I remember sitting on Mum's lap in the front seat when I was little and later sitting in the front seat myself, with no seatbelt, when I was 8, 9 10, and no-one thought anything of it. Yes you are right about safety improving a lot over the years. Articles that say that 'these car seats are fine' won't sell any magazines. How many cars are being driven around that pass the Euro NCAP rules? Child car safety has improved a lot in the last twenty years and I do sometimes wonder if magazines like Which? are causing a lot of concern for the safety conscious parents. If you want to know any more, or want to know which are the seats that did well, just let me know. The only other Graco seat they tested was the Graco Autobaby with base, which did better. It also says that Graco declined to tell them why they are still selling the Junior Plus. We asked the manufacturers why they still sell these inferior seats, but some just hid behind the regulations, while others failed to answer our questions.' We think simply making child car seats safe enough to pass the minimum safety test is downright irresponsible. 'We're very disappointed that some of the seats we exposed as inadequate as long as two years ago are still on sale. Which? uses EuroNCAP crash test conditions, with a front-crash test at about 40mph and also a side-impact test. To meet the standard, seats must withstand a 30mph crash, without a child sustaining serious injury. They are better than no seat at all, but if possible buy a safer seat as soon as you can. These seats all meet current minimum legal standards but under Which's more stringent tests, were found either to offer inadequate protection in a severe crash, or are difficult to install, which increases the risk of injury in an accident. The others to avoid are Concord Trimax X-Line, Meggy Kombi, Storchenmühle Starlight SP and Graco Junior Plus. Mamas & Papas supplies three of the poorest - the Navetta Carry Cot, the Elan and the Passaggio - while Britax manufactures three - Cruiser Plus, Ranger and Trio. Ten inferior child car seats exposed by Which? in the past two years are still on sale. If so, I'm sorry to say that it is more or less 'Don't touch with a barge pole'. It added: "If the technical experts feel that current standards require revision, then Mamas and Papas will be happy to comply with any revised specifications immediately.Right, I have the Which? mag in front of me.was it the Graco Junior Plus? Mamas & Papas said all its products complied with the current level of safety requirements "which is subject to a regime of continuous testing and revision". It added: "As part of our commitment to achieving the highest standards of consumer safety and comfort, it is already planned to phase these out of the Britax range over the coming six months with newer designs and features." Which? said the other child car seats to avoid were the Concord Trimax X-Line, the Meggy Kombi, the Storchenmuhle Starlight SP and the Graco Junior Plus.īut Britax, Mamas & Papas, Concord and Graco were all praised for making other seats which are among the safest.Ī Britax statement in response to the report said it was "continuously improving the safety standards, products are being updated and replaced". Six of the seats are from British firms Britax - Cruiser Plus, Ranger and Trio - and Mamas & Papas - Navetta Carry Cot, Elan and Passaggio. "Simply making child car seats safe enough to pass the minimum safety test is downright irresponsible," it added. Which? said it was disappointed that the 10 car seats it had deemed inadequate over the past two years are still on sale. Manufacturers said the products complied with safety standards that were continuously being tested. Which? criticised makers for failing to exceed minimum European standards that demand seats withstand a 30mph crash. It said 10 seats on the market in the UK did not pass 40mph crash test conditions or were difficult to install, increasing risk of injury. Some child car seats would not offer adequate protection in a severe crash, consumer group Which? has warned. Which? says manufacturers should improve on minimum standards
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |