Car breakdown, wwyd?

Ukrainebaby23 · 2023-05-28T20:10:24+00:00

Broke down yesterday, 2 adults in car with 10m baby in car seat. Car unfixable at roadside needs tow. Bank Holiday Saturday BTW. Recovery vehicle unable to take car seat as no isofix. (Large well known Recovery group). Could wait at roadside for 10 hours for full recovery truck, not feasible with 10m old imo. 100miles from our destination, 200 miles from home. No relatives/friends nearby. What do we do? WWD was get a taxi to nearest railway station fortunately only about 5miles, then train for about an hour with baby/carrying car seat, pushing buggy, essential bags and baby. Final leg collected at station by family but car seat wouldn't engage so they drove car seat to destination and we pushed baby in buggy last 2 miles to the in laws house. I still cant see we had any other option, WWYD? I need to invent a reasonably priced folding car seat to be used in taxis/recovery vehicles etc. Carting the car seat was not fun.

PickledPurplePickle · 28/05/2023 21:13

Could you not have just used the car seat with a seat belt in the recovery truck?

Landlubber2019 · 28/05/2023 21:15

Not every car has an isofix base and you should be able to secure the car seat without an isofix base. What did the breakdown recovery firm offer as I am sure they would not have left you at the side of the road

Symposium · 28/05/2023 21:24

Why couldn't you strap the car seat in?

TeenLifeMum · 28/05/2023 21:26

I’ve only ever had isofix that had strap option (I always had them strapped too incase isofix failed as I was a bit paranoid).

highlandspooce · 28/05/2023 21:32

I'm another one who would t buy a seat that couldn't be strapped in by seatbelt for times like this.

I don't think what other people would do is helpful though, you worked it out and got home.

As476 · 28/05/2023 21:36

I thought all car seats even isofix could be attached with a seatbelt. All my car seats have had isofix options but my car didn’t have it so I didn’t buy the additional base. I just strapped them in to the car with the seatbelt as per manufacturer instructions.

GladysHeeler · 28/05/2023 21:36

I'd have got in the truck without using the car seat unless the road you were on was quiet as I would have thought being at the side of the road was more dangerous.

katmarie · 28/05/2023 21:41

All of my isofix car seats had instructions for strapping in using only the seat belt. Even the one which had a separate base could be belted in where there was no isofix. I'm surprised there are seats on the market which don't have that option.

InTheFutilityRoomEatingBiscuits · 28/05/2023 21:48

When my car broke down miles from home with me, a single adult and two DC in car seats in it, I did not have AA/recovery. I got the car to the safest place I could. I carried the baby who couldn’t walk and the two car seats and got the toddler to walk, we went to the nearest petrol station and sat on the grass verge for a bit whilst I rang a relative with their own garage. They were able to go and tow the car. We made our own way home much as you did, walking and using a bus. When it was time to collect the car from the garage after it’s repair I had figured out a way to fold and tie the car seats up into a kind of backpack hoist so I could take both seats and carry the baby and older child on the walk/train/walk expedition to pick up the car. It wasn’t the greatest fun but it was fine.

When I broke down in a very remote place in Scotland after dark one night we ended up walking to a local pub where we got details of a nearby bnb and staying there overnight until the local garage was open, it was properly dodgy and stank of weed. But the kids still talk about that one even though they were very young as they thought that was an adventure.

QuillBill · 28/05/2023 21:52

But the kids still talk about that one even though they were very young as they thought that was an adventure.

Yes! I once broke down on the M1 with four primary aged children and a dog (not well behaved). We had to go in a MASSIVE recovery vehicle with the lights flashing through the night. Got to our destination at 2am. The kids had the time of their lives and talk about it years later.

Original poster

Ukrainebaby23 · 29/05/2023 03:01

We bought a safety approved highly rated Graco seat following Rospa guidelines. We paid for expensive breakdown recovery service. No where did Aby advice we read say, recovery vehicles might not be able to take the car seat. I'm looking for advice on what to do, and hoping others might see this and consider it when purchasing a new car seat.

Unhelpful smug 'all my car sears had belt options' don't answer the question. Ours doesn't, we didn't expect an issue and accordingly to our recovery patrol, it's not uncommon.

OP posts:

Original poster

Ukrainebaby23 · 29/05/2023 03:03

GladysHeeler · 28/05/2023 21:36

I'd have got in the truck without using the car seat unless the road you were on was quiet as I would have thought being at the side of the road was more dangerous.

A it's illegal
B it's unsafe
C I would have risked it but the recovery driver wouldn't and its his job/licence on the line

OP posts:

Original poster

Ukrainebaby23 · 29/05/2023 03:33

InTheFutilityRoomEatingBiscuits · 28/05/2023 21:48

When my car broke down miles from home with me, a single adult and two DC in car seats in it, I did not have AA/recovery. I got the car to the safest place I could. I carried the baby who couldn’t walk and the two car seats and got the toddler to walk, we went to the nearest petrol station and sat on the grass verge for a bit whilst I rang a relative with their own garage. They were able to go and tow the car. We made our own way home much as you did, walking and using a bus. When it was time to collect the car from the garage after it’s repair I had figured out a way to fold and tie the car seats up into a kind of backpack hoist so I could take both seats and carry the baby and older child on the walk/train/walk expedition to pick up the car. It wasn’t the greatest fun but it was fine.

When I broke down in a very remote place in Scotland after dark one night we ended up walking to a local pub where we got details of a nearby bnb and staying there overnight until the local garage was open, it was properly dodgy and stank of weed. But the kids still talk about that one even though they were very young as they thought that was an adventure.

Yes, I think we should have used the baby wearer carrier to make the journey easier but didn't think at the time and left it in the car. I like the idea of some sort of carry strap for the seat and will think about that.

We were on a very busy dual carriageway but had luckily coasted into a very small layby so off the road. Densely tree lined so we couldn't just walk off onto the town, otherwise that would have been my first choice. Looked at scrambling up the bank but really not feasible Defo not safe to walk down side of road even without pushchair. Thanks for your reply, useful.

OP posts:

Original poster

Ukrainebaby23 · 29/05/2023 03:35

Landlubber2019 · 28/05/2023 21:15

Not every car has an isofix base and you should be able to secure the car seat without an isofix base. What did the breakdown recovery firm offer as I am sure they would not have left you at the side of the road

Get a taxi, get relis to collect you or wait 8 to 10 hours for the big recovery truck.

OP posts:

ExhaustedAlready · 29/05/2023 03:38

What carseat is it?

Original poster

Ukrainebaby23 · 29/05/2023 03:40

highlandspooce · 28/05/2023 21:32

I'm another one who would t buy a seat that couldn't be strapped in by seatbelt for times like this.

I don't think what other people would do is helpful though, you worked it out and got home.

Nope, it's useful to me to see what people would do. I usually have a plan for events, I didn't consider this scenario. We drive alot I need to figure a few plans.

We need a second car seat soon, it will have the seatbelt option but still need a plan.

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Scrambledegghead · 29/05/2023 04:44

Are you 100% sure the car seat couldn’t be fixed in via the seatbelts and you just didn’t realise at the time? I’ve never heard of one that couldn’t do so before. Which car seat is it?

KateyCuckoo · 29/05/2023 04:51

Why didn't you leave the car seat in the car since you couldn't use it instead of carting it around?

greenspaces4peace · 29/05/2023 05:36

i would have taken the car seat and put it in the trunk of the recovery vehicle (i certainly wouldn't leave it in the car).
and put the child on my lap same as in a taxi, which doesn't require car seats.
in some way it is a taxi of sort as it's purpose is to taxi you from one location to another.

helpfulperson · 29/05/2023 06:39

Rules about car seats only apply to cars, not buses coaches and other vehicles so im fairly sure it wouldn't be illegal in a tow truck. There is also an emergency clause which would have made it legal for a taxi or even non taxi car to collect you. Or if the recovery was a van to be in that without a car seat.

Hidingawaytoday · 29/05/2023 07:35

Scrambledegghead · 29/05/2023 04:44

Are you 100% sure the car seat couldn’t be fixed in via the seatbelts and you just didn’t realise at the time? I’ve never heard of one that couldn’t do so before. Which car seat is it?

Ours came with the isofix base attached, so it can't be used with a seatbelt. That wasn't uncommon when I was looking to upgrade from the baby carrier.

I'm not sure what what we'd have done OP - probably taxi/train the same as you (although would have risked it in the truck if the driver let us!).

TakeMyStrongHand · 29/05/2023 09:36

No car seat is not illegal for unplanned short journeys.

cansu · 29/05/2023 09:40

I would have sent dp in taxi or in recovery vehicle to argos to get a simple car seat that could be attached with a seat belt.

GladysHeeler · 29/05/2023 10:59

A it's illegal
B it's unsafe
C I would have risked it but the recovery driver wouldn't and its his job/licence on the line

A. It's not illegal to travel without a car seat in an emergency or in a situation where you are in a taxi for example.

B. I know it's unsafe. But so is standing on the side of a road. Admittedly my nearest and most used motorway is the M1 so that's the road I was imagining standing beside. And you did ask what other people would have done!

C. I didn't know the recovery truck driver wouldn't let you in. That valuable information could have been included in the OP in a 'what would you do?' question.

highlandspooce · 29/05/2023 11:01

I'm a bit baffled that the recovery driver refused to take you tbh. They travel unrestrained children from breakdowns regularly. Whilst not ideal it is allowed. I would complain about that because his suggestion you wait 10 hours I was ridiculous.