Any new parent will tell you that getting your child’s car seat installed just right can be a difficult thing, but it seems it’s not always your fault when you can’t seem to make it fit.
A new study to be published in the October issue of “Traffic Injury Prevention” finds that in a lot of cases, the car seat just doesn’t fit properly in vehicles.
“The most common problem is the mismatch between the angle of the child restraint … and the angle of the seat pan,” says Julie Bing, lead author of the study.
The research looked at 61 different vehicles and 59 different child car seats, and found there would be 3,599 different possible variations for seats and cars. They discovered that in 63.3% of the cases the base of the car seat fit snuggly, but 36.7% of the time, the seat was at an improper angle.
But if your vehicle and car seat aren’t compatible don’t fret. You don’t need to run out and replace either, unless you want an excuse to get a new car, which in this case, why not look into a company that help customers looking to purchase a new car. Like using something like info from broker ICL. They will help negotiate the best deals from dealers, giving the customer the best prices and also provides information for new car lease owners, such as new number plates.
Bing says a rolled up towel or even a pool noodle placed behind the seat is a quick and safe fix.
There’s also an issue with forward facing car seats. According to the study, car headrests cause the seats to rest at an awkward angle 33.6% of the time. Removing the headrest can usually fix the problem, but buying a car seat that sits lower is better in these cases. Still, parents can be more careful from the get-go when shopping for their child’s car seat.
If you’ve got a small car, there’s a good chance a bulky seat won’t fit so you may want to do your research beforehand. Some stores even let you try them out before committing.
