Car Seat Jargon Buster

A

Additional needs: Refers to children who may require additional support, within their seat.

Airbag: A Primary safety device in a car that inflates automatically in an accident and prevents the passengers from being thrown forwards.

Anti-Rotational Device: A prop or leg attached to the child car seat and extending to the floor. This device restricts the forward motion of the seat in a head on accident or strenuous breaking.

Application List: The reference list used to determine whether a seat has been approved for use with a specific vehicle.

B

Base (of a child seat): The base of a child car seat is the lower portion of a child’s seat that rests on the cars seat. A detachable base can also be used with some infant carriers allowing a fixed installation in the car. The base remains in the car and the infant carrier simply clicks in and out as you need it.

Belt Anchorage Points: Fixed locations where the seat belts are anchored to the car structure.

Belt Path / Belt Route: The manufacturer’s required route where the seat belt passes around or through the child car seat.

Belt tensioning system: A system within the child seat that assists in insuring that it is correctly secured.

Booster Cushion (Group 2 & 3): A type of child car seat that simply raises the child so that the seat belt is positioned correctly across the child’s pelvis and shoulder. To be used from 23kgs only (new Law). Booster Cushions, rely on the car seat belts to hold both the child and the booster seat in position

Booster Seat (Group 2 &3): A booster cushion with an attached seat back, giving satisfactory lateral support. Booster seats rely on the car seat belts to hold both the child and the booster seat in position

Buckle: The locking mechanism of the car seat belt and child car seat harness system. Buckles are typically mounted or attached to fabric webbing and/or by metal or plastic stalks.

Buckle Crunch: A term used when the adult seat belt buckle and not the seat belt webbing is in contact with the seat and affects the fitting of a seat

C

Chest Clip: A clip between the chest pads that prevents children struggling from the harness.

Combination Seats (Group 0+ & 1): Seats in this Group will allow your baby to travel rearward facing in the seat until 13Kgs and then you may turn the seat forward facing and your child will travel forward facing until 18Kgs.

Combination Seats (Group 1, 2 & 3): Allow you to accommodate a child from 9kgs until 36Kgs. We recommend not using it until your child reaches 13Kgs. It is always used forward facing.
When your child reaches 15kgs you may remove the harness and use it as a booster seat.
We would recommend removal of the harness at 18Kgs.

Compliance Tests: Rigorous crash and static testing done to assure that manufacturers meet required standards.
CPS: Child Passenger Safety
CRS: Child Restraint System

Crumple Zone: The zone of a car that absorbs energy upon impact. The purpose of a crumple zone is to increase the amount of time it takes the car to come to a complete stop in comparison to the object that the car hits. By increasing the time it takes for the car to come to a stop after hitting an object, the force is spread over a longer period of time.

Curtain Air Bags: Passive safety devices, deployed using compressed air.

D

DDC: Driving direction control, locking the direction of the seat to either rear facing or forward facing.

Deceleration: Sudden reduction of speed.

Deployed: a term used when the airbag is activated.

Drop Down Air Bags: Airbags that drop down at points, normally along the side of the vehicle. Deployed using compressed air. They are termed secondary safety devices.

E

ECE R14: Regulations concerning Seat belt anchorages, Isofix Points and top tether points.

ECE R16: A regulation that brings together child restraint systems (CRS), vehicle anchorage systems and vehicles.

ECE R44: The current (but old) European regulation to which child car seats are tested and approved.

ECE R129: Often known as i-Size, it is similar to R44, with enhanced testing using more sensitive dummies. It includes side impact testing and a requirement in law to travel rear facing until at least 15 months.

Electrical pretensioner: replace the pendulum with an electrical sensor, but still act in much the same way. Electrical pretensioners may be connected to the airbags, locking the seatbelts in the event of airbag deployment.

ER-Tech: Energy reduction technology. When forward facing, it activates as the forces reach their full impact in a head-on collision: The headrest slides down, progressively limiting the neck’s exposure to the impact forces, and subsequently locks into position.

Euro NCAP: The European New Car Assessment Programme: A European car safety performance assessment programme founded in 1997. The organisation is now backed by the European Commission, the governments of France, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands and Spain, as well as motoring and consumer organisations in every EU country. Euro NCAP publishes safety reports on new cars, and awards ‘star ratings’ based on the performance of the vehicles in a variety of crash tests, including front, side and pole impacts, and impacts with pedestrians.

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Foam: Energy-absorbing padding used to line the polypropylene shell of a child car seat to protect a child’s head, torso and seat area.

Extended Rear Facing Seats: These seats allow a child to travel Rearward facing beyond the 13kgs allowed in an infant carrier. Some of these seats will accommodate a child from to 18 or 25Kgs

F

Fit Finder: The reference list used to determine whether a seat has been approved for use with a specific vehicle.

Fitting list: The reference list used to determine whether a seat has been approved for use with a specific vehicle.

Five-Point Harness: A child car seat harness with five attachment points: two at the shoulder, two at the hips, and one between the legs.

Foot prop (Support leg): The foot prop supports and stabilises the child seat or infant carrier base via the vehicle floor – minimizing the tilting and rotational movements of the seat.

Forward-Facing Car Seat (Group 1): A child car seat used in a forward-facing position only, for children over 9kg who can confidently sit unaided. We would recommend from 13kgs only.

G

GSS: Guard Surround Safety, lap belt guide for a High Backed Booster.

H

Head hugger/Protector: Provides support for the baby’s head.

Harness: The internal straps that secure the child within the child car seat.

Harness adjuster: Used to tighten and loosen the harness.

Harness height adjustment: The process by which the child car seat harness is adjusted up or down to the appropriate height for the child occupant.

Harness Slots: Slots in the child car seat where the harness passes through from the front to the back. Seats come with at least one and as many as four sets of slots.

Harness Straps: This refers to the child car seat straps used to secure the child into the seat.

Height adjustable headrest and harness: A feature on some child car seats which allows easy adjustment of the headrest and harness.

High Back Booster: A type of child car seat that does not have a five-point harness but simply raises the child so that the vehicle seat belt is positioned correctly across the child’s pelvis and shoulder. High Back booster seats rely on the vehicle seat belts to hold both the child and the seat in position and are suitable from 15kgs, In Car safety suggests from 18kgs.

Hip-Spica: A plaster cast applied to children that hip dysplasia (dislocated). 

I

Impact Pad: a table like form, placed in front of the child in certain Group1 seats. In this case the lap and diagonal seat belt passes around the front of the seat, locating through the ‘impact pad’ and is secured (child and seat together) in the normal manor.

Inertia-reel seat belt: a seat belt in which the belt is free to unwind from a metal drum except when the drum locks as a result of rapid deceleration

Infant Carrier Base: this is a product that remains in the car and onto which you may connect your infant carrier.

Infant Carrier: A rearward facing group 0+ child car seat for children from birth up to 13kg.

i-Size: An EU Regulation enshrined in Law within the UK in 2015. Regulation ECE R129

IS: Impact Shield: a table like form, placed in front of the child in certain Group1 seats. In this case the lap and diagonal seat belt passes around the front of the seat, locating through the ‘impact pad’ and is secured (child and seat together) in the normal manor.

ISOFIX: The safety system launched first by BRITAX in co-operation with VW that has become an international installation interface for standardised anchorage points between a child car seat and a vehicle. It minimises installation errors and optimises protection through a rigid connection to the car chassis.

ISOFIX anchorage points / ISOFIX connection points: Two metal loops between the seat back cushion and the bottom cushion on the vehicle’s car seat where an ISOFIX compatible car seat can be attached

ISOFIX Catch Arm Hook: A ‘hook’ on the end of the catch arm of ISOFIX child car seats which attaches to the car’s ISOFIX connection point.

L

Lap Belt: A safety belt anchored at two points, for use across the occupant’s thighs/hips.

Lap and Diagonal Belt: A seat belt that is anchored at three points and restrains the occupant at the hips and across the shoulder.

LATCH: Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children

LSP: Linear side impact protection.

Lock-off: A built-in belt-locking feature on the child car seat.

O

One-pull adjustment: This allows you to adjust the child car seat harness by simply pulling the adjuster strap.

P

Pavlik Harness: is a specially designed to gently position your baby’s hips so they are aligned in the joint, and to keep the hip joint secure.

Plus Test: The Swedish Plus, a test is conducted at a higher speed and shorter breaking distance than required under EU Regulation R44 and R129. Including measuring forces on the neck.

Pitch control system: Reduces the child’s forward movement within the seat in the event of an accident.

Pivot link system: Reduces the child’s forward movement within the seat in the event of an accident.

Pre tensioner: is the part of a seatbelt that takes up the slack. Too much slack equals too much occupant movement in a crash, and a greater chance of injury.

Pyrotechnic pretensioner: are In the event of a crash, seat belts with pyrotechnic pre tensioner take action, not just locking the seatbelt, but tightening it to a predetermined setting. Pyrotechnic pretensioners help align the passenger with the airbags, and pull them tight against the seatback for greater safety 

R

Rebound Bar: Our rebound bar reduces the forward rotation of the infant seat into the vehicle seat during impact and stabilises seat movement. Rebound is the “bounce” after initial impact has occurred.

Regulations: European Standards that relate to the manufacture of car seats

Recline positions: Many child car seats and pushchairs feature recline options allowing you to change the position of the seat for your child’s comfort.

Restraint: term used for securing a person or item in a vehicle. 

S

Seat Belt: is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt functions to reduce the likelihood of death or serious injury in a traffic collision by reducing the force of secondary impacts with interior strike hazards, by keeping occupants positioned correctly for maximum effectiveness of the airbag (if equipped) and by preventing occupants being ejected from the vehicle in a crash.

Seat belt guide: A guide on the child car seat that correctly positions the diagonal belt over the child’s shoulder.

Secureguard: positions the lap belt correctly on the hips, when using a Britax Booster Seat.

Shell: The moulded plastic structure of the child car seat.

Semi-Universal Approval: Relevant to rearward facing, forward facing or laterally fitted restraints that utilise a foot prop. The foot support that supports the restraint on the floor, preventing the car seat from pitching forward in the event of an accident. Products with this level of approval may only be used if featured in the child car seat manufacturers approved vehicle list.

Shoulder Harness Slots: Slots in the back of the child car seat through which the harness shoulder straps are routed.

SI-Pads: Pads providing side impact protection

Side Air Bags: Airbags that drop down at points, normally along the side of the vehicle. Deployed using compressed air. They are termed secondary safety devices.

SIP: ‘Side impact protection’ from side impact collisions with deep side wings, head supports and energy absorbing materials.

SIP+: Side impact protection Plus.

SICT: Side impact Cushion technology. Side impact protection from side impact collisions with deep side wings, head supports and energy absorbing materials.

Single Handed Release Mechanism: A mechanism that allows a seat to be easily removed from a base or pushchair with one hand.

SL: Soft latch, is a flexible form of isofix.

Soft Latch Isofix: is a flexible form of isofix.

Suitable Restraint: A child car seat, Harness or Seat Belt ‘approved for use’ for a particular child.
Usually selected by weight, height or age.

Support Leg: A prop or leg attached to the child car seat and extending to the floor. This device restricts the forward motion of the seat in a head on accident or strenuous breaking.

Special Needs: refers to children who may require additional support within their seat or specialised seating.

T

Tether Straps: Straps used to secure rear facing child car seats in addition to the adult seat belt.

Top Tether: A belt that attached to the top of the child car seat and fixes to an anchorage point in the car, limiting the rotational movement of the child car seat.

Top Tether Anchor Point: A third isofix attachment point in the vehicle in order to connect a child’s car seat top tether strap. Refer to vehicle owner’s manual regarding the anchor location

Type Approved: Is granted for the use of seats without foot props or Top Tether anchorage points in specific vehicles. Products with this level of approval may only be used if featured in the child car seat manufacturers approved vehicle list

U

Universal Approval: Relevant to Group 1 forward facing seats (9 –18Kgs) utilising the ‘Top Tether ‘Anchorage point. Products with this level of approval may only be used if featured in the child car seat manufacturers approved vehicle list. 

V

Vehicle Specific Approval: Is granted for the use of seats without foot props or Top Tether anchorage points in specific vehicles. Products with this level of approval may only be used if featured in the child car seat manufacturers approved vehicle list 

X

XP Pad:  a sort of shock absorber, routes the adult diagonal seat belt over the child’s shoulder/chest providing extra protection. In the event of a frontal impact diverts up to 30 % of the energy forces away from your child’s delicate neck, supporting the head and cushioning the chest when your child is restrained.

Y

Y Harness: ‘3’ point harness