How to use child safety seats correctly

The child restraint systems are devices manufactured for cars in the form of chairs or elevators that ensure the safety of children on the road. The advances experienced in this field in recent years have been remarkable, so that it has been achieved that at least 95 percent of parents in Spain use these protective seats in cars for children.

This high figure is due in part to the influences that the Swedish model, a leading country in child restraint systems SRI for the successful results of their devices, have had in the rest of European countries. In the convention carried out by the Pons and Aesleme Foundation, the characteristics of this model, its differences with respect to those of other countries and a series of techniques that must be taken into account when using SRIs were discussed. How are the following:


Basic advice for the correct use of the SRI

1. Consult the manual. To correctly install the SRI device and ensure its effectiveness, it is essential to consult the vehicle's user manual and the SRI's, as some systems are incompatible.

2. Deactivate the passenger airbag. When SRIs or child safety seats are used in the opposite direction to walking as advised by the Swedish model for children under four years old, it is very important to deactivate the airbag since the objective of going against the march is to prevent the The child will be thrown to the point of impact, but the effect of the airbag would push him towards the chair. The side and roof airbags do not affect the SRI.


3. Respect the weight and / or height of the chairs. Children under four years of age who travel in car seats installed in the opposite direction to the march must respect the limits of weight and height of the same, and in the case that the growth of the child exceeds them, the device must be changed.

4. Use SRI up to 1.50 cm. Although children under 12 years of age with a height equal to or greater than 135 cm are allowed to use the vehicle's safety belts, the use of SRI is recommended until children have reached 150 cm.

5. Change the device. When the child's head protrudes over the backrest of the car safety seat, it will be necessary to change it and move on to a higher group of devices.

6. Place the SRI in the central square of the vehicle. The risk of direct impact on the head is minimized by 90% since in case of accident the child will be retained by the car seat and by the safety belt without colliding with the front seats as would occur if we place the restraint system infant on the sides.


7. Avoid bulky clothing. The heavy and bulky jackets make it difficult to adjust the harness or seatbelt correctly. The perfect adjustment of these also depends on that they are not twisted or bent.

8. When using booster seats or cushions, the horizontal band should rest on the lower part of the hip or the upper part of the thighs. The diagonal band should rest on the clavicle, halfway between the neck and the shoulder.

9. Change the SRI to 10 years of use. The materials and components of the child safety seat lose their properties over time and do not guarantee occupant safety.

Ana Vázquez Recio

Advice: Cristina Barroso, Consultant of Child Retention Systems SRI

Video: How to Correctly use Booster Seats


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