Play it safe and strap in a brand-new car seat
RESEARCH has revealed almost three million parents have bought or been given a used second-hand car seat for their child – with a further 500,000 saying they shelled out for an unused but previously owned one. Guidelines suggest you shouldn’t use a second-hand car seat – especially after it has been involved in a collision or suffered a knock. A study by Churchill Car Insurance suggests many parents are unaware of this as more than 500,000 have bought one knowing it had been in an accident or suffered damage of some kind. Although these figures look high, most parents seem to adhere to the recommendations as the survey suggests just under 20million bought a brand-new car seat when preparing for their first child, while a further 2.5million received one as a gift. The survey also showed that one in six parents who bought a second-hand car seat didn’t know its history, while more than a third didn’t get instructions on how to install it correctly when they purchased it. Jane Morgan, business manager at Churchill Car Insurance, said: “We know the cost of raising children adds up and that an offer of an expensive item such as a second-hand car seat that looks brand new is hard to turn down.
“However, the danger with a car seat is you can’t be certain of its history as the damage isn’t always visible.
“After any knock, great or small, the structure will weaken, therefore it will no longer be able to provide the level of protection it once did.
”Missing instruction booklets for any car seat could lead to them being fitted incorrectly, rendering them dangerous in the event of a crash.
“A new value car seat meeting all British Safety standards is safer than a top-of-the-range second-hand car seat.
“When in doubt, don’t borrow, buy, or sell a used seat – it’s not worth the risk.”