TRL’s independent rating scheme will clearly present individual products’ safety and usability performance to the market and is supported by retailers and the AA. The star rating is based on a suite of tests to assess the front and side impact performance and the usability of the product. Performance information for each of these will be available to give added clarity.

Value and Benefits

In addition to saving lives and reducing serious injuries, there are values and benefits for all parties from a TRL Rating Scheme for child restraint systems.

• Manufacturers – have a highly cost-effective tool to differentiate the market beyond price, and benchmark their products against their competitors. It will also provide point-of-sale information for presenting their own products’ key attributes.
• Consumers – have the benefit of being able to freely access independent information to help them select a product which best meets their particular requirements in terms of its relative quality, usability and crash safety.
• Retailers – have a mechanism for selecting a product mix based on measured performance v. cost and have an independent rating of products to build confidence in the manufacturers’ performance claims.

All parties can take confidence from a rating which is against known standards and issued by an impartial and independent expert organisation.

How the Rating Scheme Works

The rating system is clear and based on publicly available robust testing protocols. Up to 5 Stars can be achieved, presenting the crash safety and usability performance of child restraint systems as an aggregated, overall rating. The rating mark can be used on the product, packaging, publicity material and in catalogues and websites.

The Rating Scheme requirements are laid out in Transport Research Specification, TRS1002:2009. This calls up a bespoke suite of tests and assessments based largely on the NPACS (New Programme for the Assessment of Child-restraint Systems) protocols, published by TRL for the Department for Transport (DfT).

Rating Specification

Front Impact Testing Specification

Side Impact Testing Specification

Usability Testing Specification

Timetable for the Scheme Launch

The scheme is already operational so manufacturers can apply immediately.

The programme will run from August 2009 with the aim of testing, assessing and rating child restraint systems in Groups 0, 0+, 1 and 2. There will be an official launch of the populated ratings list next year.

The List of Ratings

Each rated product will be granted a certificate showing its rating and scores, which can be used at point of sale, in-store or on-line, for searching and comparison purposes. All ratings and copies of product certificates will also be publicly available to view on TRL’s website, www.trl.co.uk

To view the press release on the child seat safety scheme please click here

Demonstrating the benefits of TRL's Rating Scheme

To demonstrate the scheme's potential value, TRL undertook a programme of tests on a small selection of widely available, volume selling child seats, each with a recommended retail price of less than £100. To view a copy of the full report, LF2108 "Child Car seat Safety and Usability Ratings" please click here

How to get a Rating or find out more about the Rating Scheme

Contact: David Pickavance at TRL for an application form
TRL Certification & Assurance, Crowthorne House, Nine Mile Ride, Wokingham, RG40 3GA
T: 0044 (0)1344 770065
E: dpickavance@trl.co.uk

or

Marianne Hynd
Child Safety Centre
TRL, Crowthorne House, Nine Mile Ride, Wokingham, RG40 3GA
T: 0044 (0)1344 770980
E: mhynd@trl.co.uk