Joie Ask the Expert: Child Car Seat Myths Explained

When travelling in the car with your little one, you’ll naturally want to ensure they’re as safe as possible. With so many safety issues to consider, it can be difficult to know all the dos and don’ts when it comes to child car seats.

To give you peace of mind, we’ve asked child car seat experts, Joie, to address some of the biggest car seats myths to find out whether they’re true or false. Topics include whether your child should wear a coat in their car seat and whether a child seat can be placed in the front of your car.

A child shouldn’t wear a coat in a car seat

True. It’s not advisable for a child to wear thick clothing when sat in a car seat. This is because thick clothing will prevent the harness from fastening tightly, so won’t be as effective in the event of an incident.

True. It’s recommended to have a gap between a child car seat and the front car seat as standard child seat testing involves no contact and is based on a set space requirement.

The safest spot for a child car seat is in the rear middle of the vehicle

True. The centre seat is the furthest point from any possible impact, making it statistically the safest place in the vehicle.

You should never put a child’s car seat in the front of a car

This is false. However, it’s always advisable to place a child car seat in the rear seats to avoid distraction to the driver. It’s legal for a child seat to be placed in the front, providing the airbag is turned off and there is sufficient visibility for safe driving.

R44 car seats are still safe to use

True. Although R129 is the updated child car seat legislation, it’s still safe to continue using an R44 car seat, providing it’s used correctly and in good condition.

It’s safe to buy a second-hand child car seat

It’s never recommended to purchase a second-hand car seat due to the unknown condition of the product. Second hand car seats may have been stored in poor conditions such as heat and damp or may have even been involved in a collision which can compromise its safety and effectiveness.

After any accident, a child car seat should always be replaced

Yes. Even if there was no child sat in the car seat at the time of the accident, it should always be replaced. This is because damage won’t always be visible, so there’s a chance the car seat may not perform correctly should another future incident occur.

Airbags are highly dangerous for children

Yes. Airbags can inflate and strike a car seat which can cause serious injuries. Ensure you always deactivate the airbag if you place a child seat in the front of the vehicle.

Children’s legs don’t fit correctly rear facing

False. Rearward facing seats allow a child to sit comfortably, the same as a forward-facing seat. In some cases, the rearward seat will offer more movement for the legs than a forward-facing product due to the position of the adult seat in front. 

i-Size means ISOFIX installation only

This is true for harness type car seats. However, a booster seat can be i-Size certified but not have ISOFIX attachments or be unable to use ISOFIX attachments in an i-Size seating position due to the buckle placement.

A child’s weight isn’t an important factor in R129

False. Weight is still very important as once the total weight of the seat and child surpasses 33kg, ISOFIX can no longer be the primary method of installation.

The new child car seat standard is i-size

Not quite. i-size is an enhancement of the R129 safety standard. I-size prioritizes ISOFIX to help reduce installation errors, it also helps guarantee fitment into an i-Size certified seating position, due to the mandatory 44cm maximum width.

We hope these answers have provided peace of mind to help you travel confidently with your little one. Browse our full range of Joie car seats on halfords.com today.