Legal

Seat Belt Guidance and Road Traffic Law

Child safety seats should be appropriate to the weight of the child, fitted according to the maker's instructions, and new.

Rearward-facing Baby Seats:

Babies up to 9 kg ( roughly 9 months)

Use in front or back of car - safer to put them in the rear. Don't put them in the front seat if there is a passenger airbag. Use these seats from birth onwards and until the eyeline of the child is above the top edge of the seat.

Hug-it is NOT suitable for these seats.

Forward-facing child seat: this is the stage that Hug-it can best to be used

For kids of 9-18 kg (20-40 lb) roughly from 9 months - 4 years

Again, much safer in the rear of the vehicle.

Booster seats and cushions: Hug-it can be used with small children

Seats : used for kids weighing 15 - 25 kg(33 - 55 lb) roughly 4 to 6 years

Should be used in the rear

Cushion: for kids weighing 22 - 36 kg (48 - 79 lb) roughly from 6 - 11 years Hug-it can be used as an adult belt repositioner for some children

Booster seats and booster cushions don't usually have a built in harness . The adult seat belt goes around the child and the booster and it is important that the seat belt is correctly adjusted:

Hug-it can be used if it can be fitted with the booster in place, and may be a big help here:

the belt should be worn as tight as possible

the lap belt should go over the pelvic region or hips not the stomach

the diagonal strap section should rest over the shoulder, not the neck chin or face

the back seat is still safest for any child less than adult height

No seat or booster available

The child should sit in the back and use the adult seat belt:

Hug-it can be used and may be a big help here:

the belt should be worn as tight as possible

the lap belt should go over the pelvic region or hips not the stomach

the diagonal strap section should rest over the shoulder, not the neck chin or face

The Law in the U.K. The Law in the U.S.A.

Seat belt usage

FRONT SEAT

REAR SEAT

RESPONSIBILITY

DRIVER

Must be worn if fitted

Driver

CHILD UNDER 3 YEARS OF AGE

Appropriate child restraint must be worn

Appropriate child restraint must be worn if available

Driver

CHILD AGED 3 to 11 and under1.5 metres (about 5 feet) in height

Appropriate child restraint must be worn if available. If not, an adult seat belt must be worn

Appropriate child restraint must be worn if available. If not, an adult seat belt must be worn if available

Driver

CHILD AGED 12 or 13
or younger child1.5 metres or more in height

Adult seat belt must be worn if available

Driver

PASSENGERS over the age of 14

Adult seat belt must be worn if available

Must be worn if available

Passenger

The law says:

You could face a fine of up to £1,000 if you are convicted of failing to wear a seat belt as a driver or passenger.

A police officer is at discretion to stop, arrest or investigate you or your passengers, issue a formal warning, fine you or add points to your license for seat belt misuse.

If you are convicted of failing to ensure that a child passenger is using an appropriate child restraint or wearing a seat belt according to the legal requirements you could face a fine of up to £1,000.

As well as this, failure to wear a seat belt, or failure to ensure that a child passenger uses an appropriate child restraint or wears a seat belt according to the legal requirements described above, could affect any claims against your motor insurance cover.

You could be sued for damages on the above basis by a third party such as parents of a child passenger in your care.

You or your passengers could suffer whiplash, head trauma, severe physical damage, or death.

European legislation does not support the use of harness clips or any additional closing mechanism to the harness buckle. It also does not sanction use of any device which could interfere with buckle release, and makes no ruling on the use of belt repositioners. USA legislation encourages harness clips to ensure correct fitting of straps.

Hug-it is designed to come off when the buckle is released, using the same "arm out" manoeuvre you normally use when taking a child out of a seat. It is not a clip. It is not an additional closing device, and has no locks or fastenings which might trap a strap. It is stronger than clips, gives impact protection, and does not allow straps to twist in use.

Hug-it is the only harness safety device which will not work if the straps are too loose - it will fall off or be pulled off with no effort. If the straps are too loose, your child is at risk of severe damage in an accident - so a loose Hug-it is a clear sign of inadequate fitting. Only Hug-it will give this warning.

Hug-it does not interfere with buckle release, unlike some safety devices on sale.

Hug-it repositions an adult belt by fitting very close to the seat belt buckle. Unlike other belt repositioners, it does not raise the lap section - raised lap sections have been found to increase abdominal damage in road traffic accidents.

The Law in the U.S.A.

These are the recommendations for child safety in cars from the USA safety agency; different states may have slightly different laws:

Rear-facing infant seat: Infants should ride in rear-facing child safety seats until they have reached 1 year of age and 20 lbs. (Low-birth-weight infants should be supported in rear-facing, infant-only seats. Make sure the angle of the seat doesn't cut off your child's air flow, and if it does, find an approved infant car bed that will allow the baby to lie flat until he's grown enough for a rear-facing infant seat.

Forward facing convertible seat: Children about 20-40 lbs. and 1-4 years of age can ride in forward-facing or forward-facing convertible seats.

High-backed booster seat (belt-positioning booster seat): Children too tall for a forward-facing convertible seat (ears line up with the back of the convertible seat) can use a high-backed booster seat.

Booster seat: Children about 40-80 lbs. and 4 years and older also should use a high-backed booster seat. The seat raises the child so that the lap and shoulder belt fit properly, and the high back protects the child's head and upper body. (Note: "shield" booster seats aren't approved for children weighing more than 40 pounds -- and for children less than 40 pounds, they reportedly pose a risk of ejection in a rollover crash). Several states -- including the District of Columbia, California and Arkansas -- have made booster seats a requirement.

Seat belt: When children can manage (without slouching) to sit with their feet on the floor of the vehicle, their back straight against the back seat cushion, and knees over the edge of the seat (usually at about 80 pounds and 57" tall), they can use a seat belt. The lap belt should lie across their hips, not their stomach -- and the shoulder belt should fit across the shoulder, not across their neck or throat. They should always use both the lap and shoulder belt.

The back seat is the safest place for any child 12 and younger (if an older child must ride in the front, move the seat back as far as possible to minimize danger).

No child should ride in the front of a vehicle that has passenger air bags. Never use a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger airbag.

Never carry an infant or child in your arms if the vehicle is moving -- not even if the baby is crying, not even if you're just going down the block. Even a fender-bender will almost certainly injure -- and possibly kill -- an unrestrained child.

Never leave your baby or toddler to sleep in the car seat or carrier. Children have died or been injured by being left to sleep in a car seat or carrier after the parents arrived at their destination. The victims either fell out, became tangled in the straps or choked to death when their head fell forward and closed off their airway. Do not succumb to the temptation to leave your sleeping baby in the car seat -- even if you do bring the car seat into the house. Instead, put the baby to bed in a proper bassinet or crib -- even if it means having to rock the baby to sleep again.

If the safety seat moves in any direction more than one inch, it's too loose. Go to the police or hospital to have a safety seat expert help you tighten it, and recheck the safety seat each time you use it.

Always register your seat with manufacturer so that you can be notified of any repairs or recalls. If your seat is second-hand, call the manufacturer (usually a toll-free number) to find out if there's been a repair or recall.

Not all seats allow you to adjust the shoulder straps in the front. If you have a seat that doesn't allow you to adjust the straps, you can warm up (or cool down) the car before taking your child somewhere so that his clothing is always about the same thickness. Remember: If you can slip more than a finger under the straps, they're too loose.

Do not place the child in the seat with a lot of padding or with a thick snowsuit; in an accident, the child can slip right out of the extra padding -- and thus out of the seat.

Don't allow children to share seat belts.

Never allow a child to ride in the bed of a truck or the cargo area of a SUV, unless it's been equipped with seat belts.

Older children should always use lap and shoulder belts, regardless of where in the car they sit.

Never allow a child to place a seat belt behind his back or under his arm.

And remember: Your child is less likely to fight using a seat belt if it's the rule of the road, and if you always wear one, too.

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