Help, Safety & Advice
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- Five causes of winter vehicle breakdown
- Breakdown safety concerns
- Breakdown procedure
- Your winter car survival kit
- Prevent your engine from freezing
- Avoid accidents this winter
- Motoring abroad
- What should I do if I see an accident?
- The cost of motoring offences
- Avoiding the cowboys
- Which type of driver are you?
- Would you pass your test now?
- What to do in the event of a car breakdown
- It's the law - motoring do's and don'ts
- How to replace a tyre
- How do I prepare for an MOT?
- How do I change the oil?
- How to get a good deal on a car
- What do I do if my windscreen is frozen?
- Driving with satellite navigation
- 10 motoring must-follows on Twitter
- How to push a vehicle safely
- Travelling with pets
- Five common breakdown problems
- Your breakdown cover renewal
- Sat nav safety
- Older drivers
- Choosing a child car seat
- How to find a good garage
- Fifty years of the seatbelt
- Tyre safety
- Thinking of buying a new car?
- What to look for when choosing a breakdown cover provider
- Driving in Europe
- Summer Drivetime Magazine
- Winter Drivetime Magazine
- Handy Tips Video
Choosing a child car seat
When it comes to deciding which car seat to buy for your child, safety is paramount.
When buying a child car seat there are several safety factors to take into account. Here are the main things to look for to ensure you're covered by the law.
Buying a child car seat
According to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
- the most important thing is to make sure the seat you choose is suitable for your child's weight and height
- secondly, ensure it is right for your car
- thirdly, think about portability and comfort, as you might be taking the seat in and out of the car
- finally, keep babies in rearward-facing seats for as long as possible.
Legal changes
There was a major change in the child car seat laws in autumn 2006.
The key change made it compulsory for children under 12 to use child car seats and booster seats.
The new regulations also include:
- Children under 3 must have a child restraint in the front of a car.
- Under 11s must use a child restraint when travelling in the front of a car.
- When it comes to travelling in the back of a car, children between 3 and 11 must use an appropriate child restraint, plus a seat belt to secure it.
- Over 12s must wear an adult seat belt in the back of a car, or a child restraint.
- Rear-facing child seats can't be used where there's an active front airbag (unless it's specially designed).
Belt up
Wearing seat belts saves over 2,000 lives every year according to the Government, which offers some great advice on seat belts on its Think! website
Green Flag is a corporate partner of RoSPA. Our advice is: be safe, be insured.