Car Seat Confusion

New research by Halfords has revealed that, more than six months since legislation on car seats was changed, 71% aren’t actually aware of the changes that came into force in March. And of those who have heard of the new changes, nearly two in five (36%) have made no attempt to update the car seat they are currently using.

The new car seat regulation, which came into force in March this year, restricts the use of cushion booster seats to older children, and only children who are 22kg or more, or approximately 125cm tall, are recommended to use cushion booster seats by manufacturers.

In August 2016 Halfords launched its Safer Seat campaign, becoming an early adopter of the rules, which were originally introduced by the EU to ensure that booster seats provide better side impact protection, and which limit the use of cushion booster seats to older children.

And now, in a bid to help even more parents cut through the confusion, Halfords has launched the second phase of its Safer Seat Campaign, making sense of the rules and encouraging customers to make the switch to high-back booster seats. Emily Moulder, Halfords’ car seats expert says: “We welcomed the new legislation from the Government and became early adopters of the rules in August 2016. Since the legislation change, we’ve continued to help confused parents in all our shops, and we were concerned to discover that 71% of parents and families are still unaware of new car seat rules.

“There seems to be a lot of confusion about rules for children travelling in cars, but some facts are clear: 80 children aged 0-4 years old were seriously injured as car passengers in 2014 which accounts for 28% of road casualties for this age group*.

“There is a lot of helpful information out there for parents and families wanting to get up to speed with the rules. In terms of fitting, which can be tricky in itself, we provide in-store fitting demonstrations as well as advice on buying the best type of seat for your child, helping ensure you travel safely and with peace of mind.”

As part of the campaign, Halfords is offering parents the chance to trade-in any cushion booster (bought from any retailer) for 20% off a new high back booster seat at any one of over 400 shops throughout the UK.

As well as the trade-in, shoppers will be able to read about guidelines in Halfords shops and at Halfords.com, with height charts and scales provided to help parents choose the right seat for their child, as well as advice on how to fit and colleagues who can help with any questions.

To find out more, visit http://www.halfords.com/advice/kids-zone/expert-advice

Research collected from Opinion Matters study carried out in September 2017 from a sample size of 2,006 adults.

* Figure from Think!: http://think.direct.gov.uk/education/early-years-and-primary/parents/3-to-5s/child-car-seats-and-safety-belts/

For further information please contact Halfords’ press office on 020 7287 5006 or Halfords@z-pr.com

For more information visit www.halfords.com or www.halfordscompany.com