Where is the safest place in the car for a child
Useful tips for motorists

Where is the safest place in the car for a child

The most important and vulnerable passenger in the car is the child, so parents should first of all take measures for his safe travel. To reduce the risk of injury to a child during emergency braking and an accident, it is necessary to purchase special devices according to age and weight and place the small passenger in the safest place.

Where is the safest place in the car for a child

What is the safest place in a car according to statistics?

According to inexorable statistics and the realities of life, any vehicle in a serious accident (collision, coup, etc.) is subject to damage of varying degrees. Car manufacturers are trying to protect passengers by creating a kind of increased safety around them, trying to reduce body deformation in the passenger seat area.

Thus, the safest seat in the car is located where the likelihood of overloads that are hazardous to health and body deformations is minimal. In other words, this is the place in the car where the chances of staying alive in a serious accident are much higher than in the rest.

Safe place in the car. Where to put the child?

Many drivers still consider the safest place for a passenger to be behind them, but this is not so. This version has long been debunked and there is a lot of evidence for this. The main arguments for such a statement are the driver's instinctive aversion of danger from himself, which consists in removing his side from the impact trajectory, substituting the opposite side. Also popular is the version that the child is safest behind the passenger seat.

To identify the safest passenger seat, many studies have been carried out, among them a thorough study of the statistics of road traffic accidents with victims.

Additionally, a number of crash tests were carried out, especially now they have become as close to reality as possible and are carried out independently of manufacturers, who, of course, are interested in making their products safer than competitors.

According to the results of numerous tests and analysis of accidents, the safest place for a child was identified - the rear middle seat, provided that the child is in a special seat (for small children), correctly installed, or fastened with a seat belt (teenagers). The level of safety when a child is in this seat is 15-25% higher compared to other seats.

This statement is confirmed by the design features of the car, since when a small passenger is in the middle at the back, it reduces the likelihood of injury both in side impacts and in a vehicle overturn, which causes deformations of doors, side pillars and side parts of the roof.

It is in the center of the rear passenger row that the most free space remains, which is necessary to save a small passenger. Of course, a similar effect is possible only when in a child seat or using other special devices or a regular belt in the case of teenagers.

The neglect of safety measures by parents leads to an increase in childhood injuries and deaths in road accidents. They make dubious arguments, such as that the child is uncomfortable sitting, doesn't like it, or make dubious arguments about exceptional situations where the absence of restraints has saved a life. When regular seat belts are fastened, the risk of injury to a child increases many times, even during emergency braking, since the child will not stay in place.

This seat is the most uncomfortable in vehicles, with the exception of minivans and other car models in which the back row consists of three separate seats. In addition, many modern car models, including luxury cars and SUVs, are equipped with armrests and other devices that increase comfort, so this place is not available.

Many inexpensive cars and family cars are equipped with child seat mountings in the center of the back row. In most models of passenger vehicles, a standard standard belt or at least a transverse strap is provided. With such a vehicle equipped with seat belts, it is strongly recommended to place them in the middle of the rear row of seats to save the life and health of children.

How to install a child seat in the car correctly

To ensure the safety of the child while driving, it is necessary to correctly select child restraints (according to age and weight) and install them.

There are three options for installing a child car seat, depending on the car, each of them has its own specifics:

Where is the safest place in the car for a child

1) Isofix mounting system.  The chair is fixed on the exit runners to metal fasteners using built-in locks. The skids are located inside the seat and are rigidly connected to the body. When using this international standard, the need for standard belts is completely eliminated.

Most modern cars are equipped with a similar security system. In most cases, these elements are indicated by special symbols and are located at the edges of the seats.

Where is the safest place in the car for a child

2) Installing a car seat with a seat belt. This method of fixing child seats is used in the absence of the Isofix system, but there is a built-in fastening function using standard belts.

When using this safety device, you must carefully study the instructions for the car seat, if you have any questions, you should refer to the detailed instruction manual for this brand of car.

Where is the safest place in the car for a child

3) Belt + lock. This option of fastening the chair must be used in the absence of a system, and regular belts are not fixed and not structurally blocked.

To fix the belt, you need to use special grooves in the car seat, which are designed to securely fasten the belt and hold the seat in place. For proper fixation of the child, pull the belt all the way to the stop and pass it through special places. If the belt is too long, it can be shortened by tying a knot.

Additional seat belts

Factory seat belts are three-point and structurally consist of parts for the lumbar and shoulder sections. They are designed to secure a passenger with a height of at least 1,5 meters and weighing more than 36 kilograms, otherwise (for children) the belt will be too close to the neck and can cause more harm than good.

Where is the safest place in the car for a child

For the transportation of children, in addition to a child seat, it is legally allowed to use special adapters that allow you to properly fix a small passenger to ensure his safety. These include special pads on the belt, allowing you to fasten the belt in the correct position. For children under three, a slightly different design is provided with an additional strap, taking into account physiological and age characteristics.

When used correctly, such devices are highly effective and in some cases, in life-threatening cases, are comparable to expensive child seats designed for maximum child safety. In addition to all kinds of pads on the belt that allow you to properly fix the seat belt, there are boosters - a lower stand with handles through which the location of the belt is fixed.

Other aids may also be used to secure the seat belt correctly (away from the child's neck). These include a pillow placed under the child and lifting him higher, as a result of which the belt passes along the chest away from the neck.

The use of any means that allow you to properly fix the belt can save the life of the child in case of dangerous situations. In the absence of a car seat due to the age of the child, or in the event of an unforeseen trip with children in a car without a child seat, it is necessary to fasten the child using any of the above means.

Sign "Child in the car"

Where is the safest place in the car for a child

A sign warning about the presence of a child in a car is not legally required and, in fact, does not bring any efficiency and benefit. Usually it is located on the side of the child seat, in the expectation that it will be able to reduce the likelihood of an accident, although accidents occur in a fraction of a second in most cases and it is unlikely that the driver of a rapidly approaching car will be able to see the sign and respond to it before hitting it, as they want badge owners.

There are also versions that in the event of a serious accident, such a sticker will inform about the child and he will be rescued faster. A more logical option for using such a sign is to notify other road users that the driver of a car with such a sign can be distracted at any time and they should expect unforeseen behavior from the car in front.

How to choose the right child car seat

The car seat must be selected taking into account the age and weight of the child and the attachment system that is available in the car. Child seats with international safety certification are more effective in the event of an accident, but they are noticeably more expensive.

The main requirement for such seats, in addition to proper fastening, is a tight and safe fixation of a small passenger, taking into account his physiological characteristics.

Tips for transporting a child in a car

There is a generally accepted gradation according to weight categories, as well as the location of the car seat depending on weight / age, it functions according to ECE R44 / 04 and according to domestic GOST.

Below is a table of how car seats are divided and secured according to the weight and age of the child.

Where is the safest place in the car for a child

Infants have weak necks and rather large heads (in relation to the body), so they must be placed in a reclining position facing the rear of the car body or perpendicular (depending on age and type of cradle), as in the event of emergency braking or an accident there will be there is no inertial push that can damage a fragile body.

If it is necessary to transport an infant in front (when there is one person in the car in addition to the child and contact with the infant is necessary), it is necessary to turn off the frontal airbag, the operation of which can cause significant harm to the baby, including incompatible with life.

A child of any age is physiologically more prone to injury even during sudden braking, so its transportation should be as safe as possible, for which you should use child seats, strictly according to the age and weight of the child, position them correctly or resort to other special restraints that fix the belt in the correct position . It must be remembered that neglect of the safety of a small passenger can result in serious injury or death.

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