My friend has asked me if I think it would be OK for her to take her Japanese child safety restraint vest (kind of a mesh and webbing thing used in conjunction with the adult seat belt) to England and use it there.
I googled the law and found that there are a number of categories of seats and boosters but no vests mentioned. I distinctly remember looking at such a vest for my kid here in Japan, then rejecting it because somewhere it said they are illegal in the UK. But no amount of Googling brings it up…
Could some enlightened UK dopers tell me what the current situation is, please?
I’ve never heard of any such a restraint. I very much doubt it’s illegal to use any particular restraint - the illegality comes with selling unapproved items.
I would imagine that it is legal to use such a restraint. However, a child must be held in an approved restraint appropriate for their age. Therefore it would most probably not be considered sufficient and would need to be used in conjunction with an approved restraint.
As I’m sure you know we have to use seat belts (with a few exceptions) in the UK.
You may have already found this site which details what is available on sale here. I haven’t heard of of the type you’re talking about though.