Do you pay a lot of attention to the safety of your children in the car? Or maybe just not enough attention? In the past there have been children seriously injured or even killed due to the seats not being properly fitted (for example - from not reading instructions properly). There are also many children that have been sitting in the rear of a car without any kind of restraint at all.
Since September 2006, a child who is 12 years of age or less than 135cm tall has to travel in a child booster car seat or baby car seat whilst travelling in a car. It is illegal for someone of this age and height to travel in a car without a child booster car seat. Police have been carrying out spot checks especially outside schools to make sure children are securely fitted in the correct restraint depending on their age, weight and height. If you do not have your children in the correct restraint you could be charged a fine.
All it takes to protect your child is to buy a car seat for your child which has the correct level of safety and meets the current safety standards. We do not recommend second hand car seats as you don't know the complete history of the seat. A second hand car seat may also have expired or maybe doesn't meet the current safety standards. It is also advised not to hire baby car seats as again you don't know the full history of the seat. Your child's safety is worth more than this.
When you have bought your new car seat make sure the seat is appropriate for your child's age, weight and height. You then need to fit your child car seats on to your car following the instruction manual that comes with it. Make sure you spend plenty of time fitting the seat, especially if you are fitting it for the first time - you will most likely not have experience fitting this actual seat. Any time you have spent making sure your child's seat is secure is definitely time well spent. You are better to be safe than sorry. Even if you think you have bought one of the safest and best child car seats you still need to carefully read over the instructions and be cautious when fitting the seat. Make sure when strapping your child in the seat that the straps are secure enough. You should be able to fit one finger under each strap. If there is still space when you do this, the straps are too loose. If the car seat doesn't feel secure enough or moves more than an inch in any direction you should refer back to the instructions to see if you have missed anything. If you are still unsure whether the seat is secure enough, take it to a local garage where you should be able to get some help.
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