Car seat safety

One thing I am passionate about when it comes to baby things is safety. I used to make and sell dummy clips and I researched the heck out of toy safety, regulations and the law. So when Miss A was on her way I really started looking into car seats. Mr J was rear facing for quite a while but everyone around me was celebrating turning their child forward facing like it was a milestone?
Luckily I found a fantastic online forum with a group of Mums who were well informed and well researched. I found some great test results from crashes showing how rear facing is so much safer for babies in all different types of crashes.
http://strollersandprams.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=10 Lots of that information can be found in the link....

One of the things I am hoping is that now the new standards allow for isofix there will be a reduction in the amount of seats installed incorrectly. Over 70% of car seats are not installed properly. In QLD for some reason that rate is over 90%......

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"Research also indicates that a child in a rear-facing seat is ninety per cent less likely to be hurt in an accident. The much-touted AHR (Active Head Restraint – side impact) technology isn’t going to do much to protect your child’s head and neck in a frontal collision.." from here:
http://babyology.com.au/out-and-about/what-the-statistics-say-about-car-seat-safety-in-australia-join-the-discussion.html. A great read with two points that should stand out...

According to a 2010 government report in Australia, as many as eighty children a year are killed in car accidents and another four thousand are injured.
- Studies show that up to the age of four, children’s heads are bigger in proportion to the rest of their body and in the unfortunate event of an accident (if they are forward facing), their head can snap forward – thus causing their neck to snap, with severity depending on the speed.
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Sadly getting your seat installed professionally doesn't give you any guarantees either. The amount of people who have gone to a registered fitter only to be told it wasn't done properly might surprise you, then again it also explains why the rate of incorrect installations is so high. Friends of ours had their first baby a few years ago and spent over $500 on their car seat and then $60 on getting it installed rear facing for their newborn. When we had our first visit they raised concerns about their car seat and how much it moved in the car. They know I have a thing about car seats so they asked me to check it out. Well no it wasn't done properly. The top tether was so loose the seat would lift up in a crash. Plus the base didn't sit flat on the seat. It was an easy fix- tighten the tether by putting your weight or knee on the car seat and pull, but not so hard that the seat lifts off the car. Secondly a lot of times you need a rolled up towel to even the surface of your car seat. Many are angled so much that only half of the base touches the car. There are lots of great YouTube videos to explain it too.

A research study funded by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) has shown that children who are restrained incorrectly are up to seven times more likely to be seriously injured in a crash than children who are restrained correctly.

Also to a lot of new parents who go into a baby store to buy a car seat they are often sold the most expensive or the newest model. Sometimes the staff are trained and sometimes they aren't...The amount of times I have had to either bite my tongue or wait until the staff member stops talking to tell a Mum that really their 6 month old shouldn't go into a Maxi Rider. Just ask my husband ;)
If you want to choose a safe seat cost doesn't mean everything. The CREP website:CREP- Child Restraint Evaluation Program gives you data on the safest seats according to their testing system.

http://www.igcdorel.com.au/cms-car-seats/infant-carriers/safety-1st/one-safe-infant-carrier.phpsThe safest rear facing capsule according to their tests and also not the most expensive....

So if you are about to shop for a new seat look at the results first. Also on Facebook there are heaps of groups and forums with Mums and Dads dedicated to finding the safest seats, longest rear facing and easiest to fit 3 across...who are happy to help and answer questions. I find these groups have people who have done more research and asked more questions than the people selling the seats!

                                  Miss L rearfacing...3 seats across the back in a Magna.