Rear-facing car seats to 18kg in Britain Campaign!!!

[justforinfo]

Hey guys!

I am a child seat fitter at a large child seat supplying store (I don't think i'd be allowed to say which one!) and I have recently read about rear-facing seats to the age of 4 and after doing some intense research have found that the offer optimum safety for children. They are the norm in Scandinavian countries where child fatalities in crashes are near enough 0 every year. Britax, Graco etc all stress on the websites for scandinavian countries that children should be rear-facing untill they are about 4 years of age but there is no mention of this anywhere on the British sites. The British medical journal stresses that rear-ward facing is the safest option. So why are these seats not widely known about? Why are they not in big stores like the one I work in? Apparently it's because British parents don't want them. So are they trying to say British parents don't value their children's lives? The customers i've spoken to about these rearward facing seats had never heard of them and were shocked they were not being given information that would potentially save their child's life! These seats were not even mentioned in ANY of my training.

It's only through my own personal research I do to make sure i'm offering the best and safest options to parents did I find out about them!

I am currently trying to raise awareness of these seats and to get some at least on display in the company I work for. At the minute this is pretty single-handed!

I'd love to know what your views are on the seats and if you would like the option to have a seat that is 5 times safer?

I'd need alot of support to make any changes to what is supplied in store, but if parents are contacting big chains that supply child seats and asking why they are not being offered these seats it will change! Consumer pressure works wonders and I am at a loss to see how "health and safety Britain" has missed this!

I may just be talking out my backside and parents may be perfectly happy with the traditional seat but i'd appreciate the feedback all the same. Please take a moment to look at this website and watch the crash tests. www.rearfacing.co.uk

Sorry about the essay!
Thanks!

Any chance of including car seats with 5-point harnesses suitable to 25kg included in the campaign too? Britax have two I think but they're only available in the US.

the britax 2 way elite is harnessed up to 25kg forward or rearfacing

tis the only one in the uk afaik

tiy - I think the harness can only be used up to 18kg and then you have to switch to the belt. Please correct me if I'm wrong! You could save me a lot because I'm seriously considering importing one from the US!

no, it can be used harnessed :) definitely

Thanks! :) I just checked it out and it looks great. My only minor issue with it is that it isn't ISOFIX so does that mean you always have to belt it in even if your child isn't in it so it doesn't move around?

you fit it using the belt yes. and it stays like that the whole time, you don't h ave to keep re-doing the seatbelt

Has anyone written directly to the PM about this matter. If alot of us do it them him and his wife would probally look into doing something about it, as likethe rest of us on here im sure he wants the best for his baby.

If plenty of us wrote to himstressing the importance of this them he would be more inclinced to push the health and safty state to act over it!