Last week we were lucky enough to join the team from Cybex for their car seat masterclass. We’re super passionate about educating our customers on car seat safety and this was the perfect opportunity to refresh and expand our knowledge with talks from Luke Burns Cybex UK GM, Julie Dagnall from Child Seat Safety and Dinos Visvikis Director of Industrial relations Child Seat Safety at Cybex.
Each of these speakers have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry making them perfectly placed to deliver this training session on all things car seat safety from rules and regulations, correct installation of car seats to what Cybex are doing to ensure their car seats are amongst the safest available.
The first thing we learned about was R129 and why it was introduced.
R129 is the latest car seat regulation in the UK which all new car seats must pass in order to be legally sold here. R129 updated test criteria meaning that Q dummies with more sensors are now used in crash testing which also includes a side impact test. The main aims of R129 are to reduce car seat misuse, prevent parents from prematurely moving their baby to the next stage car seat, keeping little one rear facing for longer.
It was in this segment that we learned some worrying facts, 81% of 2-year-olds are forward facing and 97% of car seats which can be used rear or forward facing are being used in forward facing mode.
With one exception (Anoris T iSize, we will get to that next…) we always recommend that children are rear facing for as long as possible, but these statistics demonstrate that there is clearly a desire to forward face children sooner for reasons such as comfort, children escaping harnesses and ease of use. Cybex needed to develop a car seat that accommodated this without compromising on safety.
Anoris T iSize
This is where the Cybex Anoris T iSize comes in. Cybex values are Design, Safety and Functionality. They have invested a huge amount in people and technologies to ensure that they can create products that meet the needs of parents and children without compromise. With this clear need for a safe forward facing car seat option Cybex developed Anoris T iSize the worlds first forward facing, impact shield car seat with full body airbag technology.
The airbag technology is concealed within the impact shield and inflates in milliseconds in the event of a frontal crash. Forming a C-shape around the impact shield, the airbag stops forward motion, lowers abdominal pressure, and secures your little one in place. This protects your child’s head, neck, and body instantly, even before the force collision reaches them.
Not only does this product solve the needs of parents and offer ultimate comfort for baby, it was also tested by ADAC and achieved a safety score of 1.2 making it the safest car seat in its category even challenging extended rear facing car seats!
Choosing a Cybex Car Seat
So, your little one has outgrown their Cybex Cloud T car seat and you’re looking for the next option? Think about whether you’re committed to rear facing up to 3 or 4 years.
If the answer is YES the Cybex Sirona T is perfect for you, it fits on the Base Z and rear faces up to 105cm. If the answer is NO the Cybex Anoris T iSize is the right option for you, it’s forward facing from 15months – approx. 6 years and offers advanced protection compared to standard forward facing car seats.
We took a lot of information away from the Cybex Car Seat masterclass, this blog talks through just come of the key facts! Our teams definitely benefitted from this day and we are continuously working to keep our knowledge up to date with industry leaders. If you’re looking for your next car seat whether it’s the Cybex Anoris T iSize or an extended rear facing sear our IOSH trained teams can help.
Choosing a car seat is all about what works best for you and your family so visit us to get personalised advice, try the options in your car and learn more about car seat safety in a friendly and professional environment. We have stores in Stoke on Trent and Wigan with a huge range of car seats on display.
Thank you Cybex for hosting this event and helping us in our mission to educate on the important topic that is car seat safety!