Britax offers free pushchair hinge covers Covers offered to reduce risk of finger injuries
25 February 2010
Pushchair manufacturer Britax is offering free hinge covers for Nexus and Viva stollers to reduce the danger of childrens' fingers becoming trapped in the folding mechanism.
Britax has issued safety advice for owners of its Viva and Nexus strollers, warning that it has detected a potential risk of injury from the buggies’ folding mechanisms.
It is now offering free hinge covers to anyone with one of these pushchairs, which it says will provide added protection and optimal safety.
Buying a new pushchair? Get the right buggy for your child using Which? pushchair reviews of over 145 pushchairs from brands including Britax, Silver Cross, Quinny, Bugaboo and Graco.
Danger of pushchair finger amputation
Government body Consumer Focus has launched an investigation into the safety of folding pushchairs and called for evidence from anyone who has been injured while using one.
The investigation was sparked by reports of several children having their fingers amputated by the folding mechanisms on Maclaren pushchairs.
Britax says no such injuries have been reported concerning its pushchairs and that it was simply offering the hinge covers as a precaution.
Have you or your child been injured by a folding pushchair? You can report your experiences to Consumer Focus by emailing cogi@consumerfocus.org.uk
Widespread pushchair problem
Which? pushchairs expert Lizzy Ruffles said: ‘News of Consumer Focus’ investigation seems to have led Britax to consider the potential dangers of its umbrella folding mechanisms, and hopefully these hinge covers will offer some protection.
‘However, we expect that the danger is widespread, affecting buggies from numerous manufacturers. We’d like to see other manufacturers taking precautions similar to those taken by Britax and Maclaren.’
Which? tests pushchairs extensively at an independent laboratory, and awards Best Buy status to the best performers. If you want to buy a pushchair which doesn't have an umbrella folding mechanism, our pushchair reviews can show you those without.
Get free hinge covers
Britax Viva and Nexus buggy owners can order a free pack of hinge covers by contacting the Britax Child Safety customer services department on 01264 386034 or by emailing nexus@britax.com
Which? RSS and Twitter news feeds
For daily consumer news, subscribe to the Which? consumer news RSS feed. If you have an older web browser you may need to copy and paste http://www.which.co.uk/feeds/news.xml into your newsreader. Find out more about RSS in the Which? guide about how to use news feeds and newsreaders.
You can also follow @WhichHome on Twitter for the latest home appliance reviews and news.
Kitchen gadgets on test
Which? can help you kit out your kitchen - we've independently reviewed large and small appliances from the leading brands, at all price ranges, including:
- built-in ovens, cookers and hobs
- fridge freezers, dishwashers and microwave ovens
- coffee makers, kettles and toasters
You can read the results of our latest tests and see the products we recommend as Which? Best Buys, as well as the ones we don't.
