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02/06/2005
‘Inadequate’ child car seats criticised
Consumer watchdog Which? has warned that ten inferior child car seats, which it tested two years ago, are still on sale.
Which? said that three of the products are manufactured by Mamas and Papas – the Navetta Carry Cot, the Elan and the Passaggio – while Britax manufactures three others – the Cruiser Plus, Ranger and Trio. The others, which were deemed inadequate by the watchdog, were the Concord Trimax X-Line, Meggy Kombi, Storchenmuhle Starlight SP and Graco Junior Plus.
Which? said that although the seats all meet minimum legal standards – requiring child car seats to be able to withstand a 30mph crash – some would not offer adequate protection in a serious crash or were difficult to install, which could also increase the risk of injury in an accident.
Which? editor, Malcolm Coles, said: “We’re very disappointed that some of the seats we exposed as inadequate as long as two years ago are still on sale. We think simply making child car seats safe enough to pass the minimum safety test is downright irresponsible.”
However, Which? also found that both Mamas and Papas and Britax also made some of the safest child car seats on the market. The Britax Cosy Tot Isofix – the first Isofix seat for babies in the UK – was praised as being “the best of the bunch”. Which? said that Isofix seats are safer and called for them to become standard.
Which? also recommended Britax’s Duo Plus Isofix seat for children from 9kg and Mamas and Papas Pro Tec seat for those cars without Isofix. The best choice for children from 15kg was the Concord Lift Protect, the watchdog said.
In response to the Which? report, Britax said it was continuously improving safety standards and updating and replacing products. The company also said it was committed to on-going product development and improvement.
(KMcA/SP)
Which? said that three of the products are manufactured by Mamas and Papas – the Navetta Carry Cot, the Elan and the Passaggio – while Britax manufactures three others – the Cruiser Plus, Ranger and Trio. The others, which were deemed inadequate by the watchdog, were the Concord Trimax X-Line, Meggy Kombi, Storchenmuhle Starlight SP and Graco Junior Plus.
Which? said that although the seats all meet minimum legal standards – requiring child car seats to be able to withstand a 30mph crash – some would not offer adequate protection in a serious crash or were difficult to install, which could also increase the risk of injury in an accident.
Which? editor, Malcolm Coles, said: “We’re very disappointed that some of the seats we exposed as inadequate as long as two years ago are still on sale. We think simply making child car seats safe enough to pass the minimum safety test is downright irresponsible.”
However, Which? also found that both Mamas and Papas and Britax also made some of the safest child car seats on the market. The Britax Cosy Tot Isofix – the first Isofix seat for babies in the UK – was praised as being “the best of the bunch”. Which? said that Isofix seats are safer and called for them to become standard.
Which? also recommended Britax’s Duo Plus Isofix seat for children from 9kg and Mamas and Papas Pro Tec seat for those cars without Isofix. The best choice for children from 15kg was the Concord Lift Protect, the watchdog said.
In response to the Which? report, Britax said it was continuously improving safety standards and updating and replacing products. The company also said it was committed to on-going product development and improvement.
(KMcA/SP)
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Poorly fitted child car seats costs dozens of lives a year: report
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05 June 2003
Report finds many child car seats inadequate in severe crash
A report commissioned by European consumer groups has found that many car seats are inadequate to deal with a serious car crash, as the statutory EU tests are not sufficiently rigorous. In a test of 20 child car seats, the consumer group report revealed that only a few were deemed good enough to be recommended as adequate in a 40mph crash.
Report finds many child car seats inadequate in severe crash
A report commissioned by European consumer groups has found that many car seats are inadequate to deal with a serious car crash, as the statutory EU tests are not sufficiently rigorous. In a test of 20 child car seats, the consumer group report revealed that only a few were deemed good enough to be recommended as adequate in a 40mph crash.
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