when buying a child car seat. In a 2012 investigation, they found that only 7 out of 35 stores installed their seat correctly when demonstrating it to them in an ordinary family car. These included some of the major retailers. Which? publish a full checklist and buyers guide for people looking to buy a new child car seat.
1. Does the shop have trained and experienced fitting staff?
This is very important as most seats fail our tests because they do not fit the car or the child. Ask for a member of staff with lots of experience in fitting seats, preferably someone who has 'IOSH Child Seat Safety Awareness" training or who has attended training from seat manufacturers. You can find IOSH trained staff local to you at www.childseatsafety.co.uk/advisor.html.
2. Is this seat right for my child?
Seats are categorized by weight. Children must travel in a child car seat until they're 135cm tall or 12 years old - whichever comes first.
A good retailer will ask you how much your child weighs when you buy a new seat.
3. Will this seat fit all the cars I want to use it in?
Not all seats fit all cars. When buying a new seat, arrange for a trained member of staff to complete a fitting trial for you in all the cars the seat will be used in. If you buy online it's harder to do this which may explain why all the seats bought online that we checked in 2012 failed our safety checks.
4. Does the seat have the right safety mark?
All new seats must have the ECE R44.04 mark on them. Any new seat without this mark is not legally acceptable in the UK and may not be safe. Older seats with R44.03 can still legally be used but seats of this age could have degraded and may not be as safe. You should never use a second hand seat unless you know it's full history as it may have been dropped or in a crash and have damage you can't see.
Our Road Safety and Active Travel Team can offer advice and resources on fitting a child car seat. Contact us on 023 9268 8262 for details.
