Safety Restraints for Children

Practicalities Getting There Air Safety Restraints for Children 

The issue of keeping a child safe on an aircraft is a minefield, according to Roger Hardy of the Cranfield Impact Centre, largely because there is so little material (children involved in crashes) for research. As a result it seems children are not offered the same protection as adults on board.

There is some dispute about what the safest option actually is, so there are different rules for the carriers registered in different countries. It is recognised that, as with car seat belts, a single adult belt is dangerous for a small child because in the event of an impact it will focus the pressure not on the pelvis as in adults, but on a small, soft tissue area, which is likely to suffer severe damage. Because of this, rules in some countries forbid the use of belts or lap belts for under fours.

However belts do have to be used by children on carriers registered in the UK and certain other European countries. According to Roger Hardy the belts are not ideal but do offer a degree of protection. They also prevent the child from becoming an potential free-flying missile. That said, BA for example reports that ‘For safety reasons, it is neither acceptable nor legal for an infant to use the same belt as its mother.'

The FAA, less controversially, also bans the use of booster seats.

UK Rules

The CAA's for UK airlines are based on research at Cranfield and state that:

• Children to six months must sit on an adult lap with a loop/belly belt, ie one which is attached to the adult's belt by a loop.



• Children six months to two years the child must be restrained as above or in any car seat meeting British safety standards or any similar chair, specifically designed for use on aircraft.



• Children two to three years the child must use a car seat as above or an adult belt on the aircraft seat.



• Children over three years must use an adult seat belt.

Using a Child Car Seat

A child seat, though only suggested by the UK authority, is recommended by the American Federal Aviation Association which has stated that all US domestic carriers must accept child car safety seats as long as these carry a label stating that they conform to federal safety standards. This ruling applies to children up to around two and a half stone (around four years).

The Cranfield Centre has recommended an upper age limit of four as in the US, but the CAA has selected three years as the upper age limit, possibly because size is the real criteria and this avoids such a seat being used by children too large for safety.

While UK carriers are not permitted to use rear-facing seats because it is felt that airline belts are not a safe enough anchor, the FAA recommends the use of rear facing seats for babies, as in cars, for as long as possible, ie to around 22lbs or 10kg - approximately nine months.

Taking Your Own Car Seat

In addition to the safety on board, taking your own car seat means you can probably use it in any car you drive at the other end of the flight. However, there is no guarantee of this as not all car seats fit all cars, or even all modifications of a particular model.

Even where accepted in principle, there is no guarantee an airline will accept your child's car seat for use on board, for example if it is known that the model causes a belt buckle to sit against the seat frame. In addition you will need to check that the seat fits the airline seat. Seventeen inches is the standard economy width.

The disadvantages of taking a car seat are the hassle of carrying it, and the way it restricts the amount of space the child has to fidget in. The advantage applies less to accidents, which are rare, and more to turbulence.

If you are not sure a seat will be accepted you can take it to the gate with tape and black bin liners and if rejects can wrap and hand it to be placed in the baggage compartment. Given the quality of most baggage handling, this is not ideal if it is a hard plastic-framed seat which could sustain invisible damage. Better would be one of the polystyrene models.