Are you safe in your car? Shoft review
As a parent, we all want to ensure safety in the car is paramount! Should the worst happen, we need to know our children are as protected as they can possibly be, so when I was approached by Shoft to review their innovative product, which keeps the tension in our seat belts, therefore making them safer, I was very happy to test it out.
SHOFT Review
We all try to ensure our seat belts are fastened correctly and tight when we set off on our journey, however, it usually starts to slacken off after a short time which means the lap belt position rises to sit across the stomach instead of the pelvis. If you were to have an accident with the belt in this position you are more likely to have internal bleeding or ‘submarining’ resulting in possible tragic consequences. This seat belt slackening is a major contributor to injuries and deaths in car accidents. A survey showed over 90% of drivers had their lap belts across their stomach, not their hips.
ROSPA safety guidelines say “the belt should be worn as tight as possible, with no slack” and “the lap belt should go over the pelvic region, not the stomach”.
One solution to this problem is the use of SHOFT. It is an innovative product that fits over the seatbelt tongue. It has a built in break pad which helps prevent much of the slackening which usually happens to the lap belt. It assists in keeping the tension in the belt, therefore enabling it to remain tight across the pelvis and safe.
SHOFT can also be used with any booster seat that uses the cars seat belt. This to me sounds like a great idea, as children often wriggle about in their seats which in turn loosens the tension on the lap belt, which could potentially be fatal.
SHOFT comes with two in a pack. We fitted ours onto the drivers belt and my sons belt to test.
They fitted very easily, it only took a few minutes. We did fit it the wrong way round at first, but it was easy to swap round correctly. Once fitted, you hardly notice you have it on. It does make it very slightly tougher to pull the tongue down, but this is not a problem, even my 6 yr old son has got the hang of it without a problem.
Having now been on a few long journeys, I must admit I can see the difference. I didn’t even realise how much I slipped down in the seat before I used this. After an hour and a half of non stop driving, when I arrived at my destination I was still in the correct position with the belt over my pelvis. This also meant less back ache!
My sons belt also remained in the correct position and he was less able to squirm around like he normally does, therefore ensuring his safety is paramount. This to me says it is a good safety product. If it is going to save our lives in addition to preventing back ache, I will be happy to purchase more for our other children.
SHOFT retails at £35 but during it’s time on Crowdfunder, it will be retailing at £25. If you sign up on the website: http://shoft.co.uk/ for the free eBook that the inventor of SHOFT has co written with physiotherapist Nell Mead, then you will automatically receive an email to alert you when SHOFT launches on Crowdfunder.
What a good idea – my kids are real wrigglers and I am sure they must end up with the seatbelt having moved by the end of a long journey! Thanks for linking up with #TriedTested
Thanks, I didn’t realise just how much we all moved about until I reviewed this
HeyFever (Family Fever!),:-)
Do sign up for the eBook and we can then let you know when SHOFT will be available. THANKS! Graham, inventor and jolly nice chap.
What a fantastic idea…..This sounds really great x
Thank you
These are a good idea. My daughter is always wriggling and leaning and I’m forever telling her to sit back properly, so these would be handy
Kids are always wriggling around, SHOFT allows you to still move your top half, but keeps you secure across the lap, which is the most important part
What a great invention! It’s something that really bothers me when I’m pregnant as I know how important it is to keep the lap belt under bump- which is particularly difficult in the early months when there’s not much bump to keep it in place- this is the perfect solution! #TriedTested
Yes, I think it would be good whilst pregnant
Hi Toddler slave, Graham the inventor here! We are well aware of the RoSPA concerns about pregnant women not wearing seatbelts because of the lapbelt (the bit of the seatbelt that goes over the lap) riding up over the bump (see http://www.RoSPA.com). The thought of the unborn child with the lap belt over it makes me shudder. Thats why many women don’t buckle up. With SHOFT, it helps keep the lapbelt on the pelvis (where it should be) and stops it from riding up… more comfort and more peace of mind. We hope many women will start wearing their seatbelt now there is an easy convenient solution. Do spread the word! THANKS!
This is such a great idea! My two can be a bit wriggly and I’m forever telling them to sit up properly in the car. x
It is a good product I think
‘wriggly’ kids… I love the term TwoTinyTerrors! My experience is that kids are either ‘wriggly’ or ‘slumped’ in the booster seats. Either way it is best to have the lap belt firmly across the kids pelvis for the seat belt to work optimally, should an accident/collision occur. We also found that many kids use their hands to stabilise themselves when driven around corners (especially roundabouts!) and this leads them to be agitated because they can’t play on their gadgets or read. A SHOFT allows their hands to be free to be sat up, secure and get on with that book or game they love. Do spread the word that we’ll be ‘live’ on http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk in about a week, where you can pledge £25 and we’ll send you one of the first ever production SHOFTs (that’s £10 off the retail price). Drive happy and healthy! Graham.
Such a great idea – my son is still in a harness at the minute but I can imagine he will be a wriggler when we swap to seat belt! #TriedTested
Thanks Stacey. I think all kids are either wrigglers or slumped. Either way, always good to know they are protected by the seat belt. All the best. Graham
Just a heads up SHOFT has now launched on Crowdfunder! http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/shoft/ Take a minute to invest in a SHOFT for you and your families.
Please pledge your £25 to get your SHOFT… only 13 days to go and limited supplies of the lavender scented version!