Remember, a person with autism's safety needs can change as they get older or when there is a sudden change in routine, so the safety plan should be updated on a regular basis. We also asked different insurance companies whether using car seat accessories might affect your chances of putting through a claim for a damaged car seat in the event of a crash. This is what some of them said. M&S Bank Below is a sampling of the large range products and services our community often inquires about relating to safety, from seat belt harnesses, to wearable identification items, and smart technology. This list is not intended to be all inclusive and we do not endorse any individual product. Of course, a cup in the car could fly free in an accident and a cup-holder may not prevent this, so bear this in mind.

We asked Britax, one of the leading car seat manufacturers, for its view on seat accessories. A spokesperson said: 'We invest significant time in the research, development and testing of our own manufactured accessories which accompany our child car seats. This ensures that the accessories offered enhance the consumer experience by offering added comfort and practicality, but doesn’t interfere with the crash performance of the car seats.

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Autism Speaks has collaborated with Twigtale to develop teaching stories to help keep your child safe! You provide the personal photos and details, Twigtale provides the scripted story. Stores include Water Safety, I Stay in My House, Police Officer My Friend, If I Get Lost and more. Project Lifesaver International helps provide rapid response to save lives and reduce potential for serious injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer’s, autism, Down syndrome, dementia and other related cognitive conditions. Project Lifesaver provides equipment, training, certification and support to law enforcement, public safety organizations and community groups throughout the country and nation. The catch cannot be hidden, must be obvious and accessible and mustn’t require a large force to release it. This is a device that’s mounted to the in-car Isofix anchor points to help you position your car seat so it’s closer to the car window, and it will allow more room in the central seat if needed. The manufacturer recommends only using it with group II/III car seats.

Infant car seats tend to have built-in sunshades, which are not only useful for keeping the sun out, but also provide a layer of protection from flying glass if you're in an accident. Make sure any you choose are securely attached, especially as the suction pads could fall off or be pulled off by small children and become a choking hazard. Furthermore, the warranty of our car seats will be invalid if an accessory not developed by us is used in conjunction with the seat, ie a permanent attachment to the seat. This is because any accessory attached to a car seat would require homologation to ensure the seat still performs in a crash as it should. Therefore we would advise against using accessories not developed and tested by the car seat manufacturers. On the other hand, an accessory which is not attached to our car seats won’t affect the warranty as it won’t have an impact on restraint performance during a crash.' Child safety harnesses for baby or toddler; child-to-adult safety harnesses for larger children and those with special needs; and safety harnesses to use with an Autism Dog. A top safety product that is comfortable, easy to use, adjustible and more.

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Also, in an accident, there's a real danger that the forces of a crash would cause the mirror to come loose and hit someone. It’s unlikely we would reject a claim based on car-seat accessories alone. That said, we would encourage parents to ensure their car seats are fitted properly to reduce the risk of injury.' NFU Mutual Some assistive technology needs to meet Australian or other standards. Standards may relate to materials, manufacturing and installation. Products that meet Australian or international standards will have written certification. To find out if a product meets Australian Standards ask the supplier to show you the certificate. For more information about standards also see It helps if you’re not in a hurry to get somewhere and is best started when you get a new seat or change the car. However, as most child car seat harnesses come with padded shoulder pads that cover the straps, you may find you need to mount the clip quite low, so it sits across the stomach and not the chest.

It's useful to have a secure place for a child’s drink to go so that he or she can reach it, to save you pulling over or engaging in dangerous driving while trying to retrieve the bottle. We would advise using one recommended by the manufacturer. The AWAARE Collaboration will work to prevent wandering incidents and wandering-related deaths within the autism community through the use of collective organizational resources, and by establishing and monitoring objectives, guidelines, policies, and tools that will promote awareness, education, prevention and safety. Ways to keep your family living costs down, and kids of all ages happy Get our Family newsletter – it's free monthly Our car seat experts were concerned that installing a RiveMove may change the load distribution between the Isofix points, meaning they may no longer withstand a crash.

However, they confirmed that this is not too much of an issue if your child is strapped into their car seat using the car’s adult seatbelt, as that will absorb most of the impact. But it does mean that you shouldn’t use this device if your car seat is only installed via the Isofix points and your child is strapped in using a harness. Products can be an option to consider as a part of a multifaceted safety plan, specific to a person with autism's unique needs. We haven’t yet seen any issues with car seat accessories causing problems at claim stage and therefore cannot envisage a scenario where a claim would not be covered.' With the BeltUpp installed, your child will have an ‘X’ pattern across its chest. It’s designed to provide better support for a sleeping child and to stop them from slipping out of the seatbelt. Some manufacturers make cup-holders that clip on to the side of the seat, and some seats have cup-holders built in.

As a result, the harness straps will be looser than they should be, which could expose your child to higher forces in a crash. If you are worried about your child being cold in the car, dress them in several thin layers. This is a plastic clip that’s attached to the integral harness to hold the straps together, ideally at chest height. It’s designed to stop your child slipping their arms out of the harness.These mirrors are popular, but many safety experts feel they are a distraction, and we wouldn't recommend using them. From the National Autism Association.The Big Red Safety Box is a free-of-charge toolkit given to autism families in need as a means to educate, raise awareness and provide simple tools that may assist them in preventing, and responding to, wandering-related emergencies. In some cases the use of accessories could be a source of contributory negligence if for instance, the driver becomes distracted and causes a collision, or if loose pieces obstruct the use of controls. Any resulting police penalty could have an impact on premium or the driver’s ability to renew.' Saga If the car seat cover does not have this, then technically it will mean the car seat is not meeting all the legal requirements.