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PROTECTING CHILDREN ON THE ROAD SINCE 1966

Fifty years ago, Britax introduced the company‘s first child restraint system. It was the 1960‘s and Britax was the UK‘s, and at that time Europe‘s, leading OEM supplier of in-vehicle safety equipment such as brakes, seatbelts, vehicle lighting accessories and helmets.

Britax, including its subsidiaries, had built its reputation in post-war Europe where the needs for road vehicle occupant safety became apparent through the extensive use and acceptance of seatbelts in wartime aircraft.

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The company was one of the first to recognise this need and introduced vehicle seatbelts to the manufactured product range.

By the 1960s, Britax and its subsidiaries were major suppliers to leading automotive brands across Europe including Volkswagen, Opel and Audi.

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Fifty years ago, Britax introduced the company‘s first child restraint system. It was the 1960‘s and Britax was the UK‘s, and at that time Europe‘s, leading OEM supplier of in-vehicle safety equipment such as brakes, seatbelts, vehicle lighting accessories and helmets.

Britax, including its subsidiaries, had built its reputation in post-war Europe where the needs for road vehicle occupant safety became apparent through the extensive use and acceptance of seatbelts in wartime aircraft.

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In 1966 the company extended its vehicle safety expertise to children in the car in both the UK and Germany.

In the UK, our first child car seat was the stylish Britax Star Rider available in red, blue or grey for children 6 months of age to approx. five years old and featured a five-strap-harness.
The Galaxy Harness from the child seat could be used for children from 5-11 years old in order to restrain and protect them in the car.

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The Lufki was developed in 1966-67 in Ulm, Germany by young father and Römer employee, Hermann Wetter.

The idea for a child car seat came to him the previous year when he drove his newborn daughter placed in a cardboard box in the backseat of the car from Vienna, Austria to Ulm. Upon being urged by his wife, he sought a better solution to transporting children safely in the car.

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The Lufki was an inflatable car seat bright blue and red. The company only manufactured a few hundred pieces before Wetter continued to work on an improved version of the car seat.
In 1969, the Peggy was born.

The Peggy belongs to one of the most iconic, instantly recognizable products in Germany. The black and orange car seat is synonymous with childhood and car safety in the 1970s and 1980s.
It was manufactured by Britax Römer for more than 30 years.

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Our heritage is deeply rooted in both safety and the automotive industry, as opposed to many other child car seat manufacturers whose heritage lies in the toy or pushchair business.


Britax had the unique know-how born out of an automotive safety environment and applied it to developing a strong child car seat that works seamlessly with the other components in the vehicle.

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In the 1970s, Britax made the strategic decision to only focus its efforts on child car seats and early on in the decade, Britax and Römer merged.

Despite the long road that Britax has been on that led to child seats, one thing is clear: passenger safety runs in our DNA.

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Specifically, the number one priority for all of our seats is not how they will look, but what they will do for the children they are built to protect and the everyday family freedom they provide to parents.

What makes our child safety so unique over the past 50 years and today has been our innovative technology full of industry firsts, our superior research and testing capabilities and our long-term partnerships in the motor vehicle and racing industries. What remains strong is that we are always pushing boundaries – so that your family life is boundary free.

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CONGRATULATIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Mothercare would like to congratulate Britax on this milestone anniversary which is representative of a brand that continues to be at the forefront of car seat safety, innovation and development.

Mothercare, UK

It’s hard to believe that less than 15 years ago child car seats were not a legal requirement, especially knowing that child safety is a real priority for our customers. Fast forward to 2016 and it is great to see how things have come such a long way and we are delighted to congratulate Britax on such an important milestone.

Danielle Slater, Halfords child seat specialist, UK

Volvo Cars congratulates Britax Römer on their anniversary. At Volvo Cars the safe being of our children is our main priority.

VOLVO CAR CORPORATION, SWEEDEN

Let the Britax Römer star that rose 50 years ago be the brightest star for another 500 years!

EDM, Child Product Distributor, Russia

The original ISO 9000 was entirely based on a house standard created at the Britax Croydon plant by one engineer, David Burleigh. So I say when it comes to quality, Britax literally wrote the book.

Robert Bell, Chain store owner and formerly longtime Britax colleague, Sweden

Volvo Cars congratulates Britax Römer on their anniversary. At Volvo Cars the safe being of our children is our main priority.

Ulrich Riestenpatt gt. Richter, Managing Director, Volkswagen Zubehör GmbH / Volkswagen R GmbH

Congratulations to Britax Römer for these 50 years of continuous focus on innovation, development of security systems and its active participation in the elaboration of European standards for car seats. Few brands can boast of a background like this.

Matias Massó, S.A., Child Product Distributor, Spain

In 1964, I was an American exchange student with a summer job at Römer in Neu Ulm, Germany. I worked in production on tasks such as putting metal parts at the end of leather straps. I have many good memories of my time at the company and was treated well. One of my favorite memories was that every afternoon, about 3:00 pm, every worker received a big bottle of beer and a big pretzel.

Patrick Kennedy, former Römer employee, New Mexico, USA

Congratulations to Britax Römer for the 50th anniversary of their first child car seat. We have been partners with Britax Römer for 40 years and have a successful and strong relationship with the manufacturer. We wish you all the best for the next 50 years..

Karl Straub, Owner of ‘Princess’, a baby specialty store in Metzingen, Germany

Congratulations to Britax Römer for 50 years of child safety on the road! Our baby textile and products store was founded by Ingrid Vetter in 1966 – the same year as your first child car seat.

Silke Vetter-Kissel und Manfred Kissel, Owners, Vetter for Kids, Weinheim, Germany

When ideas, strength and courage lead to new ideas and success, then congratulations are in order. We wish you all the best for the 50 anniversary of your first child car seat.

Andrea Hufnagel, Geschäftsführerin von Kinderwagen Risch, Heidelberg, Deutschland