Teach children how to ride safely in the car

For parents, the health of their children always has priority. That also goes for car transfers: parents of small children often find out which seat they need for this. And in the purchase and use of these it is easy for mistakes to occur.

According to experts, approximately half of children are not properly secured in the carTherefore, in the event of an accident, they would not be well protected.

How can you measure the quality of a child car seat? The expert Reiner Metzger says: visually and from the price you can’t tell the good seats from the bad ones. Therefore, he suggests, parents should invest some time to educate themselves well in advance.

They can be guided, for example, by the tests that are regularly carried out by responsible entities. These analyze the behavior of the product in the event of a side or frontal crash, handling, adaptation to body size, ergonomics and its polluting load.

Since in most countries children must be properly secured in the car until their twelfth year of life or until they measure 1.50 metersIn general, parents buy between two and three seats for their little ones.

It begins with the so-called ‘nest’ or ‘egg’ chair, for the first 15 months, approximately, followed by the seat until the age of 4, and ends with the model for older children. Too there are folding seats or seats that adapt to the growth of the infant and that can be modified according to the needs.

Andreas Ratzek, from the Automobile Club of Germany, has some advice for parents: get good advice and take both the car and the child with you at the time of purchase. As project manager of the vehicle safety section, he regularly examines child seats in depth and knows the defects of some models.

Since they are so different, not every seat will fit every car. It helps, according to Ratzek, ask to be shown how to handle it when you are buying it. An oversight in the way of securing the seat can cost the life of the child, in the worst case.

For this reason, the ADAC developed a list of things to consider and control, to assist parents in the purchase. Among others, they should pay attention to these points:

– The seat should fit the vehicle firmly and stably. In the case of older cars, longer seat belts may interfere at this point.

– The belts should be as straight and taut as possible.

– Does it reach the length of the seat belt to secure the seat? If not, one should have a separate Isofix anchor.

– On models for older children, the belt should rewind automatically even when the child leans forward.

– Attention: not all seats are suitable for all cars. Those with semi-universal approval, including all those with kickstands, usually come with a list of appropriate car types and models.

Despite the fact that, according to Andreas Ratzek, manufacturers are constantly simplifying driving, surveys show that almost one in two children is not properly restrained in the car because parents became negligent in downplaying it with the passage of time and use.

The expert emphasizes that the belts have to be well adjusted, yes or yes. You must not be able to pass a hand between the belt and the child, according to the parameter established by the German consumer advisory organization Stiftung Warentest. On the other hand, the belt should not go over the child’s neck.

Teach older children basic safety belt rules

• The seat belt is fastened at all times. It doesn’t matter how short the journey is; Even if it’s just around the corner, you have to button it up. This is very important because if the car you are traveling in were to have an accident, the seat belt would keep you in your seat. Even if the car is moving very slowly, the child could be thrown if the seat belt is not properly fastened.
• The seat belt must be correctly fastened. The waistband (lower) should sit low and fit snugly across the top of the hips. It should never go over the upper half of the belly. The shoulder (upper) band should fit snugly across the chest and shoulder, but never go under the arm or across the neck or face.
• Sometimes it is necessary to adjust the length of the seat belt to fit a child well, that is, you have to ask an adult to check if the belt is snug.
• Riding in a friend’s or family member’s car is not an excuse for not wearing your seatbelt. Even if a friend or parents don’t wear it, the child should always fasten theirs. Y never share the same belt with a friend; It might look like fun, but they would hurt each other in the event of an accident.
• Children up to 12 years old go in the back seats. This is the safest place. If a car with an airbag crashes, the airbags They pop out of the inside of the steering wheel and dash and inflate like big balloons. Although airbags have saved the lives of many adults, children as young as 12 should never sit in the front seats of a car with airbags. These cushions are made to protect the body of a larger person and, when opened, could injure or suffocate a child.
• If there is no other option but to sit in front, the seat belt is still mandatory. The seat should be pulled back as far as it will go.so that the child is as far away as possible from the airbag. And keep your back on the back of the seat; do not lean forward or turn or move.
• Everyone in the back seat must buckle up and not play or make a row. It can be difficult for the driver to concentrate on driving and see what is happening outside if the children are jumping around in the back. Bottom line: it can be dangerous and everyone could get hurt. (F)