UK authorities have issue a warning to parents not to purchase a brand of potentially lethal and illegal children’s car seats.
The warning was made regarding the Paibi Baby Bear seats, a range of soft seats which have failed every safety standard in the UK.
The West Sussex County Council’s Trading Standards officers identified various unsuitable features of the car seat range. Firstly, the seats are soft, as opposed to the usual solid construction which provides support and protection. The seats also feature four separate catches to secure the straps, which is illegal; car seats are required to have one quick-release function that allows the straps to open at once.
Online retailer Amazon had been stocking the Paibi Baby Bear range, but worked with officers from the Trading Standards authority to remove the products from its website.
However, there is still some concern over the fact that these illegal car seats are available from other websites in foreign countries.
Peter Aston, West Sussex County Council’s Trading Standards manager, explained: “We are aware of car seats that have been tested and this has shown that they provide totally inadequate protection, and I have no doubt that in a car accident there is a strong possibility that any child in one would be killed.”
