‘Killer’ car seats are still being sold online a decade after they were first identified, experts have warned.
More than a dozen flimsy fabric seats marketed as safe for young children have been seen on popular websites including eBay, Little Dreams, ManoMano, Shein and Wish.
These seats, which cost as little as £12.50, contain ‘fundamental flaws’ that put children’s lives at risk.
Consumer champion Which? first exposed the sale of these car seats 10 years ago and the listings were taken down at the time.
But more have now been spotted on well–known online marketplaces – with experts warning they would offer a child ‘no protection in the event of a crash’.
Car seat manufacturer Britax has previously carried out safety tests of these flimsy seats during a 30mph impact.
The test dummy, which represented a three–year–old child, was hurled through the windscreen when the seat straps came loose.
This led to trading standards organisations dubbing them ‘killer’ products.
This listing on Little Dreams contains ‘fundamental flaws’ that put child safety at risk. It has now been removed from their website
Safety tests were carried out on the car seat during a 30mph crash. The dummy, which represented a three–year–old child, went through the windscreen
The safety defects in these car seats include a thin seat base and not having one central point of release for the harness.
These are ‘fundamental flaws’, the experts say, since a car seat must raise a child’s height to position the seat belt correctly across their lap.
Multiple buckles on the harness can make it difficult to rescue a child in the event of a crash.
Another disturbing feature of these products is their clear lack of side impact protection, which is needed to protect a child’s head from hitting the inside of the car.
This omission is a fundamental safety failing that leaves children vulnerable to head trauma or death in the event of a side impact.
Which? also– point out that the seats they found lack the distinctive orange labels that indicate which safety regulation the seats comply with.
Child car seats must have an R44 or R129 regulation label to be sold legally in the UK.
Another concern is that while some product listings describe these items as car seats, the full descriptions warn against using them in cars.
Experts came across this product on Shein which looks brightly coloured and appealing for children, but will provide them little to no protection in the even of a crash. It has now been removed from the site
Sue Davies, Which? Head of Consumer Protection Policy, said: ‘It is appalling that these deadly car seats are reappearing on online marketplaces more than a decade after Which? first exposed them, but it is not surprising.
‘This is just one in a long list of dangerous products that Which? has identified and have been taken down only for them to later reappear for sale.
‘Children’s lives will be at risk, with less affluent households most likely to be affected, until online marketplaces are forced to take responsibility for the listing of these cheap but deadly car seats.
‘The Product Regulation and Metrology Act is a welcome start for strengthening product safety laws, but secondary regulations are needed to impose clear legal responsibilities on online marketplaces, with tough enforcement for those that fall short.’
Police have also warned that they found similar seats in vehicles at car seat checking events.
PC Rachael Wonfor from Warwickshire Police said: ‘As a recently accredited child car seat check officer, I was shocked to find at a checking event I hosted in Rugby, a high number of fitting errors and inappropriate seats for children’s sizes.
‘However, I was not prepared for the frightening contraptions fitted in one vehicle I checked.
‘They were a harness type system intended to replace a child car seat to save space. The parent was of the understanding that these were perfectly legal as they could purchase them online.
This ‘safety seat’ was marketed on eBay for as little as £13.26. Most child safety seats cost in the region of £80, with experts warning strapped–for–cash parents might go for cheaper, unsafe options such as this. It has now been removed
‘Ultimately, these harnesses were not only illegal but would offer a child no protection in the event of a crash. I was able to educate this parent and ensure their children travelled safely by advising them of this dangerous product.
‘This leaves me wondering, how many other versions of this product are being sold and used daily with precious children’s lives relying on them?’
eBay, Shein and Little Dreams said they have removed the products from their websites after being notified by Which?
Wish.com and ManoMano did not respond to requests for comment.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .