Car seats sold in South Africa adhere to European standards where car seats do not have an expiry date, but rather a recommended lifespan. Each manufacturer has their own guidelines regarding the lifespans on their car seats and their "safe use period". The average lifespan of a car seat is around 5 to 10 years.
The Cybex Anoris T i-Size is THE first seat on the market with built in airbags that deploy in a collision. It is also THE very first forward facing car seat ever made and tested that has scored very well for safety in independent crash testing by ADAC.
In this article, we will give you all the facts so that you can make an informed decision when buying the safest booster seat to suit your budget and lifestyle. We have also written individual, more comprehensive reviews on all our booster seats, which are linked in this article.
Be careful to only buy approved and crash tested accessories. Car seats are crash-tested in the way they are designed to be used, and adding accessories that aren't approved by your manufacturer could compromise the seat's safety in a crash and/or void the warranty.
Rear facing is FIVE TIMES SAFER than forward facing car seats. This is due to the biomechanics of a child's body; they have soft spines, disproportionally large heads resting on underdeveloped necks. In a forward facing car seat, the car seat’s 5-point harness restrains the child's torso, placing the majority of the forces on the neck. In a rear facing child car seat, the seat shell cradles the neck and spine and absorbs the impact energy, significantly less strain is put on the child’s neck.
