It seems this will be another hard year for some manufacturers. Again we have just been made aware of yet another car seat which have failed in a stricter crash test!
The ‘BabyStyle Oyster Carapace i-Size’ infant car seat when using the ‘Duofix i-Size base’ failed the frontal crash test when tested to
The seat flew off the base during impact:
I want to point out though, that the car seat has indeed passed the regulatory tests required by ECE R129/i-Size to be legally sold as suitable for children from 40cm–83 cm. BUT! The standard testing is in my opinion not good enough – and in personal my opinion, a car seat should always be able to withstand a higher speed impact crash, when it does not do that, in my personal opinion, it’s just not good enough.
The consumer organisation ‘Which?’ has stamped the seat a ‘Don’t Buy!’ (obviously) from this result and urges people to stop using the actual base.
A very important thing to note though
So it’s not a case of the entire car seat being faulty, this is a ‘car seat base’ failure, during “stricter than legal requirement” testing.
BabyStyle gave a statement
‘Which?’ writes in their article that BabyStyle has gotten back to them with statements:
‘BabyStyle acknowledge the results recorded in the Which? crash tests and are actively investigating the issues reported.
‘Given the recorded results; it is our aim to make modifications where necessary to the affected car seat in order that we can pass the test parameters created by Which?.
‘Any implication that the Oyster Carapace infant carrier is unsafe to use is solely the opinion of Which? and is in direct contradiction to the regulatory and legally binding standards (R129) to which the Oyster Carapace Infant carrier complies with.’
To me, such a statement just isn’t good enough. Of course the seat has passed legal standard – if it hadn’t it wouldn’t have been legally sold, and in a tiny way, I can understand where you are coming from (BabyStyle) but I still think that when your car seat is flying OFF the BASE in a crash that is a 10mph higher speed than legally required, that needs looking into!
Granted, you also claim that you are in fact looking into the issue and aim to make modifications where necessary, but…
Telling the public it’s still perfectly fine to a legal standard just won’t fly with me, because I can’t guarantee I would never be in a crash that was never above 30mph!
So it can be as legal as it wants, at the end of the day you can’t guarantee me that the seat won’t fly off the base.
Therese has completed the ‘Advanced Child Car Seat Training Course’ at TRL (Transport Research Lab) and is a CPD accredited car seat expert. She blogs about in-car safety, car seats, tips, reviews, giveaways and advice. She’s a mum on a mission to change the law and raise awareness. She is also a breastfeeding advocate and gentle parenting promoter who loves cloth nappies, baby-wearing, BLW and co-sleeping/bed-sharing.