Road Safety Wales (RSW) has moved to clear up any confusion surrounding the imminent changes to legislation covering the use of backless booster seats.
In a press release issued yesterday (10 Jan), Susan Storch, chair of RSW, explains: “Any changes will only apply to new backless booster seats (booster cushions) entering the market, not ones which are already in use and meet existing safety standards.
“Parents, carers and professionals working with children, who currently use a booster cushion that complies with the existing regulations will not be breaking the law if they continue to use them after the rule change. You will not be required to buy a replacement booster seat to meet this change.”
Existing UK law states that all children travelling in a car must use the correct car seat until they reach 12 years of age or 135cm in height. In some European countries the height limit is 150cm.
At present, despite a number of child car seat experts raising concerns over the issue, children weighing as little as 15kg, that’s around three years old, can travel in backless booster seats.
However, under the new legislation, which is expected to come into force before March, backless booster seats available for sale will only be approved for children over 125cm and weighing more than 22kg. These will be clearly labelled as only suitable for children over that height and weight.
RSW has welcomed the new regulations, saying backless child restraints offer far less protection in the event of a collision.
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