Changes in the law for Child Car Seats

The new ‘i-Size’ standard for child car seats comes into operation in Northern Ireland on the 20th April 2015

All Child Car seats are required to meet minimum EU standards . The last improvements were introduced in NI in May 2008 and covered specific car seats for children up to 3 years of age and for 3 to 12 year olds.

Whilst these standards helped improve child safety, parents and carers still make mistakes when installing child seats. The current standard also does not test for side – impact collisions which accounts for 28% of all collisions in Europe.

A new EU standard developed by the United Nations includes:

• ISOFIX anchorage capability – car seat plugs into structure of your car

• Side – impact protections for the child’s head and neck

• Rearward – facing child seats from birth up to 15 months

Age and height will determine which car seat is most suitable for your child.

The new standard of seat will be in place from 20 April 2015.

To read this article in full: http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/i-size_information_leaflet.pdf?rev=0