Child car seats warning

5 June 2007

which.co.uk is urging consumers not to buy four child car seats that have failed its latest round of safety tests.

The consumer organisation advises parents not to assume that because a child car seat has reached the minimum safety standard and is on sale in the UK, it will protect a child in a crash.

which.co.uk’s car seat tests include a side impact crash. Most cars are safety rated for the protection they give adults in such a crash, but child car seats, inexplicably, are not legally required to undergo a side impact test.

Video footage of the which.co.uk tests can be seen at www.which.co.uk/childseatsvideo* and shows the potentially devastating effects of a crash on some child car seats.

The four child car seats** deemed ‘Don’t Buys’ by which.co.uk are:

The Little Shield Combi 123 was the worst seat on test. It uses a nylon strap with stud fixing which isn’t strong enough to contain the forces of a severe accident. It’s made from expanded polystyrene and offers no protection from side impacts.

Chicco Max 3-S uses the adult seat belt for a 9kg child (around nine months old) which means that instead of sitting on the shoulder, the adult belt rests on the neck of the child and thus could cause severe injuries.

Mamas & Papas Pro-Tour offers no protection for older children in a side crash, because it recommends removing the backrest for children over 22kg. Therefore there is nothing to stop the child’s head being injured in a side impact.

Recaro Start also uses the adult seat belt for a 9kg child, which means they’re improperly restrained in a crash and the sudden deceleration caused by a serious frontal crash could result in neck or abdomen injuries for such a small child.

The good news is that there are plenty of safe, secure child seats on the market. which.co.uk has awarded twelve Best Buy status.***

Malcolm Coles, Editor, which.co.uk, says:

“It’s important to stress that any child seat is better than no seat at all, but some of the seats we’ve tested are shockingly bad. The most shocking thing of all, though, is that they are deemed safe under minimum standards and are being sold to parents who trust these guidelines. The standards simply aren’t tough enough to assure adequate protection in crashes and need to be raised.”

Notes to Editors

* Video footage will be available at www.which.co.uk/childseatsvideo from 6pm on Monday 4 June 2007. To see the footage before then, contact Martin Chapman on 020 7770 7373.

** The Little Shield Combi 123, Chicco Max 3-S and Recaro Start use the adult seat belt for a 9kg child. In the June Child Car Seats Which? report, Which? incorrectly stated that the Mamas and Papas Pro-Tour uses an adult seat belt to restrain a 9kg child. In fact, it has a separate harness for Group 1 (9-18kg) children. But it's still a 'Don't Buy' as there is no protection from side impacts for older children.

*** The twelve Best Buys are:

Group 0+ (from birth to 13kg) 1 Maxi Cosi Cabriofix with Easyfix base; 2 Britax Cosytot Isofix; 3 Recaro Young Profi Plus; 4 Bebecar Easymaxi SPP; 5 Maxi Cosi Citi

Group 1 (from 9-18kg) 6 Maxi Cosi Priorifix; 7 Britax Duo Plus ISOFIX; 8 Chicco Key 1 Isofix

Group 2/3 (from 15 – 36kg) 9 Britax Evolva 2/3 ISOFIT; 10 Maxi Cosi Rodi XR; 11 Britax Evolva 2/3 Ultra; 12 Concord Lift Evo PT

This research was carried out between January and April 2007.

The Child Seat law, which was introduced in September 2006, requires that all children up to the age of 12 must be carried in a suitable child restraint.

The testing was the most comprehensive yet to simulate how a child’s body would react in a crash. Three crash-test dummies (each costing £27,000) to simulate children of eighteen months, three years and six years were used, with sophisticated measuring equipment to record the forces experienced in the crashes. which.co.uk car seat crash tests simulate crashes with forces used in Euro NCAP vehicle crash tests, which more accurately reflect what happens in a real crash.

Child car seats are legally required to undergo a frontal crash test, albeit at lower speeds and at lower force than used in the which.co.uk car seat crash tests.

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