The law regarding booster seats for children changed on March 1.
Under new regulations, manufacturers aren’t allowed to introduce new models of backless booster seats for children shorter than 125cm or weighing less than 22kg.
This is because a backless car seat offers much less protection in the event of a collision.
The rules, being brought in across Europe, will change how backless booster seats (booster cushions) are made.
The change doesn’t affect existing models of seats or cushions and doesn’t mean that they are unsafe or illegal.
However, the Department for Transport advises that parents know the rules for using child car seats.
Children must normally use a child car seat until they’re 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall, whichever comes first.
Children over 12 or more than 135cm tall must wear a seat belt.
After this they must then use an adult seatbelt, according to the new rules.
Under the new regulations, backless booster cushions available for sale will only be approved for children over 125cm or weighing more than 22kg and they will be clearly labelled as only suitable for children over that height and weight.
A child car seat must:
- Conform to the United Nations standard, ECE Regulation 44.04 (or R 44.03) or to the new i-Size regulation, R129. Look for the 'E' mark label on the seat.
- Be suitable for your child's weight and size
- Be correctly fitted according to the manufacturer's instructions
- Be in a safe condition
According to Road Safety Wales parents must be careful when buying a second hand child car seat.
"Road Safety Wales recommends that using a second-hand child restraint is avoided," Ms Storch said.
"You cannot be certain of its history (it may have been involved in collision) and even if it looks fine, it may have internal damage that is not visible to the naked eye.
"The instructions are often missing with a second-hand seat and it may not be designed to current standards, offering less protection for your child."
Parents have been confused over the new rules since they were first announced last year.
A survey revealed that two thirds (66%) of parents with children under the age of 12 do not know the current laws about child car seats.
And only 13% of parents know the correct details of the new rules being introduced on March 1.
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The new rules will only apply to new products on the market. So parents who already own and use backless boosters will still be permitted to use them.
With more than a quarter (27%) of parents confused about conflicting safety messages, it is unclear how child car seat laws will be policed going forward.
However, changes to the law may be welcomed by just under half (46%) of parents who believe booster seats with backs to be safer than backless boost seats.
Motoring experts Confused.com obtained Freedom of Information data from 33 UK police forces that shows 4,646 child seatbelt offences were recorded by police in 2015.
In total, 19,358 child seatbelt violations were recorded between 2013 and 2015.