For the protection of your children, using any child car seat that meets approved standard is better than using none at all.
This advice was issued by the Consumer Council in light of a most recent test which found that most child car seats still provide inadequate protection from crashes in road accidents.
Despite the less than satisfactory test results, all 17 models have been certified to meet the European safety standard and regulation ECE R44.03.
The test was conducted in association with the International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT) and European automobile clubs with more stringent requirements replicating more realistic conditions. For instance, the test was conducted with the child seat samples fitted in a real car body rather than a test sled.
In the test report, none of 17 models available in Hong Kong could score the top rating in relation to safety and ease of use.
On a scale of 5, only four models were rated with the highest score of 3 1/2 points; seven with 3 points; two with 2 1/2 points; one with 2 points; one with 1 2/1 and two with only 1 point. The higher the rating the better the performance.
The results indicated that clearly there is room for improvement in this product.
Nonetheless, the Council stressed that even the worst performing car seat in the test offers some degree of protection to the child passenger. It is important always to carry a child passenger in a properly fitted car seat.
Motorists and parents are advised to consult the test report in CHOICE to choose the better performers in safety and ease of use.
When choosing a car seat, the body weight of the child is a main criterion that should be taken into account, age is just an indication usually.
The 11 models cover different weight categories ranging from new born up to 36 kg of both the rearward- and forward-facing models, and priced from $675 to $2,588.
Some models that are designed with several weight categories in one seat have their appeal and are more economical, but the test showed that they lagged behind in performance compared with those with a more focused weight group.
Generally, children up to 13 kg in rearward-facing seats fitted opposite to the direction of travel are exposed to lower forces in frontal crash impact, while children of weight groups of up to 18 kg and of 9-18 kg in foreword-facing seats are exposed to lower forces in side crash impact.