Britax Max-Way saves a life
Accidents are scary and we are always glad to hear about children being pulled out of the car without a scratch. Fortunately this happens virtually every time with children in the Swedish rear facing seats since serious injuries or fatalities are almost impossible. How do we know this? In Sweden we have been keeping children rear facing since 1965 and learned much.
We have learned that it's almost impossible for a child in a Swedish rear facing seat to become seriously injured or die regardless of circumstances.
Todays crash report comes out of Finland. A one year old boy was involved in a serious crash with a rollover. Not only was he pulled out of the crash without a scratch, he was actually laughing!
Below is the crash report from the mother translated in English and below the original in Swedish:
My husband yesterday skidded with our car at a speed of 60-70 km/h (38-45 mph), spun around and hit the front wheels in the snow which led to the car flying through the air landing on drivers side at a ditch on the side of the road.
Our one year old son made it without a scratch, he even sat there laughing when my husband looked at him after the accident. He was then "hanging" in his seat. Good seat and a guardian angle for our son:-)
*
Maken fick igår sladd med bilen (hastighet ca 60-70 km/h) , snurrade runt och slog i framhjulet i snökarmen, vilket ledde till att bilen flög upp i luften och landade sedan på förarsidan nere i dikesbottnen. 1-åriga sonen klarade sig helt utan minsta skråma, han satt t.o.m. och skrattade när maken tittade på honom strax efter smällen, och han bara "hängde" där i sin stol 
Bra stol och änglavakt!
Britax Max-Way is a new great seat which is an improvement on the popular Hi-Way model. It's compact, light weight and does easy rear facing until around age 5. It's been on the market for a month and has been incredibly popular.
From 45+ years of rear facing experience in Sweden we know that long rear facing time is important. Type of Swedish rear facing seat is of less importance. That means this child fortunately also would have done great in another Swedish rear facing seat.
We know it's almost impossible for a child to die or become seriously injured while riding in a Swedish rear facing car seat. We can unfortunately not guarantee that your child will actually be laughing after the accident:-)
Installing a Swedish rear facing car seat
Each month we receive thousands of emails from parents around the world. The other day we received a question regarding installation which is often asked. It's one of the many myths regarding Swedish rear facing car seats. Heike from Germany writes:
Hallo Hakan,
We live in Germany and would like to buy a rear facing car seat, a reboarder. We have spoken to some baby stores and seen some tests. Many say the seats are difficult to place in the car. We drive a 2009 VW Golf, can you tell us if installation is difficult?
Mfg/Heike aus Germany
Many organizations, magazines and papers write that rear facing seats are “difficult or almost impossible to install”. An expert is required and it's nothing a normal parent can do. Is this true?
We decided to show a complete installation of a normal rear facing car seat in real life conditions. We installed a seat on the street outside our store a typical Swedish winter day. It was 3 pm in the afternoon, light snow and a temperature of -1 degrees C (30 Fahrenheit). At this time in winter it's also dark which is why the video is not of great quality.
So we had darkness, side walk installation, snow and cold weather. Since the Swedish rear facing seats are “almost impossible to install” this must have taken a long time. How long? 5 hours? 2 hours? Maybe just an hour? As short as 30 minutes? Shorter?
This complete installation with seat belt, under worst conditions possible, took 2 minutes. What do we see in the short video? Installation of a Britax Hi-Way. Installation will also be exactly the same with Britax Max-Way, Multi Tech or pretty much any other Swedish rear facing seat.
- We slide front seat forward to attach tether straps. This car has small tether loops which are found in some Swedish cars. We are NOT using these and instead attach straps to seat rail of the car. This can be done in almost any car regardles of nationality.
- We place car seat on the seat, remove fabric slightly, slide seat belt through the seat and buckle the seat belt.
- Then we attach tether straps to the car seat, make sure support leg is in a good position and tighten straps
- We move front seat backwards.
- Done!!
As you can see, installing a Swedish rear facing seat is fast and not difficult. Even when done during a cold and dark Swedish winter day:-)
New Swedish rear facing car seats
New Swedish rear facing seats are always interesting. We have three new and great seats which just arrived or are coming shortly. During the recent large German baby convention "Kind und Jugend" two new seats arrived and just previously another new brand entered the market. Below is a short summary of the new seats with a more thorough write-up coming shortly.
Klippan Triofix: The new Triofix is definately a unique seat with long usage and very fast installation. It can be used 9-36 kg (20-80 lbs. The seat was added during the baby convention and just arrived at CarSeat.se.
The brand Klippan is not well known among customers but has been around longer than most. They released the first rear facing car seat in 1965(!) and have kept children safe in cars since then. Klippan is owned by the two Finish brothers Leo and Bror Martin who have worked with car seats and safety equipment "forever":-)
They produce harnesses themselves and have the only crash test facility in Finalnd where seats are tested, improved and certified. Consumers may not know of the brand Klippan but many do know about the rear facing Duologic seat which was created and is manufactured by Klippan but branded as Akta/Graco.
Triofix has some very unique features:
- Seat and base are two separate units
- Installation can be done with Isofix or seat belt
- Triofix is the most compact rear facing seat available
- Changing from rear facing to forward facing position is done in seconds. The base works both with rear and forward facing use, no need to buy additional components
- Installation is ultra fast and easy
- Separate base can be purchased for use in two cars.
Using Triofix is just so easy. The base is installed in a few seconds, regardless if it's with Isofix or seat belt, and the seat then clicks into the base. Changing direction from rear to forward facing can be time consuming with some seats but not with Triofix. Release the seat from the base, turn it around and click into the base. Smart and easy construction. Done in a few seconds.
Triofix will last rear facing to around 125 cm of height (51 inches) which is as long as Britax Multi Tech and Britax Two-Way. Triofix is currently the most compact rear facing seat available which combined with the smart solutions and long usage makes it a very interesting seat. During the fall an infant seat will also be released which fits the same Isofix base as Triofix.
Triofix has just been released on the market and can be found in the online store of CarSeat.se
Axkid Kidzofix/Kidzone: During the fall the new Swedish brand Axkid entered the rear facing car seat market. Axkid is a new brand but the people behind it are well known. Tony Qvist and Tony Broberg have been working with car seats for a very long time and decided to create some seats with new fresh ideas.
Axkid created two new rear facing seats, Kidzofix and Kidzone, and also an infant seat and a booster seat. Kidzofix and Kidzone are almost identical seats and can be used rear and forward facing until 25 kg (55 lbs). The only difference between the two is that Kidzofix can be installed both with Isofix and seat belt while Kidzone only allow seat belt installation. Both seats can be used rear facing 9-25 kg (20-55 lbs), forward facing with harness to 18 kg (40 lbs) and forward facing with seat belt to 25 kg. Kidzofix can also be used rear facing with Isofix 9-18 kg.
Seat shell is quite high which means rear facing use to around five years of age or a height of 115-120 cm. Head support is large and integrated with the harness. A new and smart solution is that harness and head support adjust automatically. Release harness and it automatically goes to the highest level. Place child in seat, buckle harness and then tighten harness. Head support will automatically stop in the correct position.
Kidzofix also have built in tether straps with ALR belts which adjust in seconds. Attach tether straps and wiggle car seat back and forth a couple of times and installation is rock solid. Smart and easy solution.
Kidzofix and Kidzone are off to a good start in the fall and have been popular among parents. They can both be found in our online store of CarSeat.se
Britax Max-Way: Britax Hi-Way has been a bestseller for quite a few years thanks to being light weight, compact and comfortable. It has always offered a great combination of quite long rear facing time with a 25 kg (55 lbs) rear facing limit but with a compact size fitting well in small to large cars.
The new model of Hi-Way is called Max-Way and has some nice improvements. Adjusting angle has been made easier with new construction of the metal bar underneath the seat. Seat shell is similar to previous model but it's been simplified on the outside to make production easier.
Seat shell is still nicely curved and provides good support. The most significant improvement is the built in head support which makes seat shell taller. Hi-Way would usually last until age 4-4.5 years or 110 cm of height while the new MaxWay will last to age 5 or about 115-120 cm of height.
Head support is of medium size and fits nicely with the seat. Size of Max-Way is the same as Hi-Way which makes the new Max-Way a compact seat which will last rear facing a long time.
Max-Way will arrive in January 2012 and will soon be available for pre-order in the online store of CarSeat.se
Swedish rear facing seat saves a 2-year old life
Accidents are terrible but sometimes unavoidable. Anne in Phoenix was in a horrible accident where her car got completely destroyed. The only uninjured person was her two year old sitting in a Swedish rear facing Brio Zento. Read her story below:
On our way to Phoenix, just a few miles away, my husband (driving our 2002 Odyssey) hit an obstacle in the road. We don't know what it is, but we all felt the bump, then were airborne, and onto a gravel shoulder. We skidded on the gravel. The van hit a barrier (right at the rear driver's side, where my 4 year old daughter was seated.) It then flipped across the highway. My husband was braking the whole way. (He had just had the tires rotated and pressure checked, and the brakes replaced.) It slowed us considerably. We went into a ditch at an angle and became airborne. We went down on the passenger side of the vehicle, nose first, and then flipped over upside down.
My daughters (the 4 year old, almost 5, and her 2 sisters, 6 almost 7 and 2 almost 3) were screaming. This meant they were alive and I was glad. My husband and I were suspended by our (properly worn) seatbelts. I had significant neck pain. My husband was able to exit the vehicle fairly easily, but I was trapped; I had to be extracted with the Jaws of Life (after fending off a bystander who wanted to cut my belt with a pen knife and pull me out, yelling at him, "Do not cut my seatbelt! Wait until the EMTs arrive to hold c-spine! If you want to do something, get me a jacket and treat me for shock!")
My 4 and 6 year olds were harnessed properly in properly installed and used, tethered seats. (The 6 year old is usually boostered, but because it was a late night trip I didn't want to risk her falling asleep and falling out of position.) My 2 year old was rear-facing. The heavy cargo in the van was all packed tightly down in the bottom of the trunk, compartmentalized behind and under the seat as much as possible before we left. My husband and I had our seatbelts and headrests properly fastened and adjusted and were seated in proper position.
My husband has a mild lung contusion and abrasions from his seatbelt and "road burn." I have a lot of stitches in my arm (which dragged along the ground outside the car– the trauma surgeon says that the braking slowed us enough to save me from having it ripped off) and on my face and bruising all over. My 6 year old has minor abrasions (more road burn) and bruises. My 4 year old, with the most severe injuries, suffered a severe cut to her foot (aptly and completely repaired by great surgeons) and a broken leg (remember, she was AT the first point of impact, a side impact.) My 2 year old, who was in the rear-facing seat, was completely unharmed. Not a mark on her. Nothing. Despite the fact that we landed on the side of the car she was on (she was behind me, I was in the second row passenger seat, and the forward-facers were second and third row driver's side.)
Anne's story is good example of just how safe rear facing is. As many know we have been keeping children rear facing in Sweden since 1965. Our strong recommendations is to keep children rear facing until age 4 or longer. Why?
Our real life experiences with rear facing show one thing very clear. It's almost impossible for a rear facing child to die or become seriously injured in a traffic accident regardless of circumstances.
Thanks to Anne for the photos, story and all her hard work in helping others with car seat safety. We hope everyone recover well.
US changing rear facing recommendations
Rear facing recommendations in US were changed on Monday this week which has been covered extensively in the news. The new recommendation is a good step forward and will help to keep children far safer.
The old recommendation advised parents to keep children rear facing to at least 1 year of age and a weight of 20 lbs. This lead to most parents believing it was best to turn around forward facing at that time. The new recommendation advise parents to keep children rear facing to at least two years of age:
In a new policy published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online March 21), the AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.
There are many people who have worked hard for a number of years to talk about the huge rear facing benefits . Parents, blogs, forums, and sites informing public about rear facing have all played an important role.
I would like to focus on one person who has likely done far more than anyone to push forward with this new policy. His name is Jim Peralta but we call him Grandpa Jim. He is a great rear facing ambassador but the way he got started is tragic. Lets go back a couple of years.
In 2008 Jim contacted CarSeat.se and wanted to purchase a Swedish rear facing seat for his grandson Joel. Jim was upset, or rather outraged, that his grandson had just broken his neck in a car accident. He was thankfully not upset at us at CarSeat.se:-)
Joel was a happy and strong 18 month old and 35 lbs child who was sitting forward facing in the back seat of his parents car. Since the recommendation was forward facing until at least 1 year and 20 lbs they believed Joel was very safe. They were after all following the recommendations of NHTSA and AAP.
On August 30th 2008 Joel was involved in a frontal collision at moderate speed and tragically broke his neck. Grandpa Jim was furious and wanted to know how this could possibly happen. Joel was after all in a forward facing car seat in the back seat just as recommended.
Grandpa Jim:
A few days following the crash, "grandpa" vented his anger, and posted the story on a few car seat safety blogs, where he received hundreds of replies to his story. That response inspired this website & video to be created.
Grandpa Jim wrote passionate posts on car seat forums and created Joels Journey to tell others about the dangers of forward facing seats for young children. He wanted to inform other parents and grandparents of the huge benefits of rear facing. He quickly found out that most had no idea that rear facing was five times safer and a real life saver.
Joel broke his neck but was still fortunate to live and make good progress towards recovery. Grandpa Jim wanted the safest Swedish rear facing car seat possible which could handle a strong boy and protect his neck. A Swedish Britax Multi Tech with a 55 lbs rear facing limit was soon at Jims door.
Grandpa Jim was still furious about the lack of rear facing information and all young children who sat forward facing. He created a video with a clear message, keep your children rear facing! Jim received lots of publicity and appeared on TV and in newspapers.
Jim had an ambitious goal. He wanted to change the US policy of "rear facing to 1 year and 20 lbs". We stayed in contact through email and Jim contacted NHTSA, his representative at Congress, AAP, TV stations, etc. Jim wanted answers to why the recommended period for rear facing was so short in US? Where was the evidence? Where was the data supporting this? How come the Swedes say rear facing until age 4 and we say until 12 months?
Jim made very clear he was not going to give up. I took part of many of his letters to government and organisations which mostly were met by stonewalling or lame answers. But Jim never gave up. He kept on pushing, asking for answers and providing facts. And we are seeing the results today with a greatly improved policy which will save many lives and greatly reduce injuries.
Joel is today recovering well after many months in the hospital and countless hours of therapy. Grandpa Jim has reached his goal and simply says "The "Journey" is over".
