UK car seats in USA?

GwylimT

littlemisswords wrote: »

I'd rather not hire the car seats if at all avoidable. We are not hiring a car as my aunt and uncle have two cars so there really isn't any need for us to hire one, and as others have mentioned I'm wary of the quality/condition/safety of hire car seats.

I did have a browse around the US Britax website earlier as I was looking for an email address to contact them. They don't have one, and unsurprisingly there was no info on my car seats on the US site.

I feel pretty reassured that I'll be able to fit them safely with the seat belt, just as safe as they would be here at home. Anyone know of any reason why this wouldn't work? (Aside from them not being technically legal....)

Thank you to everyone who has helped

Yes, not all seats fit all cars, so you need to ensure the seats you have are tested for the car you are using. To seat belt fit in the US you also need to use the top tether fitted to the seat, something that isn't present on many UK seats.

peachyprice

Jackmydad wrote: »

I'd take Murphy the cat's advice and hire them with the car. That way you know they're OK.

I wouldn't ever use a car hire car seat, there is no way of knowing how badly they have been treated (have you seen the way they chuck them out of the cars) or whether they've been in a crash and should have been binned.

The amount they charge for a daily rate it's cheaper to buy a new one from Walmart.

nimbo

I wouldn't risk falling foul of breaking the law. As has already been said any injury and any way of getting out of paying out and your insurance will be having a field day.

Any bump can make a child seat unsafe (have you seen how thy stack those luggage trucks at the airport) and then installing what is for all intents and purposes an illegal seat in the US is madness. Also I too thought they had to be rear facing for a longer period of time (I've been advised research has shown this to be much safer) and any police officer driving past would see that at a quick glance. They may not stop you. But if they do you'd be gutted. Would you be driving - or your relatives? Because I'm not sure who would get in bother - in the uk for younger children it's the driver of the car. Either way you get a fine / criminal record or your relatives do. And the fine is potentially going to be bigger than the cost of seats - and I bet if the relatives take the fall then they won't invite you back.

alwaysready

This can happen if the owner brings straight from the country.

kroberts

I have just come back from US and we took our own car seats with us. I have a 6 year old who used a booster seat with normal seat belt and a 1 year old. I would read up on the laws at the state in US you are going to, we travelled over 2 states, one place the 1 year old could be rear or forward facing but in the other could only be rear facing. We took our old baby car seat as she still fits in it and used that with the normal seatbelt. They fitted in the car fine.
If both children have their own seat on the plane then they usually let them sit on them on there, our 1 year old didn't have her own seat so the car seat was checked into the hold.

damodevil

A definitive guide can be found here on the which website. Google "Child car seats laws around the world - Which" and select the top hit, it has a table of countries and regulations.
General rule - seats purchased in the UK can be used in europe for obvious reasons.


For the USA, I initially emailed Nuna who said that their seats are not certified for US use. This in fact is a general rule for all car seats from checking the Which website - seats sold in the UK are not certified for US use. Using in the USA will be at your own risk - my guess would be if you were involved in an incident, insurance etc would be nullified if you used a UK car seat in the USA, personally I wont be taking the chance. Stay safe and think of your child!

Kynthia

It's a tricky one. Hiring is a big risk. You don't know how old the seat will be or if it's been knocked around, filthy, the right age range for yiur child, or even if it's been in an accident.

Taking your own means you know what you have is appropriate, in full working condition and you know how to install it. However most seats aren't universal so there's a chance it won't fit. Cars can be made different there so some forms of anchoring or tethering might not be safe due to these differences. Plus a European seat is not legal to use in America, and vice versa.

As you have people over there I would go with the option of asking them to buy you seats. You could maybe research what you want, send them the links and have them bring them to the airport. Or to save money would they know trustworthy people they could borrow good condition seats from?

https://www.carseat.se/travel-tips/foreign-car-seat-laws/

photome

Kynthia wrote: »

It's a tricky one. Hiring is a big risk. You don't know how old the seat will be or if it's been knocked around, filthy, the right age range for yiur child, or even if it's been in an accident.

Taking your own means you know what you have is appropriate, in full working condition and you know how to install it. However most seats aren't universal so there's a chance it won't fit. Cars can be made different there so some forms of anchoring or tethering might not be safe due to these differences. Plus a European seat is not legal to use in America, and vice versa.

As you have people over there I would go with the option of asking them to buy you seats. You could maybe research what you want, send them the links and have them bring them to the airport. Or to save money would they know trustworthy people they could borrow good condition seats from?

https://www.carseat.se/travel-tips/foreign-car-seat-laws/

My guess is the OP has already travelled, they joined and posted on 8/8/17 not been seen since, wouldnt it have been good if they had returned with the outcome

Kynthia

photome wrote: »

My guess is the OP has already travelled, they joined and posted on 8/8/17 not been seen since, wouldnt it have been good if they had returned with the outcome

Ah, didn't notice someone resurrected an older thread.