Research from Co-op Insurance revealed that parents are lacking confidence and knowledge when it comes to child car seats.
Four out of five parents (81%) agree that information about car seats needs to be made more accessible and widely available.
The uncertainty has three fifths (64%) of parents saying that the where the youngest child sits in the car should be enforced by law to ensure safety.
Two fifths (42%) of parents have admitted to feeling ill-informed around the law on child car seats, with the main confusion (16%) being around the maximum age a child needs to be before they don’t need a seat. | Co-op Insurance named the Mazda CX-5 as ‘The Top Safest Used Car’ for new parents to purchase in the UK. This is followed by the Volkswagen Touran, BMW 2 series Active Tourer, Nissan Qashqai and the Toyota RAV-4. |
Parents with children aged nine are most unsure about the maximum age for using a car seat, with a fifth (20%) admitting they don’t know. A further fifth (19%) of those with children aged nine have said that that they don’t know if their child has to be a certain age or weight before they no longer need a seat.
Children must use a car seat until they are 12 years old, or 135cm tall, whichever comes first. Until a child is this age or height, the law states that parents must choose a car seat based on the child’s height or weight.
The study also highlights that two fifths (40%) of parents do not think there is enough information on how to fit a car seat, with a further two fifths (40%) struggling even before they buy a car seat, saying that they find it difficult in selecting the right one for them.