Leader’s in child safety & car seat technology BRITAX recently contacted me with news of their Pro-Harness Campaign. The aim is to educate parents about the optimum standard in car seat harnesses, and arm them with the best possible advice for keeping children safe whilst on the move.

They are keen to stress that the five point safety harness is the safest harness for strapping in our tots, and warn about the dangers of the alternative - the increasingly popular shield system. It makes for very interesting reading and could just save your child’s life.

Recommended FIVE POINT SAFETY HARNESS

Not recommended SHIELD OR SAFETY CUSHION

 

With such an overwhelming choice of baby and child car seats available, it’s a case of ‘information overload’ for parents. Walking around your local baby store you’re immediately confronted with a tower of seats in all sorts of designs and sizes - coupled together with the varying car seat stages, price points, quality and safety details, it’s all incredibly confusing.

All of us want the best for our children and wouldn’t compromise their safety. Making sound and reasoned choices supported by research is the least we can do. So here’s the low-down.

In the last four to five years, there has been a rise in popularity in the use of Shield systems. Although, a legally approved system, Shields are not tested for the risk of ejection and other critical life threatening injuries that could be sustained in the event of a crash. They claim to work in a similar way to an airbag, be less restrictive for a child, and are easier and faster to fit. They state that your child is better protected from severe spinal injuries by distributing the energy across the whole of the upper body with less forces being applied to the neck - but tests have shown this is simply not true.

BRITAX, the leader of in-car safety, abandoned Shield systems as continued research into what actually happens in the event of a crash provided real evidence that Shield systems do not provide the optimum safe environment for children. Following rigorous testing in their own in-house crash testing facilities they determined that the five point harness better withstood crashes from multiple angles and speed collisions.

Click on the BRITAX microsite to see video content of what happens in a roll over crash when a shield is used.

http://www.britax.co.uk/car-seats/why-five-point-harness-britax/start

So what is the real danger of shield systems?

• No fixed point restraining upward movement of a child’s body = the child can partly or fully eject from the seat
• They transfer most of the forces generated from a crash to the chest and soft abdominal area = there is a great deal more force on the lower spine which increases the risk of serious life changing injuries
• They do not fasten snugly across a child’s pelvis & adjust to the contours of the child’s body = allows more forward and side to side movement
• Not covered with energy absorbing padding to protect the head = The child’s face is often the stop point in the head movement

Why is a five point safety harnesses the safest option?

• Offers a much snugger fit than a shielded seat = In the event of a crash, the harness immediately restrains the child, spreading the crash force out across the strong bones of the body
• Decreases the forces a child experiences during a crash as forces are diverted from the child along the harnessing to the five points of contact with the seat
• There is less stress to the spine as forces are being moved away from the parts of the body containing vital organs
• The shoulder contact points stop the risk of ejection, whilst the crotch strap stops the risk of submarining
• The child is at much less risk of an improper installation
• Same restraint system used in racing cars

And if you needed any more convincing…

In a shield system the force on the whole spine is significantly stronger than in a harness system as there is more forward movement of the child’s body. Should the accident be one of side impact – which accounts for 1 in 4 accidents (and 20% of child car seat crash fatalities), the child has limited upper body restraint causing greater risk of serious injury.

BRITAX is continuously striving to ensure that parents understand the technology and innovation that is incorporated into all BRITAX products, ensuring they have peace of mind that they have done their utmost to keep their children safe. To keep abreast of all their latest campaigns visit the website, follow them on Twitter, and like them on Facebook.