Car seat reviews

[2labs]

My dh wrote an email to MN a while ago about this but got no response so I'm trying here instead...

We love the reviews on MN and have found them really helpful in deciding what to buy of various products - but were surprised that on the car seats there is no indication of how safe they are, which is something that can and has been tested. Obviously they all have to conform to basic safety standards but it turns out those aren't very high at all. I understand that the reviews are from mums and not safety testers, but don't you think that for something like a car seat, where surely the whole point of it is to keep a baby safe in a crash - there should be some indication of how it has performed in crash tests like those done by Which? Some of the top-reviewed seats on MN have actually been given a very poor safety rating by Which?, and if people are making their buying decisions on the basis of MN, they may not realise that a seat that has been well reviewed by mums - for things like ease of installation and comfort - will actually collapse in a side-impact crash.

What do you think? Can you have some arrangement with Which? to show their crash test results, or something similar?

I think the tricky thing is that MN relies on reviews we as parents send in, and we're not qualified to comment on safety; but I agree that a third-party safety rating would be informative.
Permission for MN members to access to the Which? carseat page would do.
To be fair, none of the carseats reviewed on MN were on the 'Ones to Avoid' Which? list, and all of them do pass the European safety standards.
7 of the 11 best Buys in Which? are reviewed on MN, and two of those made the MN Best list, so there is some correlation between the two measures!

Agree it would be a nice to have but Which ? surveys are annual , so the next one would be due in the June 2006 issue , and so any recommendations from there would need annual updating. Also their test is not comprehensive so a good or bad seat may go unnoticed and new models are launched subsequent to the tests being done so miss inclusion. Perhaps an equivalent of NCAP * ratings for side and front impact would be less complicated.

Hi 2labs,
So sorry we missed your mail - it's been a hectic time round here. Thanks for raising the issue - it is something the team's been giving some thought to, I know. Will check where we are with it and get back to you.
Cheers.