Why aren’t our child car seat laws built around safety?
- Rebecca Morris
- Mar 13
- 2 min read
Despite working in UK road safety for two decades and being a mum of two primary-aged children, I had no idea that rear-facing car seats are up to five times safer than forward-facing ones. If I didn’t know, how can we expect other parents to?
UK law only mandates rear-facing until 15 months - creating a dangerous misconception that legal means safe. If parents walk into a shop full of forward-facing seats with no guidance on rear-facing safety, how are they supposed to know any different?
Sweden tackled this decades ago. Since the 1960s, public education and clear safety messaging have made rear-facing the norm until at least four-years-old. Most parents in Sweden wouldn’t dream of turning their child forward-facing too soon. The UK needs to catch up.
Yesterday, along with many other road safety professionals, I attended an event hosted by Swedish car seat manufacturer Axkid on the future of UK child car seat safety.
As Jan James MBE, CEO of charity Good Egg Safety, said at the event: "A car seat is the single most important safety feature that you'll ever buy." And what could be more important than the safety of your child?
That’s why I’m proud to be supporting Axkid, who have made it their mission to ensure that UK parents know the facts.
Axkid's upcoming report, which will be released imminently, highlights some serious concerns:
The UK is lagging behind car seat safety – While most Swedish children rear-face until at least four, only a small proportion of UK children do the same.
A shocking number of UK children travel without any car seat at all – leaving them highly vulnerable in a crash.
Parents are being let down – Poor and confusing guidance leaves many unsure when to switch to forward-facing or stop using a car seat altogether, putting young lives at risk.
Stay tuned for the release of the report's full findings!
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at the event, including Dr Mat MacDonald (the newly appointed West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner) and colleagues from Warwickshire County Council, West Mercia Police and Derbyshire County Council, who are all keen to support change.
Special thanks Nick Smith, from ITV (pictured below testing the weighted helmet, which simulates a baby's head to body weight ratio), for attending and filming – helping to raise awareness of this critical issue.
