Here at Tiny Emergency HQ we want our followers to be up to date with all aspects of safety, not just First Aid tips. Accident prevention is key, and this is why we are delighted to do a blog with In Car Safety Centre in Milton Keynes. Giving you up to do date regulations and advice for in Car Safety for your precious cargo.
In Car Safety Centre
With so many car seats to choose from as well as two different regulations to wrap your
head around, choosing your perfect car seat is never easy no matter what stage you are at.
In Car Safety Centre are a fully independent company who take pride in offering impartial
advice to help you make an informed choice on your child car seat. Their aim is to find the
perfect seat that is suitable for your vehicle(s) and your child, and to educate caregivers on
the importance of car seat safety. You may be shocked to hear that 70% of children’s car
seats are either inappropriate for the child, incorrectly fitted or incompatible with the car(s). This is why choosing the right seat is so important.
Car Seat Categories
Car seats are typically split into three categories – baby, toddler and child. Babies are
generally transported in infant carriers, travelling rearward facing until they are 15 months.
There are other options, typically known as combination seats, that may be used until 18kgs
(approx. 3 ½ -4yrs). Your toddler seat, using either a harness or an impact pad, will usually
accommodate your child from 15 months to approximately 3 ½ to 4 years. However, there
are seats that may be used until your child is 25kgs (approx. 5 ½ to 6yrs). Many of these
seats are Rear Facing. At approximately 3 ½ to 4years, you child may move into a High
Backed Booster. These seats do not use a harness, but rather ‘restrain’ your child using an
adult lap and diagonal seat belt. Your child must stay in this seat until 12 years of age, or
135cms.
Which Seat is Best?
This will depend on your vehicle(s), your child and what best suits your needs. However,
Extended Rear Facing (ERF) seats are always promoted by In Car Safety Centre for
toddlers and young children. Some rear-facing seats will grow with your child until 18kg,
while some will span right up to 25kg. You should always consider the current weight and
height of your child as this will often be an indicator of what size they will be at 4 years of
age, and if they are bigger than average it is recommended that you opt for a 25kg seat to
get as much use as possible out of this. Your baby’s skeleton is made up of mostly cartilage,
which over time turns to bone. As babies grow, their bones fuse together to form bigger
bones and specifically in the spine, the vertebrae start to form at 3 years of age, but will not
be fully developed until 6 years of age. This is why ICSC recommend rear-facing for as long
as possible, because in the event of a collision, your baby’s whole body is protected by the
seat as it absorbs the impact over the whole head, neck and spine, whereas in a forward-
facing seat, your child’s torso is held in place but their head, neck and limbs are thrown
forward causing great strain on the neck specifically, which may lead to serious injury or
even death. A baby’s head makes up 25% of its body weight, which shows why the impact
can cause such injury, when we consider that an adult’s head only makes of 6% of their
body weight. Always remember that even if you have a bigger child, they will develop at the
same rate, and so you still need to consider staying rear-facing for as long as possible.
Regulations Explained
Child car seats must undergo accident simulation testing to determine whether a seat is safe enough to be sold. There are currently two regulations; ECE R44/04 and since 2015, ECE R129 (also known as i-Size). These are the safety standards that car seats are rated
against.
i-Size is the most recent safety regulation controlling the manufacture of children’s car
seats (ECE R129). It was introduced in July 2013. The intention was to make child car
seats easier to fit, provide better protection from side impacts and keep children rearward
facing for longer.
R129, i-Size car seats are the new standard of car seat safety and force the industry to
adhere to the highest of safety standards. R44/04 is an older and frankly, out of date set of
safety standards. It's being phased out by a new wave of i-Size car seats.
Below you will find a condensed version of the key differences between the two regulations
to make it simpler to understand.
ECE R44/04
Classification based on child’s weight (in kg)
Child can be forward-facing from 9kg
Categorised by groups (Group 0+, 1, 2, 3)
Can be used for seatbelt or ISOFIX seats
Rear, front and side impact testing
P dummy used in crash tests with 4 sensors
ECE R129 (i-Size)
Classification based on child’s height (in cm)
No groups
Child must rear-face to a minimum of 15 months
Can only be used for ISOFIX
Rear and front impact testing
Q dummy used in crash tests with 32 sensors
Are i-Size car seats safer?
Absolutely. In addition to their increased compatibility, easier installation and rear-facing
setups, they are side-impact tested. Believe it or not, side-impact testing is not a legal
requirement for R44 car seats (although some manufactures do side-impact tests anyway).
With i-Size seats, you can rest assured that all seats pass rigorous side-impact tests before
being awarded the R129 mark of approval.
Which i-Size car seat do you recommend?
There are now many seats that are ‘approved’ to the new i-Size (R-129) Regulation. The
correct seat will be the one that is the most suitable for your child, fits the vehicle(s) it is to be used in and is ‘approved’ for use in those vehicles. Your child is unique, and seats have
differences, so physically checking suitability is by far the best way of ensuring your child as safe as is possible to achieve.
Picking your Car Seat
In Car Safety Centre always recommends trying car seats in your car before purchase. This
is the best way to confirm the seat is suitable for your child and compatible in every way with your vehicle. However, they understand that many of customers are not located near one of their Centres, and so they have attempted to mimic the in-store experience, online.
Their new and improved site has a clever ‘Quick Find’ feature where you can follow some
easy steps to find the perfect seat for your child. As well as this, there is now an improved
Safety Centre and a brand new Blog section, where you will find helpful information, and
conversational topics around the ICSC approach to child car seat safety. The aim is that the
information that is provided will make the daunting task of selecting the perfect car seat, less daunting, and that bit easier. If you feel that you need more assistance, please use the
Contact page to get in touch with one of the highly trained advisors at ICSC.
Shop car seats and get useful child car seat advice here: www.incarsafetycentre.co.uk
For more information please contact Tiny Emergency on 07551008350 or email info@tinyemergency.co.uk
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