According to the standards, the child up to 10-12 years old must travel just in a special car seat. Although this rule is often ignored with older children, it is advisable to follow it with toddlers. And we can name at least 5 reasons why:
- Information that a car seat increases the chances of a child surviving an accident up to three times is not a marketing myth. It is confirmed by numerous crash tests that simulate real crashes and dummies. A child who is not fastened in a car seat almost always breaks through a window and flies a few meters away from transport. It doesn’t even require colossal speed. Just 50-60 km / h is enough to let it happen.
- It may seem safer and more convenient when an adult passenger is holding a child. In practice, the statistics in this case are even worse. An adult flies forward in a collision with much greater force, because at least it weighs more. This means that the small mannequin hits the front seat several times harder.
- The seat belt is not designed for children. All sizes are matched for adult passengers. So, in case of an accident or just a sharp brake, it will not hold the baby. Moreover, this applies not only to very small children, but also to pupils up to 140 cm in height. And this can eventually lead to even more serious injuries of the internal organs. For the same reasons, children feel uncomfortable in the adult seat, especially in the case of long journeys. Special car seats are much more comfortable and equipped with adjustable backrests so that children can rest comfortably and safely at any age.
- Even the calmest parents find it difficult to drive the car smoothly until they are not aware of what is going on behind their backs and what their favorite baby is doing. Concentration on the road decreases several times. So the risk of an accident increases significantly. In some countries, young parents are not even let to leave the maternity ward until they have a car seat installed in their cars. It is also forbidden to have the child seated in the front seat until they are 12 without it or even at the back of the car until they are seven. It is subject to heavy fines across Europe.
- Young children are very active and curious. In fact, the car seat restricts the baby’s mobility so that he/she does not climb onto the dashboard or window, attempt to unlock the door, cross the seats and inspect the contents of pockets and luggage. This is especially important if there are no other passengers in the car.
Car seats are designed by the best engineers based on real-life research, tests and crash data. A variety of dummy situations occur during testing. Independent research is conducted by specialized organizations. They also evaluate comfort, environmental friendliness, practicality and other features. The majority of modern high-quality models far exceed the existing requirements of certification.
If you do not use the car all the time and you have no necessity to buy a car seat, then you can rent a car with the right model of a car seat. To do this, contact us at Ukr-Prokat in Kyiv!
