Baby seat?

[GTI6]

I've got a 2.5 yo and a 4.5 yo in a maxi rider and booster seat, no probs. If your wife and you are tall (eg. beyond 6 foot) you may find it a squash if you have a newborn and need a rear facing baby seat (unless you pop it in the centre). Isofix is easier but not necessary. If you start worrying about isofix versus aussie standard fitment loops (behind the rear bench), you might as well get a big SUV cause its splitting hairs. I find there's too much paranoia about kid safety. A sensible driving style is more important than the brand of baby seat.

Wow! booya, what else can you fit into your GTI?

My wife and I are fortunately not that tall, but she does seem to enjoy her leg room .

I think from all the answers, the general consensus is that the GTI has plenty of room for baby seat(s).

Thanks to all for the great info.

[Maverick]

I've got a 2.5 yo and a 4.5 yo in a maxi rider and booster seat, no probs. If your wife and you are tall (eg. beyond 6 foot) you may find it a squash if you have a newborn and need a rear facing baby seat (unless you pop it in the centre). Isofix is easier but not necessary. If you start worrying about isofix versus aussie standard fitment loops (behind the rear bench), you might as well get a big SUV cause its splitting hairs. I find there's too much paranoia about kid safety. A sensible driving style is more important than the brand of baby seat.

There is a massive difference in safety between the ISO FIX seats and the Australian seats.

Side impact + Australia seats = Certain death or serious injury
Side impact + ISO FIX seats = Injury

There is nothing to stop the seat from propelling the child's head into the window on the car in a side impact using the Australia seats.

Plenty of proof has been posted before on here that was conducted in countries that have a much more impressive history with safety. Australia is the country in which we don't mandate fire extinguishers, warning triangles, first aid kits, vests and so forth in every car.

Proof - http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/f15/...tml#post215477

[Maverick]

in australia we are infact very safety concious. working in industry I often import industrial machinery and can tell you as far as safety standards go nothing is upto our standards here in oz.

LOL. You should have put a smiley at the end of that so people know you're joking.

The EU mandates first aid kits, safety hammers (in countries with canals), warning triangles, vests, fire extinguishers and more in every car sold. What does "safety conscious" Australia mandate in every car? Other than the fuel usage sticker which is illegal for the dealer to the remove I can't think of much. Also in most countries make their drivers do first aid courses and actually teach their drivers how to drive not just to steer a car and keep up an arbitrary speed limit.

re child seating, anything sold here does meet australian standard and that does mean something. doesnt mean theres nothing better around just that meets a basic level of safety as required by australian standard. So sure you can buy something that exceeds the standards but also means you can also buying something to australian standards with some level of surity. Bike helmets probably a great example, whether you buy a $20 kmart helmet or a $150 euro one from the bike shop, they all meet austrlian standard.

The child seat Australian Standard's mean nothing. You can sell child seats that don't meet the standards because there is no mandatory testing of imports and the imported can bring in anything after the first batch and not get it picked up. So little is checked in Australia to check it complies that it's almost pointless having standards.

I'd be wary buying anything quite personally that doesnt come with the australian standards accreditation as know some of the vigorous testing the stuff has to go through to meet the requirements.

Sure but as I said above once it meets the requirement they can make changes to production and it's not picked up.

as to what to buy, am sure that will be a personal decision, I know when we were buying our baby seats it can be quite confusing given all the choices. but foudn there are retailers with a good bit of range and product to choose from and people to help you through the choices. Good bit of info around on the net as well if want to research so a lot out there to help you decide what best fits your needs and budget.

They all sell the same flawed seat, the Australian Standard has serious flaws and children die every year because of the backwards and outdated Australia Standard. The majority of seats in Australian cars are fitted incorrectly and none of the seats has any real protection against side impacts.

There is plenty of proof out there to back this up. Some of it can be found here - http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/f15/...tml#post215477

ISOFIX saves lives = FACT.
Delays in updating the ADR's to allow ISOFIX costing lives = FACT.

[JustCruisn]

Just remember that if you don't use a seat with that meets the standard, you are breaking the law.
You could get a ticket from a coppa if they so wanted to check.
You invalidate any CTP claim you otherwise may have.

So if you import an isofix seat and get hit by a bus, you have to pay for all medical expenses etc out of your own pocket.
If your kid dies in an accident you may be charged with manslaughter.

Choice have a review on baby seats
Child car restraints review and compare with Choice.com.au

[JP-009]

I wonder how the stats are regarding injury/death of infants (percentage of population wise) from the 1970's compare with today?

How many people here grew up in the '70s (or earlier for that matter) with no child seats/restraints that are still happy, healthy and posting on this forum?

I agree with booya, most accidents are avoidable with the driver having the right attitude, training and experience.

[Maverick]

Just remember that if you don't use a seat with that meets the standard, you are breaking the law.
You could get a ticket from a coppa if they so wanted to check.
You invalidate any CTP claim you otherwise may have.

You're using a seat that exceeds the Australian Standards and this has been acknowledged by the government however they can't be stuffed rewriting the rule.

Sure you may get a ticket but you would be unlucky.

It has to be proved that your child seat doesn't meet the ADR's, they exceed the ADR's by a mile. The majority of Australian seats are fitted incorrectly as well leaving you just as open on the CTP front.

So if you import an isofix seat and get hit by a bus, you have to pay for all medical expenses etc out of your own pocket.

No you won't. No-one will deny media treatment to a baby nor will they make you pay the medical expenses, take a look at all the accidents involving babies and the lack of restraints and all medical expenses have been paid for.

If your kid dies in an accident you may be charged with manslaughter.

Very unlikely given the current state of seats in this country with the majority being fitted incorrectly. The ISOFIX seat is better performing in all areas than the Australian seats so they won't have a hope in hell of winning and all it will do is highlight that the government is incompetent and costing lives by not rewriting the ADR's.

[Maverick]

I wonder how the stats are regarding injury/death of infants (percentage of population wise) from the 1970's compare with today?

How many people here grew up in the '70s (or earlier for that matter) with no child seats/restraints that are still happy, healthy and posting on this forum?

And how many are not? Your response is pointless as it brings nothing to the discussion. How about we compare seatbelts and tyres as well? There was less traffic on the road back in the 70's and we didn't have the large vehicle problem like we have now that ride straight over our protection systems to name just a few.

I agree with booya, most accidents are avoidable with the driver having the right attitude, training and experience.

'Accidents'* will occur no matter what, people make mistakes and most drivers on the road are useless when confronted with something outside staying between the lines and under the speed limit. If you really believe that accidents are avoidable cut your seatbelts out of the car, you wouldn't do this however as you want the highest level of protection that you can and choosing a safe child seat over one that has been PROVEN to be useless in side impacts and difficult to fit correctly is no different.

If the government told you to only use the lap seat belt because the lap/sash belts didn't meet ADR's would you obey or would you use the lap/sash?

*mistakes etc

[DerekZ]

G'day everyone,

Love the forum and informative information about all aspects of VW. I have been looking into car seats for my kids and have decided I want to get some ISOFIX booster seats to take them from age 3 up to 8-10. Looking at Chicco Key Ultrafix 3/3 or Britax kidfix. I see a few of you have purchased and imported ISOFIX seats - where from? How much? Have you heard which is best for kids over 20kg?

Thanks,

Zac

[JustCruisn]

Sure you may get a ticket but you would be unlucky.

Very unlikely given the current state of seats in this country with the majority being fitted incorrectly. The ISOFIX seat is better performing in all areas than the Australian seats so they won't have a hope in hell of winning and all it will do is highlight that the government is incompetent and costing lives by not rewriting the ADR's.

Yep it would be unlucky to get a ticket, but that won't stop it happening.
It will be up to you to prove the seat meets the standard - that will cost you a small fortune. You'll need to buy a new seat too as it will be destroyed by the testing.
I'd like to see you prove, to a cop on the side of the road, that the seat meets the standard. You'll need an accredited mobile testing lab, failing that, you would be stuck beside the road with a baby you can't drive home with. QLD impose a $300 fine and three demerit points.

No you won't. No-one will deny media treatment to a baby nor will they make you pay the medical expenses, take a look at all the accidents involving babies and the lack of restraints and all medical expenses have been paid for.

I was in an accident, not my fault, and Medicare is chasing me for over $600 for my medical expenses.
You won't be denied treatment, but you will have to pay all the bills, unless you spend all that money having the seat tested.

Given all the new laws around child restraints, it's very much on the mind of law enforcement. So the chances of getting a ticket for it are a lot higher than they have been in the past. If you get pulled for a speeding ticket and they see the seat they may want to have a look.
And being a new law it will be defended very stongly, to the full extent. Given there is no precedent your lawyer will have to work extra hard.

There may be seats that are better than that offered in Australia, but they have not been tested so they do not meet the standard.

You'd be unlucky to have a crash but when it happens you're going to have a lot of legal expenses to justify your initial decision, and you probably won't be awarded expenses if you do succeed.

But if you really want to press your luck then go for it. Personally I'd stick with the standards and avoid all the possible hassles.

I don't necessarily agree with the laws, but they are there, and we must all follow them, or press our politicians to have them changed.

[Maverick]

Yep it would be unlucky to get a ticket, but that won't stop it happening.
It will be up to you to prove the seat meets the standard - that will cost you a small fortune. You'll need to buy a new seat too as it will be destroyed by the testing.
I'd like to see you prove, to a cop on the side of the road, that the seat meets the standard. You'll need an accredited mobile testing lab, failing that, you would be stuck beside the road with a baby you can't drive home with. QLD impose a $300 fine and three demerit points.

They're not going to leave you on the side of the road and if they don't stop drunks and disqualified drivers from driving away in their cars I fail to see how they will stop someone for the crime of keeping their child safe.

Given all the new laws around child restraints, it's very much on the mind of law enforcement. So the chances of getting a ticket for it are a lot higher than they have been in the past. If you get pulled for a speeding ticket and they see the seat they may want to have a look.
And being a new law it will be defended very stongly, to the full extent. Given there is no precedent your lawyer will have to work extra hard.

The police are unable to police any laws as it is, other than sitting in a speed camera van or picking drivers off with LIDAR they don't really do that much in the way of enforcement.

There may be seats that are better than that offered in Australia, but they have not been tested so they do not meet the standard.

They've been tested overseas in countries that have much more stringent requirements than Australia does.

You'd be unlucky to have a crash but when it happens you're going to have a lot of legal expenses to justify your initial decision, and you probably won't be awarded expenses if you do succeed.

But if you really want to press your luck then go for it. Personally I'd stick with the standards and avoid all the possible hassles.

I'd rather have a baby that is alive and go through the courts if required. The other option is to use to an Australian Standard seat and pay for a funeral.

Pretty simple choice IMO. You may also find that Volvo are willing to get involved, in fact I'm sure they will because they're really pushing ISOFIX for Australia and this would be an ideal way to show to the masses that the current standards are rubbish and not worth the paper they are printed on.

I don't necessarily agree with the laws, but they are there, and we must all follow them, or press our politicians to have them changed.[/QUOTE]

ISOFIX is at least ten years away in Australia, probably fifteen years.

Standards Australia are incompetent beyond belief, they had a chance to add in ISOFIX but choose not to consider it once again but will consider it at the next review in around 7 years time. They are so inept they keep issuing statements claiming that the Australian Standards lead the world in child seat safety.

http://www.standards.org.au/download...ints_FINAL.pdf

The ADR's are CRAP. Plain and simple.

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