Backless booster seats to be banned for younger children under new laws
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Version 0 of 1. Backless booster seats will be banned for children below a certain height and weight, under new laws due to come in later this year. The new rules will limit the use of backless booster seats among smaller children, as they are deemed unsafe by experts. From December 2016, all children under 125cm and weighing less than 22kg must have a high-backed booster seat while travelling in a car. Currently, children who weigh 15kg are able to travel in backless booster seats – also known as booster cushions - but experts believe this type of car seat is unsuitable for younger children. Experts claim smaller children are not protected properly in the event of crash as the seatbelts sit too high on their bodies and they are not secure in the seat. Booster cushions do not pass a side impact test as they have no back and side support, which would cushion a child upon impact. The new rules will only apply to new products coming on to the market. Existing backless booster seats can still be used without parents breaking any rules. But safety experts advised parents not to go for the cheaper option of a backless booster seat and urged them to instead invest in a high-backed version. Which? child car seat expert Lisa Galliers said: "A decent high-backed booster seat provides better protection in a front crash, as they're designed to guide the adult seat-belt across the child's body properly, and our crash tests prove they offer much more protection in a side-impact crash that a backless booster seat alone." |