Child safety in cars
Are you expecting a new addition to the family or are your children growing up and you are not sure on their safety in your car? We have done the research for you.
When you are travelling in a car with a child, you must ensure you have the correct car seat and restraint to protect your young one.
Car seat laws in the UK:
All children must use a child car seat, until they’re over the age of 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall – whichever comes first. Children over 12 or more than 135cm tall must wear a seatbelt, and it’s recommended that children always travel in the back of the car, rather than the front.
There are 2 types of car seats – Height-based seats and Weight-based seats.
Height-based car seats
Height-based seats are also known as ‘i-size’ seats and must be rear facing until your child is over 15 months old. Once your child is over 15 months old you can use a forward facing seat. Any height-based seat you buy must be EU approved – this can be checked on the seat itself as it will have a label with a capital ‘E’ in a circle and ‘R129’. Please check the seat is suitable for the height of your child.
Weight-based car seats
Weight-based seats and the way you restrain them in the vehicle, depend on the weight of the child also. These car seats are available in different ‘groups’ and you may be able to choose more than one type of seat in the group that you can use based on the weight of your child. Please check the seat is suitable for the weight of your child. This type of seat also needs to be EU approved, the label will show a capital ‘E’ in a circle and ‘ECE R44’.
You may be able to choose from more than one type of seat in the group for your child’s weight.
Child’s weight: 0kg to 10kg
Group: 0
Seats: Lie-flat or ‘lateral’ baby carrier, rear-facing baby carrier, or rear-facing baby seat using a harness
Child’s weight: 0kg to 13kg
Group: 0+
Seats: Rear-facing baby carrier or rear-facing baby seat using a harness
Child’s weight: 9kg to 18kg
Group: 1
Seats: Rear- or forward-facing baby seat using a harness or safety shield
Child’s weight: 15kg to 25kg
Group: 2
Seats: Rear- or forward-facing child car seat (high-backed booster seat or booster cushion) using a seat belt, harness or safety shield
Child’s weight: 22kg to 36kg
Group: 3
Seats: Rear- or forward-facing child car seat (high-backed booster seat or booster cushion) using a seat belt, harness or safety shield
Manufacturers can now only make booster cushions approved as group 3. This won’t affect any existing booster cushions in group 2 and you’ll still be able to use them.
Credit: GOV.UK
Fitting a child car seat
Once you have chosen the correct seat for your child, you must ensure that when placed in your car, the belt has a diagonal strap to keep your child safely within the seat. If not, then you must ensure that:
- The car seat is specifically designed for use with a lap seat belt
- The car seat is fitted using ISOFIX anchor points (ISOFIX is the international standard for attachment points for child safety seats in passenger cars.)
For maximum safety and under the UK laws you must also ensure:
- You deactivate any front airbags before fitting a rear-facing baby seat if you’re placing your child in the front seat of your car
- You do not fit a child car seat in side-facing seats.
Car seats may be costly but the advice is to not buy a second-hand child seat as you do not know its history. It may have been involved in an accident with no visible damage. The instructions on these are also often missing which will make it more difficult to follow the correct fitting guidelines.
Make sure you take every precaution when considering your child’s safety. Ensuring your child is strapped in correctly and made comfortable will give you a piece of mind on your journey.
If you are expecting a new addition to the family and are looking for a bigger vehicle or just change for a safer model, give us a call to discuss the finance options for it. Whether you have a great, good, bad or poor credit rating or score, we can help you finance the car of your dreams.
As subprime motor finance specialists, you can apply for finance online or simply contact us on 01942 466 035.
