Why was I advised to fit a child seat to my Mercedes-Benz SL that turns off the airbag?

I own a Mercedes-Benz SL and when I needed a car seat for my grandson who is now eight years old, I was told by Mercedes I had to buy a seat to fit that also turned the airbag off automatically. The price for that seat was almost £400. When I asked why it was so expensive I was told it was the cost of the mechanism that turned the airbag off. Car seats, as you know, cannot be sold secondhand, so for what was probably less than twenty trips I had to spend this enormous amount. You state categorically one does not turn an airbag off with a forward facing seat. Was I conned or has the law done a volte-face?

Asked on 17 August 2013 by CJ, Prenton, Wirral

Answered by Honest John

Why would you turn an airbag off for a forward facing car seat any more for a child than for an adult? Obviously the further away from the airbag the child sits the better, but it will protect him as much in a crash as it would an adult. Airbags should be switched off when rear facing baby cradles are strapped into the passenger seat because the airbag rapidly inflating against the back of the baby's head could break its neck. But that is the only reason for switching an airbag off.

Tags: child seats safety airbags

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