The News Times newspaper in Shanghai cited Shi Xiaoguang, president of China Toy and Juvenile Products Association, saying that only about 30 manufacturers in China produce qualified safety seats.

He said those priced less than 1,000 yuan are often unsafe.

The mandatory certification is likely to force unqualified products off the market, the association said in a statement.

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"But we can only wait and see if certificated products are really qualified," said a customer surnamed Zhang at a baby store in Beijing.

The mother of an 8-month-old girl, Zhang bought a car two years ago.

She said that besides quality, how to install the seat is another big problem for her.

"Mounting the seat takes too much effort and it's very easy to make mistakes," said Zhang.

According to the automotive research center's report, most retailers of the seats do not provide installation services.

Also, an incorrectly installed safety seat makes the child even more vulnerable in case of accident.

Some drivers doubt whether a safety seat is necessary at all.

"People never leave a little baby alone on the seat anyway and also (a safety seat) is unnecessary when the child grows older," Zhang said.

The report shows a number of respondents share the same idea, saying that it is too expensive, takes too much space and is hard to install correctly.

"This reflects people's poor awareness," said the report, adding that safety education is badly needed among drivers, especially because China is still in the early stage of an automotive society.

"People seldom read user manuals after buying a new car, which usually suggest the use of child safety seat," Zhang said.

But she noted there is no special session for child safety in training for driver qualification.

The report also calls for nationwide rules making child safety seats mandatory.

Shanghai already has such regulations in place. Its new children protection law requires that a child less than 4 years old must use a safety seat, but it does not state a punishment for violations.

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