European safety standards?

[Cindy]

Hi. I am thinking of buying a Britax seat. I have found a style I particularly like, and can only get it from the UK where the seats are made. They are not available in the US. My question is, how do the standards in Europe compare to the US? I have heard they are stricter, therefore, it would be ok to buy this car seat. Does anyone see any reason I should not buy it based on safety concerns? Thanks in advance.

[Robert]

Even tho some of the over seas standards are stricker then the U.S. standards, the seats still need to meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards in the U.S. A techncian is taught not to install a child seat unless it meets FMVSS 213. Therefore your better off with a seat that meets our FMVSS 213

[UlrikeDG]

For example, it is perfectly acceptable to put a 9 month old in a belt positioning booster over here. Convertible seats have only become available in the past year or so, and are still very rare. They usually go straight from an infant carrier to a front facing harnessed seat (or worse, a booster). You may also find compatibility issues when trying to install an European seat in a US vehicle. Their seats cannot be installed with a lap-only belt, for example.

And, as Robert pointed out, it is not legal to import a seat from overseas. If you were in a crash and your child were injured, you could be held legally responsible for not using an approved child seat as proscribed by your state's laws.