Hi all
Firstly many thanks for keeping the post on the forum, and thank you for all the constructive feedback. It should be noted that the current focus of our website is targeted at industry professionals in Europe, however I will take on board your comments as consumers (parents) will start to visit the site.
The “5 point plus” will be made available in the USA, probably in conjunction with one or more car seat manufacturers.
Background to the UK
In 2008 there were 2,016 reported injuries of children aged between 0 and 4 years old whilst travelling in a car, of which 126 were killed or seriously injured (source Department of Transport). We do not know the split of injuries due to car seat not fitted correctly and misuse of car seat. However, we must remember that these are reported figures and will understate the size of the problem. Parents may not report injuries for a number of reasons, including thinking the injury due to sharp braking is simply superficial bruising as opposed to more severe internal injuries.
It should be noted that, in Europe, most car seat manufacturers and other organisations such as Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) have a FAQ section addressing the issue of children slipping their harness, but are only able to say that children will eventually grow out of this phase.
Car seat manufacturers and retailers have invested considerable sums in enhancing the safety of car seats with respect to design and fitting.
The video highlights three issues often found with car seats once in the hands of parents and children:
• incorrect height adjustment,
• twisted straps, and
• a child removing their shoulders from the harness straps.
To make it clear to the non professional audience I will annotate the video so that consumers are made aware of the issues that they must look out for. We used quite a few car seats (three of ours plus friends’ and those lousy ones from car rental firms). In all cases, from 17 months upwards, our son could escape. Hence why I developed the “5 point plus”.
http://5pointplus.com/images/p1.5 without 5 point plus - huge gap.jpg
According to ECE R44 regulations, the straps should not be too tight. The image illustrates just how much slack there is on a correctly set up crash dummy in a standard five point harness. Strapping the child too tightly is not a solution.
Car Seat Manufacturers
To raise awareness of the “escaping issue” and the simple solution that we used with our son, I decided to exhibit along side the car seat manufacturers at the Kind und Jugend baby & toddler fair in Germany. Senior personnel from a number of leading car seat manufacturers made appointments to view the “5 point plus ” and were very enthusiastic about it as it provided a simple cost effective solution to an industry wide problem.
Some of the comments from senior personnel included:
- “very smart idea. I was impressed; so simple”
- “no reason why this cannot be sold in USA now”
- “Offers solution to parents with problem. Do not know of a better solution than the retro fit 5 point plus”
- “It actually does the same function as harness clip for the US market. But your idea solves the problem with the EU regulation in a clever way”
- “This product has awards written all over it
Design
The solution comes in two guises, original equipment incorporated by the car seat manufacturer, and secondly as a retro fit option for parents concerned with their children slipping the harness.
The retro fit version wraps around the back of the child and then Velcros around the harness at the front of the child, allowing the webbing to move freely when the child is put in / taken out of the car seat. Moreover, the “5 point plus” does not impede the harness during sudden braking or impact, allowing the car seat to do what it is designed to do with the child seated in the correct position.
To minimise bulk we have used spacer fabric that easily compresses and moulds to the shape of the child – minimising the extra bulk to just 1mm, yet allowing airflow to help reduce the “sweaty back” syndrome experienced by many children sitting in car seats. The side elements of the “5 point harness” are baggy, neither hugging the child’s torso nor exerting lateral forces that could pull the harness apart. The material is fully breathable, allowing the child to retain a comfortable body temperature in hot and cold climates.
The "5 point plus" has been designed and crash tested to ensure that it does not adversely affect the operation of a car seat.
With respect to information on the web site, sparse information was intentional as key elements were subject to confidentiality agreements. This stance is now easing, and more product details will be released in due course.
“5 point plus” is protected by International Patent Application No.WO2009GB01964 & related patent applications.