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Frequently Asked Questions: This section is a list of frequently asked car seat questions and their answers. Q: Is it illegal to install a rear-facing child seat in the front passenger seat of a vehicle with an active airbag? Why is it dangerous to do this?
A: Yes, it is illegal. Whilst you wont find any law that specifically states that you must not do this, there is a loophole. According to legislation Land Transport Rule; Vehicle Equipment 2004; Rule 32017; Part 1; Section 2; 2.9 Child restraints :
“2.9(2) A motor vehicle complies with 2.9(1) if the child restraint is fitted in accordance with the child restraint manufacturer’s instructions”
As there are no child restraints (of standards accepted in New Zealand) that allow you to install a rear-facing seat in front of an active airbag in the front passenger seat, then it is technically illegal - because it is against the manufacturers instructions. As for why it's dangerous? Airbags enflate with such incredible force (see: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_Av0WGrlTGY and http://youtube.com/watch?v=Khrypk1jPHE ) that they can literally "rip" through a car seat and kill a child. For grown adult occupants airbags are absolutely safe. "Air bags are stored in the instrument panel and need a certain amount of space in which to inflate before they begin to act as energy-absorbing cushions for larger occupants. A rear-facing restraint in the front seat places the child's head and body very close to the air bag housing, and direct impact from the air bag can be fatal to an infant. Older children who are leaning toward the dashboard, with or without a lap-shoulder belt, and unrestrained children who are thrown forward from pre-impact braking are also at risk of a broken neck if the air bag catches them under the chin. Children tightly restrained in a CR with a harness are probably the least likely to be injured by an air bag, but it is still a good idea to put them in the rear seat..." (Reference: Child Passenger Safety Technical Encyclopedia http://www.carseat.org/Technical/tech_update.htm#airbag)
"Side-impact air bags are much smaller and emerge with less force. There are no studies published thus far that indicate a child properly restrained in a CR is at risk from current side-impact air bags, but laboratory simulations indicate that unrestrained and out-of-position children could be injured, including those leaning against the door while sleeping. .." "...if there are side-impact air bags in the rear seat and the child must be in an outboard seat, do not leave any objects, such as toys or even pillows, between the child or CR and the door. In addition, if the child is in a booster, remind her not to lean out of the booster and to keep head, arms, and legs away from the door. For more information, see Transport Canada, March 2006." (Reference: Child Passenger Safety Technical Encyclopedia http://www.carseat.org/Technical/tech_update.htm#airbag)
Q: What is a top tether strap and is it illegal to not use one? A: A "top tether strap" is a length of webbing that extends from the top of a child restraint with a hook on the end. This "hook" clips on to an anchor point (aka anchor bolt) in a vehicle to secure the top of the seat. As for the legalities, some seats must be tethered to comply with the law, some seats don't. As in the answer above answer re:airbags, a car seat must be installed according to the manufacturers instructions. All seats that conform to the Australian and New Zealand Standard 1754 (for example: Safe-n-Sound, IGC, Mother’s Choice, GoSafe to name just a few..) will without a doubt need to be tethered, to comply with the law. Some seats however, particularly those from the United States (with an “S” standard mark sticker) will not require the use of the tether, to comply by law, though however still using the tether is definitely preferable. The most important thing is to - READ YOUR USER MANUAL. This is the only way you will ever know. Furthermore, not using the anchor bolt and failing to secure it somewhere safely, can mean the hook acts as a very dangerous projectile in a car crash and can seriously injure a child or passenger in the vehicle
Q: What is the weight/height limit on my child restraint?
A: There is not one answer for all. Please refer to the provided stickers on your restraint and/or your child restraint instruction booklet which should state the weight and height limitations for your seat.
Q: I have a spare seat, it's only used in the Grandparents car, so it doesn't matter that it's expired. damaged or outdated does it?
A: Even 'spare' seats need to be safe for use. Your child is just as likely to be injured in their car, as they are in yours. Whether it's a spare seat or not is irrelevant. Either buy another 'safe' seat, or transfer your own one to the Grandparents vehicle. Do not compromise your child's safety.
Q: Does it matter whether or not I have my child's seat correctly installed? "I'm only driving ten minutes down the road."
A: Yes, it does matter. Accidents can happen anywhere, any time. Most crashes occur within a few kilometres of home.
Q: Can I buy chest clips and use them for my seat even though it didn't originally come with one?
A: Car seats that meet the United States Standard FMVSS 213 will usually come with a 'chest clip'. Chest clips should only be used with seats that come with them. Seats that do not come with chest pieces are not tested with them and the consequences of using them are unknown. Not all car seats have chest clips. If you have a seat that would not usually come with such a clip i.e. an Australian or European Standard seat, then you do not need to add one
A chest clip is a one or two piece pre-crash positioning device. A pre-crash positioning device is an object that positions something correctly just BEFORE an accident, not during, meaning they do not provide any protection during a crash. Like the locking clip that is used to keep the seatbelt tight (so that the seat doesn't "loosen" during normal travel), the chest clip helps to keep the harness straps positioned correctly over the shoulders and down the chest. In an accident, two piece chest clips are meant to seperate, which means little to no force being applied on the childs chest, the paper clips are made of a very thin and flimsy plastic and are meant to slide down in an accident. When tested against the Australian Standard it was found that the chest clip slid up and came in contact with the throat. This poses the risk of asphyxiation [to cause to die or lose consciousness by impairing normal breathing]. Additionally under the Australian and European Standards you must be able to release a child with one quick action. The chest clip slows this down. This is important in the event where the car may have rolled upside down or has caught on fire and a civilian is trying to free the child quickly from the restraint. Seats modified using an aftermarket chest piece are used at your own risk and negate the safety standard of the seat since they are not tested and/or approved to use chest pieces. If your restraint conforms to the United States Standard (FMVSS 213) and uses a chest clip, do not remove the chest clip, use chest clip according to your manufacturers instructions. You do not need to worry about purchasing a chest clip if your seat does not have one. You do however need to make sure that you always have the harness firm against the childs body. Also make sure that the straps are never twisted and that the harness is properly adjusted and buckled before every car ride. If your child restraint is fitted with a chest clip, you must ensure that you use it correctly at all times. The chest clip must be at "arm pit level". If you need a replacement chest clip please contact your car seats manufacturer or consult your local baby store as they may be able to source the correct replacement piece for your restraint. If you are considering the use of a chest clip for the means of restricting the movement of a "houdini" child, please read My daughter keeps taking her arms out of her car seat straps! What can I do?
Q: Why do we need to use child restraints? My Mum never had a car seat in her day and she survived!
A: We would not have child restraints and laws in place for no good reason. Child restraints have been proven to have great benefit in significantly reducing the rate of injury and death for children. We're in an age where there are many, many cars on the roads, fast cars, slow cars, little cars, big cars. New Zealand roads are very hazardous, think of all the people that die or are injured on them every year! Fortunately your mother survived. But unfortunately because of a lack of child restraints for the children in your mothers time there would have been many who either died, suffered minor injuries, or suffered injuries so severe they are still living with them today. Spare a thought for those who were not 'ok' and didn't survive.
Q: Why should I be concerned about purchasing or using a second hand child restraint?
A: Please see "Secondhand Carseats" for more information.
Q: Why do car seats need to be replaced after a crash?
A: In a car crash your child restraint does and will absorb some of the crash forces. These forces can weaken and cause structural damage to your child restraint. Damage can occur in even minor crashes and is not always visible to the naked eye. There can be hairline fractures in the seat that you can not see. Because of this, your seat can be less effective which means it may not protect your child as it was intended to, in subsequent accidents. For these reasons, it is recommended that child restraints involved in crashes be replaced.
Even polystyrene boosters must be replaced if they have been involved in an accident. Much like bubble wrap, polystyrene is only designed to compress once. Once it has been compressed i.e. in a car crash it may not work as effectively a second time. If you are still unsure whether or not your seat needs to be replaced, have a Plunket Car Seat Coordinator check it for visual damage AND call/contact your manufacturer to ask for advice. They are the ones that know the seats capabilities and limitations, and may even be able to assist with encouraging insurers to pay for a replacement. You may also find this link informative: NHTSA - Child Restraint Re-use After Minor Crashes
Q: Are Overhead/Tray shields, Shield Boosters and T-Shield (T-Bar) seats considered safe?
A: Overhead/Tray shields car seats are potentially dangerous as they may allow for head contact and/or poor harness fit for smaller children. This concern has been expressed by experts for quite some time. While Overhead/Tray shields DO meet the necessary requirements of the United States (FMVSS 213) standard, it must be understood that this standard is minimal. For a restraint to pass the United States Standard (FMVSS 213) currently only a frontal crash test with a partially instrumented dummy is required.
Shield Booster seats are no longer considered appropriate crash protection for children. Crash investigations have documented ejections, excessive excursions and contact injuries in rollover, side and frontal crashes, thus resulting in severe head, spinal, abdominal and extremity injuries (more info).
T-Shield/T-Bar car seats are not considered appropriate for newborns, the shield comes up too high on a smaller child, lying in front of the face or neck and holding the harness straps away from the infants body making correct adjustment and fitting of the harness difficult. If a child is 'burly', the shield of the T-Shield/T-Bar seat may press on their large thighs, causing discomfort for the child and possibly injury in an accident. T-shield seats have been discontinued by all manufacturers in the United States (more info).
Q: Why is the recommendation to have infants in rear-facing for at least 12 months?
A: Please see "Rear-Facing" for more information.
Q: How will I know when my child has outgrown his forward-facing car seat?
A: It is important that you read your instruction manual to check for the manufacturers’ instructions as they do differ between manufacturers READ THE MANUAL.
All forward-facing seats will be outgrown when: In regards to the level of the harness (please note some manufacturers may differ in their instructions, this is an example only): The shoulder slots of restraints that comply with the United States Standard (FMVSS 213) should be at or above the child's shoulders when forward facing.
However for restraints that comply with the Australian and New Zealand Standard (AS/NZS 1754) when forward facing the shoulder straps must be in the slots which are nearest to the childs shoulders but not more than 25mm below the child's shoulders .
Again, please remember that not all manufacturers have the same instructions, please read your user manual.
Q: How will I know when my child has outgrown his rear-facing car seat?
A: It is important that you read your instruction manual to check for the manufacturers’ instructions as they do differ between manufacturers READ THE MANUAL.
All forward-facing seats will be outgrown when: The top of their head is within 1 inch (25mm/2.5cm) of the top of the seat (some seats may require more distance, read your instruction manual) Your child is above the stated weight limit of the car seat e.g. the maximum weight limit of their convertible car seat when rear-facing is 12kg but they are 16kg.
In regards to the level of the harness (please note some manufacturers may differ in instructions, this is an example only): For restraints that comply with the United States Standard (FMVSS 213) the harness should be at or below the child's shoulders when rear-facing.
However for restraints that comply with the Australian and New Zealand Standard (AS/NZS 1754) the harness must be at or above the child's shoulders (and never below) when rear-facing.
Again, please remember that not all manufacturers have the same instructions, please read your user manual.
Q: Can I put my child in the front passenger seat of my car?
A: It is strongly advised not to seat a child under the age of 12 in the front passenger seat as there is a higher rate of fatalities and injuries amongst those who are seated in this position, the back seat is the safest. If you have a front passenger air bag, a forward-facing child might be too small for it and there is a serious risk of suffocation, injury or death. If you must put a child in the front passenger seat for whatever reason, see if you can turn off the airbag with a special key, and push the front seat as far back as possible. Please remember that you must NEVER put a rear-facing restraint in the front passenger seat of a vehicle with an airbag. If activated, the airbag will throw a rear-facing restraint up against the vehicle seat and the baby could be seriously injured or killed.
Q: My daughter keeps taking her arms out of her car seat straps! What can I do?
A: If your child is getting their arms out of their harness straps, please consider the following suggestions:
Make sure you have your harness tightened so that it is firm against your childs torso. There should not be any more than one fingers width between the harness and the childs collar bone and you should not be able to pinch any slack vertically on the strap. You do need to adjust the tighteness of the straps depending on the layers of clothing the child is wearing. Also make sure that your harness is threaded through the correct harness slots in relation to your childs shoulders. Read your instruction manual. Pull the car over somewhere safely and explain to your child in an age appropriate context the consequences of what they are doing. Offer rewards for good behaviour. If nothing else seems to work, you may want to consider the use of a chest clip. As above under Can I buy chest clips and use them for my seat even though it didn't originally come with one? you shouldn't really use a chest clip with a seat that doesn't come with one. However, that said, whether or not you choose to use a chest piece to prevent your child from getting their arms out at the end of the day is a parental decision and probably better than a child flying for the windscreen! Please however NEVER use an exactus locking clip as a chest piece. To see why, read Exactus Locking Clip .
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