Backless booster seats for smaller children are to be outlawed later this year after the current UK law is due to be changed in order to make journeys safer for children.
Under the current laws, all children travelling in a car must use a car seat until they’re either 12 years old or at least 135cm tall, although in some European countries the height limit is 150cm.
Booster seats with no back, and which comprise only a lower part for children to sit on, will be approved for use only by children who are taller than 125cm and who weigh more than 22kg.
Changes to come into force December
Presently, children weighing as little as 15kg, the equivalent weight of a three year old, can travel in backless booster seats, but many experts agree that these seats are unsafe for younger kids.
Smaller children aren’t held as securely in the seat and so the car’s seat belts aren’t guided across their bodies correctly, reducing protection in the event of a collision.
High-backed seats, meanwhile, are more expensive than backless booster cushions but have been found to be safer in independent tests, and will soon become compulsory for children under 125cm.
Only applies to new products
Lisa Galliers, child car seat expert for consumer charity Which?, said: “A decent high-backed booster seat provides better protection in a front crash, as they're designed to guide the adult seat-belt across the child's body properly.”
The changes in the law are expected to come into force in December this year, but will only apply to new products sold on the market so parents who own a booster seat now will be able to use it without breaking the law.
However, anybody looking to buy a booster seat from next year onwards should ensure that they check the seat is approved for use with children under 125cm and 22kg.