Parents confused by car seats
Child restraints are a headache for most parents, writes Damien O’Carroll.
Recent overseas research has shown that a concerning amount of parents report being overwhelmed and confused when choosing a suitable car seat for their children.
An incredible 92 per cent of parents feel overwhelmed when researching child safety products, according to a nationwide survey of Americans, conducted on behalf of Volvo Car USA.
While more products and information exist than ever before, this only adds to the pressure parents feel to make the right choices in a generation where nearly four in five believe there are more potential threats to children’s safety than there were just 10 years ago.
Latest Ministry of Transport figures indicate that each year more than 430 children are killed or injured in motor vehicles on New Zealand roads, with the data suggesting that while 96 per cent of adults wear safety belts only 93 per cent of children under 5 and 95 per cent of children aged 5 to 9 are restrained correctly while travelling in a car.
‘‘Children are some of our most vulnerable passengers in the event of a crash,’’ said the Ministry of Transport’s manager of mobility and safety, Brent Johnston.
‘‘Child restraints are a critical measure to provide the protection they need and could be the difference between walking away from a crash unharmed or being injured.
‘‘It’s important parents select the right seat and make sure it’s fitted correctly every time it’s used.’’
The American study, titled Shifting Gears: How Becoming A Parent Changes Driving Forever, explores parents’ preparedness for driving with young children, the overwhelming choices that new parents face, and their knowledge of safety practices when it comes to driving while pregnant and using and installing car seats.
It found that parents are feeling more stressed than a year ago (66 per cent versus 50 per cent for nonparents) and more distracted than five years ago (57 per cent versus 45 per cent).
While research showed that while 92 per cent of parents find it overwhelming to do research on Brent Johnston
Ministry of Transport’s manager of mobility and safety child safety products, that number rose to 97 per cent among new parents and that the sheer amount of information available actually creates new sources of worry, rather than alleviating it for 65 per cent of parents.
Car seats were a large source of concern for the majority of parents, with finding the safest seat (36 per cent), installing the seat (20 per cent) and keeping up with recalls (19 per cent) being seen as the most important factors.
But they are also the most confusing, with 71 per cent saying the number of models available to be overwhelming, while 58 per cent found the topic frustrating to research.
‘‘We understand the variety of seats available and the different sets of requirements can be overwhelming,’’ Johnston said.
‘‘To make it easier for parents, the NZTA provide guidance on their website on the appropriate use of child restraints.’’
Another issue raised by the research showed that more than half (55 per cent) of parents would use a professional car seat installer if they had access to one, rising to 65 per cent amongst new and millennial parents.
Fortunately, says Johnston, there are a wide number of child restraint technicians around New Zealand who can provide informed advice on the type of child restraint you may need.
They also have the practical knowledge to correctly fit your child restraint into a vehicle and show you how to do it too.
While we are sure that Land Rovers have been put back together in some fairly unusual places over the years, this is probably the first time one has been put together in a menswear department.
Land Rover has unveiled a unique Defender Works V8 that is now on permanent display in UK high-end department store Selfridges’ flagship store in London, after having inserted it in bits through a first-floor window and reassembling it on the menswear floor.
The one-off ‘‘Selfridges Edition’’ is based on the 300kW Defender Works V8 70th Edition and features a number of bespoke elements, including Bronze Green paint, a branded hood in Selfridges yellow, retro-style seats with custom stitching, and unique Selfridges badging.
The Defender was craned 11 metres up into the store’s first floor as a kit of parts and three specialist Land Rover Classic technicians and five presumably less specialist workers constructed it in full view of the shopping public in just over four days.
Land Rover says that more than 930 hours of expert craftsmanship have gone into creating the vehicle, which started life as a 2016 Defender 110 2.2 TDCi Pick Up at Jaguar Land Classic Works in Coventry almost five months ago.
‘‘Everything on this car, from the custom cross-stitched leather to the unique Selfridges hood and Works V8 Conversion, has been created at our state-of-the-art Classic Works facility in Coventry,’’ said Jaguar Land Rover Classic director Tim Hannig.
‘‘This may be the most quicklyassembled one-off Defender in the world, but it will be on display at Selfridges in London long enough for customers to enjoy.’’
Like Land Rover, Selfridges has a rich UK heritage – the famous store was the brainchild of American Harry Gordon Selfridge, who arrived in London in 1906 and opened his first store in 1909 at its current site on Oxford Street. Like Land Rover, Selfridges is celebrating an anniversary soon, although while Land Rover is ‘‘only’’ 70 this year, the department store will celebrate 110 years of trading next year.
Part of Land Rover’s 70th celebrations included the run of 150 ‘‘reborn’’ Works V8 Defenders (that the Selfridges’ vehicle is part of) from Jaguar Land Rover Classic, the company’s official source of these reborn classics that rebuilds old Jaguars and Land Rovers to what amounts to essentially brand new specification at a facility in Coventry in the UK, as well as building exclusive ‘‘New Original’’ continuation cars, such as the Jaguar D-type.
An interesting piece of trivia – the 300kW petrol V8 engine is 237 per cent more powerful than the 2.2 TDCi diesel originally installed in the Defender when it was new. Not that that matters, because it is on permanent display in a department store and will probably never get to unleash that wonderful excess of power anyway.
‘Children are some of our most vulnerable passengers in the event of a crash. Child restraints are a critical measure to provide the protection they need...’