Poll: Over 1 in 10 British consumers who have hired a car with child seat had concerns over safety
Over one in ten British consumers who have hired a hire car with a child car seat are worried that the seat provided was not safe for their children, was ‘dirty and tatty’, and came with little to no help on how to fit it safely, our poll for stand-alone excess insurance provider iCarhireinsurance.com has found.
- 12% of British consumers who have hired a child seat with their rental car (either in the UK or abroad) were concerned for the safety of the child in the car seat
- 16% of consumers said the child seat was ‘dirty and tatty’
- 26% of travellers were also surprised that no help was given by staff from the rental company to fit the child seat
- 37% of travellers were given no written instructions on how to fit the child seat in the car, with 11% spending at least half an hour fitting the seat.
'Precious and vulnerable passengers'
Founder and Chief Executive of iCarhireinsurance.com Ernesto Suarez, said, 'We’re stunned that customers are being provided with child seats that they consider substandard. What’s even more concerning is that almost 40% of seats, irrespective of their condition, are being supplied with no fitting instructions; after all the best child seat in the world is still dangerous if it’s not properly fitted.
'When you’re spending around £60* to rent a child seat – as much as it would cost new – as a minimum it should be clean, in good condition and provided with clear fitting instructions. Parents are absolutely entitled to expect that their most precious and vulnerable passengers are comfortable, safe and secure.'
Almost 1 in 10 (8%) of the consumers polled had hired a hire car with a child seat, which means that millions of car seats are being supplied every year by car hire companies.
*Cost to hire an infant car seat - based on a 14 day hire period comparison at Madrid Airport by icarhireinsurance.com.
iCarhireinsurance.com offers fully comprehensive stand alone policies accepted at all car and van rental locations worldwide.
