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Road Safety Week: how to choose the right car seat

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Written by Tim Barnes-Clay

Learn the importance of car seat safety during Road Safety Week with these six top tips.

Following the recent partnership announcement between leading car seat manufacturer Maxi-Cosi and national road safety charity Brake, Maxi-Cosi is supporting primary schools across the UK to promote the Road Safety Week message this week.

During Road Safety Week, thousands of organisations, schools and communities take part with road safety demonstrations, events, awareness video screenings, talks and more. The police often do roadside checks of vehicles for safety, including correct car seat fitting.  Schools get involved with road safety week to teach children about safety when crossing roads and how to be safe when travelling in a vehicle.

Maxi-Cosi is also using the opportunity to remind parents about car seat safety advice with these six tips:

Choosing the right seat for you

All children from birth to 1.35m in height (approx. 12 years) must use the correct car seat.  Check out our online car seat advice tool to see what’s right for you, and check your cars compatibility in our car fitting list.

Look back for longer

i-Size (R129) regulations state that children must be rearward facing in their car seat from newborn to 15 months old. This is to stop your child’s head being thrown forward in the event of an accident.

Stand tall 

i-Size regulations are based on centimetres rather than kilograms, so you can decide which car seat is right for you based on your child’s height rather than their weight.

Remove coats

Padding in children’s coats can mean that a car seat harness is not tightened properly, so remove coats and jackets before you strap up to ensure they fitted right. Worried about baby getting cold?  We’ve got you covered with the Maxi-Cosi Infant Carrier Footmuff to keep them cosy on your way.

The only way is UP!

Many people don’t know this, but your infant carrier handle is used for more than just carrying your little one in and out of the car. If an accident were to occur then an upright handle prevents baby being thrown into the car seat’s back support, helping to preventing injury.

Respond and replace 

We are only too aware that accidents happen on the roads every day and that is why we want to give your child the best protection possible. If you are involved in an accident when travelling with your car seat, whether your child was travelling with you at the time, you must replace it. Although on the surface the seat maunsy be fine, the impact of an accident may have damaged the core of the seat which means that your little one’s safety is at risk. Our swap service allows you to do this quickly and easily.