Rhiane Kirkby delves behind the headlines to discover why booster seats are set to be banned
There?s been lots of talk in the press the past few months about changes to the law on booster seats, with consumer group Which" claiming that backless booster seats will banned for younger children from December.
Those reports are a ?little premature? according to the Department for Transport, who say ?it?s not going to happen this year.? They admit that whilst car seat rules are being reviewed there?s no set date for change, saying ?legislative change is a complex process and one that takes time? and stressing that ?even if the law is updated, it will only apply to newly sold products and not ones already in use.?
Currently, backless booster seats or cushions can be used by children who weigh as little as 15kg ? so from around three years old. And although they?re very cheap to buy and extremely portable, many safety experts agree that this type of seat is unsuitable for such young children as their bones are very different from those of an adult and not really strong enough to support an adult seat belt. According to child car seat expert, Lisa Galliers, ?a 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. They?re also proven to offer much more protection in a side-impact crash than a backless booster seat.? Which" claims that for this reason in future they?ll only be approved ...