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A decade after concerns were first raised by trading standards officers and a prominent consumer group, the issue of lethal children’s car seats being sold on online marketplaces persists. Which? cautioned in 2014 about the dangers of fabric seats, identifying safety defects that rendered them illegal for use in the UK following testing by Surrey Trading Standards, which labeled the products as “killers.” Despite these warnings, cheap and potentially hazardous seats are still available for purchase on sites like Shein and eBay, both of which have assured they prioritize safety.
Parents are being urged by Which? to refrain from purchasing these cheap seats, noting that only EU-approved child car seats with R44 or R129 codes should be used in the UK. Approved seats come with a visible orange label displaying the codes, indicating they have undergone EU safety testing and are legally permitted for sale in the UK market. In a test conducted by Surrey Trading Standards in 2014, a fabric seat disintegrated during a 30 mph collision, resulting in the crash test dummy of a three-year-old child being ejected through the windscreen due to strap failure.
Stuart Howarth, a car seat safety advisor at Good Egg Safety, recounted seeing a child in an unsafe seat devoid of body support and secure car attachment methods, deeming it a “lethal piece of material.” Which? discovered numerous listings of illegal car seats on platforms like eBay, Little Dreams, ManoMano, Shein, and Wish, with one eBay listing explicitly cautioning against use in high-speed vehicles despite being marketed as suitable. Responding to the issue, eBay asserted that consumer safety is a top priority and promptly removed such listings.
Which? emphasized the necessity for stricter regulations compelling online marketplaces to prevent the sale of unsafe products, advocating for robust penalties and enforcement. Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which?, voiced concern over the reappearance of deadly car seats on online platforms more than ten years after initial exposure, asserting that children’s lives are at risk until retailers comply with safety regulations. Families are advised to opt for retailers providing seat fitting guidance, avoid secondhand purchases of car seats, and prioritize safety over affordability when it comes to children’s car seats
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