The journey to revolutionising
BUGGY safety Here at phil&teds ‘innovative thinking’ is our mantra. We’re not content with following the herd and doing things just because that’s how they’ve always been done. Who said that a double buggy has to carry children ‘sideby-side’?! we invented the inline and we’ve continued to innovate it for over 15 years, making thousands of parents’ lives easier along the way. After seeing heartbreaking stories and videos of runaway buggies, it got us thinking about what we could do so this doesn’t happen with any of our buggies. Our clever designers put their heads together to find a solution that would revolutionise how we think about buggy safety. “Our premise was to create a simple, mechanical brake that automatically activates whenever you let go of the handle,“ says phil&teds Head Designer Phil Brace (we know what you’re thinking but no he isn’t the ‘phil’ in phil&teds).
The result was Auto Stop™, a unique lock feature that automatically activates. Hands on to go, hands off to stop – it’s that simple. A concept buggy featuring the auto stop was then given to a group of parents to try it out – we’re true believers in getting product into the hands of parents for some honest feedback. The ‘test parents’ took the concept buggy out and about and they applauded our idea. We also discovered that the auto stop function was not only a safety feature but also offers parents a new element of convenience. It comes in handy when needing to wipe your sunglasses or answer a phone call, or when your toddler decides to suddenly run off. Here’s a snippet of what they told us. “Walking on hills I felt confident that the brake would hold if I took my hand off the handle bar.” “I used the automatic brake when in shops so toddler couldn’t wander off with buggy.” “Was great to use in small places where applying a normal brake is difficult.”
“Won’t scuff your shoes on the brake!” And the piece of feedback that sums exactly why we created the Auto Stop™ – “it could save the day”. The next step was applying this safety feature to one of our buggies. The navigator was the obvious choice as our all terrain inline buggy. It’s one of our best sellers and there’s always room to revolutionise a great product. We were set to make the worlds safest inline buggy. “As parents we are busy, tending to our children, running our lives, getting out of the nursery confines with comfort and safety was a priority for the navigator 2013. Whether from a gust of wind or a moment's inattention the auto stop function is there to make your child safe.” says Phil. The new navigator with Auto Stop™ made its debut at the Kind + Jugend tradeshow in Cologne Germany, and was nominated as a finalist for an innovation award. Although it didn’t win, we’re proud as punch to be a finalist for such a prestigious award! �
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