Child seat belts ..help

[movan]

Just been to Halfords and they fitted a child seat on the front passenger sest of the motorhome.... forward facing. I do not have an air bag ....

Now a friend says she thought that you cannot have forward facing child seats in the front of a mh.

Any help would be gratefully received.

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

I’d have thought Halfords would have known the rules and regulations before fitting it Joy. Surely.
I thought you couldn’t if there were airbags , that’s all.
And baby seats are rear facing anyway. Toddler/child seats are forward facing ? I would have thought you’d be ok . But if your not I’m sure someone will come on and say.....

 

[Riverbankannie]

I wonder if your friend is confusing the regulation. This is a quote from childcarseats.org.uk. I’m pretty sure you are ok with forward facing, the law is about rear facing and airbags. I’ll see if I can find another refer3nce for you.

Q: Is it legal for my child to travel in the front passenger seat?

A: Yes, but it is safer for children to travel in the rear seats.

If your child is under 12 years old they must use an appropriate child restraint, unless they are over 135cm in height. Once a child is taller than 135cm, they can use the car's seat belt, regardless of their age. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that every passenger under 14 is in a child seat or is using a seat belt according to the law.

It is illegal to put a child in a rearward facing child car seat in the front passenger seat, if there is an active passenger airbag.

 

[Riverbankannie]

https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules

The law is now based around I-size seats and the weight of the child. This is the link to the gov.uk website.

I would think that Halfords staff are trained in the law and the fitting of seat belts as they are a big player.

 

[rb62]

https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules

beaten to it!

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[PeteH]

We had a young woman, Mid 20`s, delivered for Amazon in the run up to Xmas (Plain white van, so obviously a contract job). She had a child in a seat in the front. (and a large dog!).

 

[movan]

I’d have thought Halfords would have known the rules and regulations before fitting it Joy. Surely.
I thought you couldn’t if there were airbags , that’s all.
And baby seats are rear facing anyway. Toddler/child seats are forward facing ? I would have thought you’d be ok . But if your not I’m sure someone will come on and say.....

Sorry Bev .. I meant toddler seats.

Lost bit of confidence in Halfords.
On way back to farm with mh I braked and the seat they had fitted slid forward and then tipped sideways to side window. . I tried to sort it when I arrived at farm so hopefully it alright now. Eden may never get to use it under circumstances but I want her to be safe. Just a bit edgy now on the advice given.

 

[Feltwell]

Hello,

As one who at one stage had 3 child seats in action, now done to one (and not for much longer....)

A child in a forward facing seat in the front of the van is fine in the UK - not in France though, if memory serves me right kids below 10 aren't allowed in the front.

How old is the child concerned? Is it a seat for a younger child where the adult seat belt secures it to the seat, then the child has a separate harness within the seat to hold them in? That shouldn't move, child or no child, if to does I'd look at the instructions or if not sure head back to Halfords. They should be perfectly capable of fitting one, it's easy enough when you know how.

If it's one where the adult seat belt also holds the child in (generally for slightly older kids) they will move about if there's no kid in them, even if the seatbelt is threaded into it - just buckle the seatbelt up and it will be fine.

 

[scotzsue]

@movan Joy if the seat is forward facing it is perfectly safe and legal. The problem is when you DO have a passenger airbag, that could easily badly injure, or worse, a child. Rearwaard facing seats must never be used with an operative airbag.
However if travelling abroad am almost certain it is not legal to have an under 12 in the front seat, don't know what thy do in 2 seaters though.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Sorry Bev .. I meant toddler seats.

Lost bit of confidence in Halfords.
On way back to farm with mh I braked and the seat they had fitted slid forward and then tipped sideways to side window. . I tried to sort it when I arrived at farm so hopefully it alright now. Eden may never get to use it under circumstances but I want her to be safe. Just a bit edgy now on the advice given.

I think that it’s best that you go back to Halfords, or ring them and explain what happened and ask about the training of the person who sold it to you. Ask to speak to the correct salesperson.

If not satisfied, then you could go to another seller of child seats such as an independent children’s store or mothercare. Ask for advice from their trained fitter.
You could tell a white lie story, perhaps not saying just purchased from Halfords but that you have forgotten how it should be fitted and would they show you.

The seat certainly shouldn’t move like you have described.
I hope you get it sorted

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[movan]

I think that it’s best that you go back to Halfords, or ring them and explain what happened and ask about the training of the person who sold it to you. Ask to speak to the correct salesperson.

If not satisfied, then you could go to another seller of child seats such as an independent children’s store or mothercare. Ask for advice from their trained fitter.
You could tell a white lie story, perhaps not saying just purchased from Halfords but that you have forgotten how it should be fitted and would they show you.

The seat certainly shouldn’t move like you have described.
I hope you get it sorted

Thanks Annie ..I hope I have sorted it now. It was just a matter of tightening the seat belt where it had attached to ghe child seat. It had not been tightened up to hold the seat securely... not good. Am not a happy bunny but thankfully now sorted.


Thanks everybody who replied.

 

[Minxy]

Pleased you're sorted Joy but you really need to tell Halfords what has happened ... if they'd done this for someone who then immediately put a child in it ...