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Second Hand Child Car Seat Warning For Parents
Thu, 06 Aug 2009

Parents in the UK have been warned against buying second-hand car seats for their children, as it is impossible to know if they have suffered damage in a previous car accident and are still 100 per cent effective.

Research conducted by Sainsburys Car Insurance found that around 713,000 child car seats – 14 per cent of all child car seats - currently being used in the UK have been bought from previous owners or handed down by family and friends.

Second-hand trading online was also highlighted by the insurer, with 131 used child car seats put up for sale on the popular auction website eBay at the time of the study.

The insurance company said approximately 250,000 units (5 per cent of all seats) may need replacing because they have previously been involved in an accident or minor bump.

Lucy Hunter, Sainsbury's Car Insurance manager, said: "If a child car seat has already been involved in an accident, it's extremely difficult to know if it is still functioning properly and that it doesn't have any hidden faults."

"This means that if you already know that the seat has prevented a child from being injured or if you have bought it second hand and therefore can't be sure of its history, you could be strapping your child into a seat that provides little or no protection."

In addition to the importance of using a brand new child car seat, the insurer also urged parents to ensure that they choose a model that is compatible with their car as research shows around two-thirds of seats in Britain are not fitted correctly.

Parents are advised by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to look for the E mark on child seats, as this shows they meet European Union standards.
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