A couple of years ago the lovely Mummy Barrow used to run a linky called Ranty Friday, where she encouraged bloggers to get on their soapbox and shout about the issues that rile them.
Well, it’s Friday and in honour of Ranty Friday, I am bringing it back for one week only and it is aimed at car manufacturers and designers.
Dear Car Designer / Manufacturer
As a blogger I often get to road test new cars and being a parent, these cars are aimed at the family market.
Now, I do have 6 children which I understand is unusual, but 3 of those own their own cars and no longer need me to ferry them around. This leaves the other 3 at home to whom I play the role of “Mum’s Taxi”.
Now, back in 2017 the car seat law changed:
Your child must sit in a car seat until they are 12 years old or 4’5” tall (135cm), depending on which comes first.
The seat can be rear or front-facing if your baby is older than 15 months, but for those first months of life, a baby must face the back of the car.
Now, having three children is not unusual in this day and age and all mine are under 12 and below the height regulations which means I need three car seats.
Please tell me, why do you make FAMILY cars with 2.5 seats in the back?
Even the new large SUV’s on the market don’t have enough room in the back for three car seats in a row – even narrow ones.
Yes, I love all the tech you have added to the car, with one recent one even having its own wifi hotspot, the ISOFIX points are great and those 19″ alloys are stunning BUT have you ever tried to fit three children, in their car seats across the back seat.
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!
I even have an issue in larger MPV’s. I can normally get the car seats in (just), but have you ever tried to do up the seat belt buckle – I can barely squeeze my hand between the car seats, never mind reach the buckle, even if it is just a booster seat.
When you design your cars, surely you must take European laws into consideration and speak to actual people who are parents and experience this issue everyday.
I have an idea for a team building / ice breaker event for you:
Give a team three car seats and three temperamental children to try to strap into said car seats in the back of your family car, one which has the ability to plank in the most tight of spaces and another who is as slippery as a wriggling worm and see who manages to fit the car seats and strap the kids in, without swearing under their breath or losing their temper.
Now imagine this on a daily basis!
Yes, it is normally men that buy the family car, but it is the women that choose them and decide if they are practical.
We love all the little nooks and crannies for storage, appreciate a large boot space and love the DAB radio, so we can entertain the kids with Fun Kids Radio, but what we really want are the practical features like ISOFIX points and child locks – give us something that helps to prevent the daily battles with car seats and you are onto a winner!!
Yours Sincerely
A Frazzled Mum
I hear you loud and clear Kara which is why I drive an 8-seater Hyundai i800!! It also means I can carry the dog, bikes, scooters and luggage and the kids have a whole seat space between them so they can’t even reach each other to annoy one another 😉
This post i have 4 kids and we struggle too!!
Gahhhh what a mare! But I also didn’t know kids have to be in car seats until they’re 12!
I only have two but even then there is hardly any space in between the two in my Nissan Note. They seem to be making cars smaller and smaller these days!
As a family with 3 kids under the age of 12 I am totally with you on this! So frustrating. I love your idea of the team building exercise though – I hope they do it!
As a childminder I feel your pain, I am constantly moving car seats depending on ages and height/weight of children. Stressful times!
I’ve only got two kids, but have a booster for times that we have a friend over from school, and it is chaos trying to get them all strapped in!
I don’t have kids myself but I can’t even think why someone would create a large family car which isn’t big enough to add in car seats all across the back x
How is it that I’ve been a blogger now for seven years and have never once tested a car, lol! I’m wondering about this car seat law now – I have a 9 year old who sits in a booster seat. Surely a fully fledged baby car seat isn’t needed until 12?! 😮 Still, this sounds like a rather roomy car – enough for two car seats and a booster?
wow I had never thought about this — definitely worth the rant that must be so frustrating!
Ha, I had the same problem. It’s hard to fit each child in on the seats unless you get a big car. The seats just don’t allow space wise which is silly really as it would encourage more people to buy a specific seat. Don’t get me started on trying to clip them in lol.
I can completely understand what you mean. Cars are never big enough to use all three seats especially with car seats as they are so much bigger and bulkier. It’s not exactly a family car really is it!
Oh gosh this must be so annoying and difficult! It’s crazy family cars aren’t designed to accommodate a pretty average size family.
I have heard this a nightmare but I have heard that it’s possible to get three in if you use a BubbleBum as a booster seat too?