5 Point Harness
Child car seat manufacturers and retailers have spent considerable amounts of money developing car seats and helping to reduce the risk to children whilst travelling in cars.
Recent developments include:
- isofix car seats,
- audible warnings when children undo the red release button,
- head rests with oversize ears to help protect in the event of side collisions
- Training shop staff and parents on how to fit a child seat properly
However, we discovered that most children (in our own survey we found more than 70%) managed to remove their shoulders from the 5 point harness.
The consequences for a child in the event of sudden braking when the shoulder straps are removed are immense. Risks include:
- head injury due to impact on side window or seat in front
- internal injuries such as kidneys, liver or spleen,
- catapulting out of the seat on impact or rebound
The biggest risk factor is driver distraction. A child can remove their shoulders from the harness in a matter of seconds. You can be driving past a school, pulling out of a junction or on the motorway and it can happen at any time.
Children can render the 5 point harness as useless or even lethal with just a few movements.
This the reason why we developed the 5 point plus (patent pending) for our son, and are now making it available to all other parents.