child safety in cars - rsa.ie car seat... · 3 types of child seats 6-7 fitting child seats 8 using...

CHILD SAFETY IN CARS CHILD SAFETCHILD SAFETCHILD SAFETY IN CARSY IN CARSY IN CARS

Údarás Um Shábháilteacht Ar BhóithreRoad Safety AuthorityPáircGhnóGhleannnaMuaidhe,CnocantSabhaircín,BótharBhaileÁthaCliath,BéalanÁtha,Co.MhaighEoMoyValleyBusinessPark,PrimroseHill,DublinRoad,Ballina,Co.Mayolocall:1890506080tel:(096)25000fax:(096)25252email:[email protected]:www.rsa.ie

DesignedbyDaveCurranDesignandPrintedbyColorman2012

A Guide to Selecting andFitting Child Restraints

22593 RSA Child Safety Cov 2012.indd 2-3 20/02/2012 17:21

Unattended Children in a Vehicle

• Infantsoryoungchildrenshouldneverbeleftunattendedinamotorvehicle.

Avarietyofhazardscanarise,evenifyouareabsentforashortduration.

• Suchhazardsincludeanoutbreakoffire,breathingproblemsonwarmdaysandaccidental

trappingofchildreninelectronicallyoperatedwindows.

• Alwaysremovetheignitionkeywhenthevehicleisnotinuse.

• Forfurtherinformationonchildsafetyincarsseewww.rsa.ie/childsafetyincars

acknowledgements

TheRoadSafetyAuthoritywouldliketothankRoSPA(TheRoyalSocietyforthePreventionof

Accidents)foritspermissiontoreproduceextractsandimagesfromtheirchildcarseatswebsite

www.childcarseats.org.uk

ThanksalsotoJimEllis,DepartmentofTransport,Dr.AlfNicholson,OurLadyofLourdes

Hospital,Drogheda,theGardaNationalTrafficBureau,TonyKealy,ofTonyKealy’sBaby

Shop,Walkinstown,Dublin.

AllinformationpicturesandtextinthisbookletisthecopyrightoftheRoyalSocietyforthePreventionofAccidents(RoSPA)ortheRoadSafetyAuthority(RSA).Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedwithoutpriorpermission.RequestsforpermissionshouldbedirectedtotheRSA([email protected])andRoSPA([email protected]).

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Key Points

• wheresafetybeltshavebeenfittedtheymustbeworn,

• childrenunder3yearsofagemaynottravelinacarorgoodsvehicle(otherthanataxi)

unlessrestrainedinachildcarseat,

• childrenaged3yearsoroverwhoareunder150centimetresinheightandweighingless

than36kilograms(i.e.generallychildrenupto11/12yearsofage)mustusean

appropriatechildcarseatwhentravellingincarsorgoodsvehiclesfittedwithsafetybelts,

• childrenover3yearsofagemusttravelinarearseatinvehiclesnotfittedwith

safetybelts,

• rear-facingchildcarseatsmustnotbeusedinseatsprotectedwithanactivefrontal

air-bag,andchildrestraintsmustbeinaccordancewithEUorUnitedNations-Economic

CommissionforEurope(UN-ECE)standards(lookfortheEmark)

• Drivershavealegalresponsibilitytoensurepassengersagedunder17are

appropriatelyrestrained

• Readthisbookletforadviceonchoosingtherightchildcarseatforyourchildorcontact

theRoadSafetyAuthoritytogetacopyofafreeDVDonfittingchildcarseats

Thisbookletisintendedasageneralguideinhelpingyouchoosetheappropriaterestraintforyourchildorchildren.Itisnotaninterpretationofthelaw ©October2009


CHILD SAFETY IN CARS CHILD SAFETCHILD SAFETCHILD SAFETY IN CARSY IN CARSY IN CARS

Údarás Um Shábháilteacht Ar BhóithreRoad Safety AuthorityPáircGhnóGhleannnaMuaidhe,CnocantSabhaircín,BótharBhaileÁthaCliath,BéalanÁtha,Co.MhaighEoMoyValleyBusinessPark,PrimroseHill,DublinRoad,Ballina,Co.Mayolocall:1890506080tel:(096)25000fax:(096)25252email:[email protected]:www.rsa.ie

DesignedbyDaveCurranDesignandPrintedbyColorman2012

A Guide to Selecting andFitting Child Restraints


Contents

2 Introduction

3 TypesofChildSeats

6-7 FittingChildSeats

8 UsingChildSeats

8-9 BuyingaChildSeat

10 ProblemBehaviour?

11 SafetyBeltWearingDuringPregnancy

12 PrematureandLowBirthWeightBabies

12 ChoosingaFamilyCar

13 UnattendedChildreninaVehicle

1

22593 RSA Child Safety Ins 2012.indd 1 23/02/2012 12:16

2

Introduction

Childrenarethemostvulnerablemembersofoursocietyandno

parentorguardianwouldknowinglyputtheirchild’slifeindanger.

Howeveranastonishingnumberofparentsallowtheirchildrentotravelunrestrainedinvehicles,

placingtheirlivesandsafetyinperil.

Researchintochildcarpassengerfatalitiesintheperiod1997to2009revealsthat30%ofchild

fatalitieswerefoundnottohavebeenusingachildrestraintorsafetybelt*.

Inacrashatjust50km/h(30mph),anunrestrainedchildwouldbethrownforwardwithaforce30

to60timestheirbodyweight.Theywouldbethrownaboutinsidethevehicle,injuringthemselves

andquitepossiblyseriouslyinjuringorevenkillingotherpeopleinsidethevehicle.

Theyarealsolikelytobeejectedfromthecarthroughoneofthewindows.

Itisnotsafetoholdachildonyourlap.Inacrash,thechildcouldbecrushedbetweenyourbody

andpartofthecar’sinterior.Evenifyouareusingasafetybelt,thechildwouldbetornfromyour

arms-youwouldnotbeabletoholdontothem,nomatterhowhardyoutry.Itisalsodangerous

toputasafetybeltaroundyourselfandachild(oraroundtwochildren).Thesafestwayforchil-

drentotravelincarsisinachildseatthatissuitablefortheirweightandheight.

Sincethe25thAugust,2003driversfaceupto4penaltypointsandafineofupto€800if

convictedincourtforafailuretoobservethelegalobligationswithrespecttothewearingof

safetybeltsandchildrestraints.

* Child Casualty Report, 1997 – 2009, Road Safety Authority


Types of Child Seats

Aproperlyfittedchildrestraintkeepsthechildintheirseat,preventingthemfrombeingthrown

aboutinsideorejectedfromthevehicle.Italsoabsorbssomeoftheimpactforce.Thismeans

thatyourchildismuchlesslikelytobekilledorinjuredinacrash.Anappropriatechildrestraintis

onewhich:

• ConformstotheUnitedNationstandard,ECERegulation44-03

orlaterversionofthestandard,44.04(lookfortheEmark).

• issuitableforthechild’sweightandheight.

• iscorrectlyfittedaccordingtothemanufacturer’sinstructions.

Childrestraintsaredividedintocategories,accordingtotheweightofthechildrenforwhomthey

aresuitable.Thesecorrespondbroadlytodifferentagegroups,but it is the weight of the child that

is most important when deciding what type of child restraint to use.

Retailersoftendescribechildrestraintsintermsof‘Stages’

Stage1=Groups0and0+ Stage2=Group1 Stage3=Group2 Stage4=Group3

Type of restraint Weight Range Approx Age range

Groups 0

Rearward-facing baby seat For babies up to 10 kgs (22 lbs) birth to 6-9 months

Groups 0+

Rearward-facing baby seat For babies up to 13kg (29lbs) birth to 12-15 months

Group 1

Forward-facing child seat 9-18 kgs (20-40 lbs) 9 months - 4 years

Group 2

Booster seat 15 - 25 kgs (33 - 55 lbs) 4 to 6 years

Group 3

Booster cushion 22 - 36 kgs (48 - 79 lbs) 6 - 11/12 years

3


Somechildrestraintsarecapableofbeingconvertedasthechildgrowsand,therefore,fitinto

morethanonegrouporstage.Themaintypesare:

Rearward-facing Baby SeatsGroup 0 forbabiesupto10kgs(22lbs)roughlyfrombirthto6-9months,orGroup0+forbabiesup

to13kg(29lbs)roughlyfrombirthto12-15months.Theycanbeusedinthefrontorrearofthecar.

Itissafertoputthemintherear.

Never put them in the front passenger seat if there is a passenger airbag!

Rearward-facingseatsprovidegreaterprotectionforthebaby’shead,neckandspinethan

forward-facingseats.So,itisbesttokeepyourbabyinarearward-facingseatforaslongas

possible.Onlymovethemtoaforward-facingseatoncetheyhaveexceededthemaximumweight

forthebabyseat,orthetopoftheirheadishigherthanthetopoftheseat.

Forward-facing child seatGroup 1 forchildrenweighing9-18kgs

(20-40lbs)roughlyfrom9months–4years

Onlymoveyourchildtoaboosterseatoncetheyhaveexceededthemaximumweightforthechild

seat,orthetopoftheirheadishigherthanthetopoftheseat.

Booster seat Group 2forchildrenweighing15–25kgs

(33–55lbs)roughly4to6years

SomeBoosterseatsaredesignedtobeconvertedintoa

boostercushionbydetachingthebackrest.

4


Booster Cushion Group 3forchildrenweighing22–36kgs(48–79lbs)roughlyfrom6–11/12years.

Boosterseatsandboostercushionsdonothaveanintegralharnesstoholdthechildinplace.

Theadultsafetybeltgoesaroundthechildandtheseat.Soitisimportantthatthesafetybeltis

correctlyadjusted.

Safety BeltsSafetybeltsaredesignedforpeople150cms(about5ft)andtaller.Don’tletyourchildgraduateto

usingthesafetybelttoosoon.Childrenareusuallybigenoughtousethesafetybeltbythetime

theyareabout11yearsold,althoughthisvariesfromchildtochild.Three-pointsafetybelts(lap

anddiagonal)providegreaterprotectionthanlapbelts.However,lapbeltsarefarbetterthanno

beltatall.Thelapbeltshouldbeplacedoverthepelvis(fromhip-bonetohip-bone),notthestom-

achandwornastightaspossible.

The basic points to note are:

• the belt should be worn as tight as possible

• the lap belt should go over the pelvic region, not the stomach

• the diagonal strap should rest over the shoulder, not the neck.

5


Fitting Child Seats

Ifyouusethechildseatinmorethanonecar,followtheadvicebelowforeachcar.It’ssafertofit

childseatsintherearofthecar,butifnecessarytheycanbefittedinthefront.But,NEVERfita

rearward-facingbabyseatinthefrontifthereisanairbagonthepassengersideofthecar.Ifthe

airbagwentoffitwouldstriketheseatwithconsiderableforce.

NEVER fit a rearward-facing baby seat in the front if there is a passenger airbag

Readandfollowthemanufacturer’sinstructionsforfittingtheseat.Ifyouhavelosttheinstruc-

tions,contactthechildseatmanufacturertocheckiftheycanprovideacopy.

The child seat should rest firmly on the car seat, with hardly any forwards or sideways movement.

Makesurethesafetybeltpassesthroughallthecorrectguidesonthechildseat.Someseatshave

analternativeroutingifthesafetybeltistooshorttogoaroundthemainroute.

Check that the safety belt buckle is not resting on the child seat frame

(this is known as ‘buckle crunch’).

6


Push your weight into the child seat as you tighten the safety belt to make sure the child seat is

securely held. There should be no slack in the safety belt.

Keep the fitting instructions with the child seat in the car. If you are unsure about anything, seek

advice and get a professional to check the fitting of the child seat for you.

Never modify the seat or adult safety belt to make it fit.

If you are fitting a forward-facing child seat in the front of a car, make sure the car seat is as far

back as it will go, so the child is as far as possible from the dashboard. This reduces the possibility

of head or chest injuries in a crash.

If you take the child seat out of the car, make sure you fit it properly every time you put it back in.

If it stays in the car permanently, check it regularly to make sure it is still securely held.

To be effective, child restraints must be fitted and used correctly. Surveys have consistently

shown that a high proportion of child restraints are incorrectly fitted, usually for one or more of

these reasons:

• Safety belt too loose

• Safety belt not routed through child seat correctly

• Buckle crunch (buckle resting against part of the child seat’s frame, which means that in a crash it might break or snap open)

• Handle on baby seat not positioned properly

• Child seat not compatible with car

• Child seat old and in bad condition

• Child too large or too small for the seat they are using.

7


Using Child Seats

Yourchildshouldusethechildseatforeverysingle

journey,nomatterhowshort.Taketimetogetthe

childcomfortablystrappedin.Makesuretheseat’s

harness(ifithasone)iscorrectlyadjustedforyour

child.Itshouldbequitetight,sothatonlyoneortwo

fingerscanfitbetweenthechild’schestandharness.

Clothingcanaffecthowsnuglytheharnessfits,so

checkiteveryjourney.Theharnessbuckleshouldnot

restoverthechild’stummy.Ifyouareusingabooster

seatorcushion,theadultsafetybeltrestrainsboththe

childandtheseatorcushion.

Nevertuckthesafetybeltunderthechild’sarmorbehindtheirback.Somechildrengothrougha

phaseofslippingoutoftheharnessorreleasingthebuckle.Butdonotmodifythebuckleto

preventthis;youmightaffectthequickreleasemechanism.

Always set a good example by wearing your safety belt.

Buying a Child Seat

Whenchoosinganewchildseat,itisessentialtoensurethatitfitsinyourcar(orcarsifyouuseit

inmorethanone)andissuitableforyourchild.Usethischecklisttohelpyouselectthechildseat

thatismostsuitableforyourchildandyourvehicle(s).

Is the child seat suitable for my child?Itisessentialthatthechildrestraintissuitableforyourchild.Checkthepackagingbeforeyoubuy.

Is the Child Seat suitable for my car(s)?Theshapeofcarseats,thelengthofsafetybeltsandthepositionofsafetybeltanchorpointsdiffer

betweencars.So,notallchildseatsfitallcars.Forinstance,thesafetybeltinaparticularcarmay

betooshorttogoaroundacertainchildseat.Itisessentialtocheckthatthechildseatyou

purchasewillfitinyourcarandthatitwillfitinalltheseatpositionsyouintendtouseit.

Themanufacturerandretailershouldadviseyou.

8


How helpful is the Retailer?Someretailersareveryknowledgeableaboutchildrestraints,othersarenot.Trytofindaretailer

whowillletyoutrytheseatinyourcarfirstandwhowilldemonstratehowitshouldbefitted.

Ifthisisnotpossible,makesureyoucanreturntheseatifitisnotsuitable.

Does the seat meet the latest safety Standard?Checkthattheseatyouarebuyingmeetsthelatestsafetystandard:ECERegulation44-03orlater

standard44-04(lookfortheEmark).

Does my car have airbags?Ifyourcarhasanairbaginthefrontonthepassenger’sside,youmustnotusearearward-facing

seatinthefront.Somakesuretheseatwillfitintherearofyourcar.

Are the Instructions easy to understand and follow?Manypeoplefindfittingchildseatsdifficult.Themostimportantthingistoreadandfollowthe

manufacturer’sinstructions.Someinstructionbookletsareclearlywrittenandwellillustrated.

Othersaredifficulttounderstandanduse.Asktoseetheinstructionbookletbeforeyoubuy.

ISOFIXAnewchildrestraintsystemcalledISOFIXisbeingintroduced.ISOFIXpointsarefixedconnectors

inacar’sstructureintowhichanISOFIXchildseatcansimplybeplugged.Manynewvehicleshave

ISOFIXpointsbuiltinwhentheyaremanufactured,andchildseatmanufacturersarebeginningto

produceISOFIXchildseatswhichhavebeenapprovedforuseinspecificcarmodels.

CheckthattheISOFIXchildseatwillfitthevehicle(s)inwhichitisbeingused.Askwhetheran

additionaltoptetherontheseatisneeded.Someseatshavea‘foot’thatextendstothevehicle

floor,inwhichcasecheckitdoesnotrestonthecoverofanunderfloorcompartment.

Second-hand Child Restraints Thebestadviceisnottobuyoruseasecond-handchildseat.Youcannotbecertainofitshistory.

Itmayhavebeeninvolvedinacrashandthedamagemaynotbevisible.Veryoftentheinstructions

aremissingfromsecond-handseatswhichmakesitmoredifficulttobesurethatyouarefitting

andusingitcorrectly.Second-handseatsarealsolikelytobeolder,tohavesufferedmorewearand

tearandmaynotbedesignedtocurrentsafetystandards.Itisfarbettertobuyanewchildseat.

Pricesvaryanditisnotnecessarytobuythemostexpensiveone.Ifyoumustuseasecond-hand

seat,onlyacceptonefromafamilymemberorfriend(don’tbuyonefromasecond-handshopor

throughtheclassifiedads)andthenonlyifyouareabsolutelycertainthatyouknowitshistory,

itcomeswiththeoriginalinstructionsanditisnottooold.

Replacing a Child Seat After a CrashAchildcarseatthatwasinacarthathasbeeninvolvedinancrashshouldbereplaced,evenif

thereisnovisibledamage.Itispossiblethatitwillhavebeenweakenedtosuchanextentthatit

willnotprovidethesamelevelofprotectioninanothercrash.

9


Problem Behaviour ?

Somechildrengothroughaphaseofconstantlyslippingoutofthechildseatharnessorsafety

belt,orreleasingthebuckle,duringjourneys.Thisisextremelyworryingforparentsandvery

frustrating–onceachildhaslearnthowtodothis,itisverydifficulttostopthem.Thegoodnews

isthatitusuallyseemstobeaphasewhichtheygrowoutof.

Thefollowingpointsmayhelptostopyourchildundoingtheirsafetybelt:

• EnsurethechildknowsWHYtheyarerequiredtowearasafetybelt,i.e.itkeepsthem

safefromharm.

• Dependingontheageofthechild,make‘doingupthebelt’intoachantorsong,which

thechildwillenjoyparticipatingin.

• Showthechildthatyouhavetowearasafetybeltalso–perhapsyoucanbothsingor

chantasyouaredoingupyourownbelttoo.

• Donotstarttheengineuntilyouaresurethatthechildiswearingasafetybeltcorrectly

ANDthatyourbeltiscorrectlyfastened(perhapsthiscouldformpartofagamealso

–askthechildifeveryoneinthecarisbeltedupandwhetherit’sOKtodriveoff).

• Ifpossible(e.g.onaleisuretrip,oratriptofriends),tellthechildthatyoucannottake

themiftheirbeltisnotdoneup–asyoudon’twantanyharmtocometothem.

• Ifthechildundoesthebeltduringthejourney,pulloverassoonasitissafetodosoand

repeatthatthebeltmustbedoneuptosavethemfrombeinghurt.

• Ifthechildrepeatedlyunfastensthesafetybeltbecausetheyarerestlessandbored,

distractthemby‘I-Spy’gamesthroughthewindows,songswhichtheyareabletojoin

inwith,toysandgamesthattheyareabletoplaywithinthecar.Pleaseremember

thoughthatitismostimportantforthedriverNOTtobedistractedbytheseactivities.

ThemostimportantthingtorememberistobeCONSISTENT.ALWAYSinsistthatyourchildis

wearingasafetybelt.DONOTgiveinbylettingthechildtravelwithoutasafetybeltbeing

fastenedsafelyaroundthem–notonlyareyoulegallyrequiredtodothis,butyouwillbeplacing

yourchildatriskofseriousinjuryordeathifyourvehicleisinvolvedinacrash.Itwillalsobemore

difficulttoinsistthatthechildwearstheirsafetybeltnexttimetheyareinthecar.

10


Safety Belt Wearing During Pregnancy

Pregnancy,otherthanwhenthesubjectofamedicalexemption,doesnotofitselfprovidean

exemptionfromthelawinrelationtousingasafetybelt.

Thesafestwayforpregnantwomentowearasafetybeltisto:

• Placethediagonalstrapbetweenthebreasts(overthebreastbone)withthestrapresting

overtheshoulder,nottheneck.

• Placethelapbeltflatonthethighs,fittingcomfortablybeneaththeenlargedabdomen,

andoverthepelvis,notthebump.

• Thebeltshouldbewornastightaspossible.Inthiswaytheforcesappliedinasudden

impactcanbeabsorbedbythebody’sframe.

Itisnotadvisabletowear‘Lap-only-Belts’asopposedtolapanddiagonalbeltsastheyhavebeen

showntocausegraveinjuriestounbornchildrenintheeventofsuddendeceleration.

Motherandunbornchildarebothmuchsaferinacollisionifalapanddiagonalsafetybeltisbeing

worncorrectly.

11


Premature and Low Birth Weight Babies

ResearchintheUSAindicatesthatprematureandlow-birthweightbabiescanbesusceptibleto

breathingproblemsiftheystayinababyseatforlongperiods.

Itwasfoundthatsomenewbornbabiesdevelopedbreathingproblemsafteronehourinthebaby

seatandsomeprematurebabiesstoppedbreathingforashortperiod.

Ifyouhaveaprematureorlow-birthweightbaby:

• Askthehospitaltoassesswhetheritissafeforthebabytotravelinababyseat

beforeyouaredischarged.

• Donotkeepthebabyintheseatforlongerthannecessaryandkeepcartraveltoa

minimuminthefirstfewmonths.

• Reclinethebabyseatasmuchaspossiblewheninthecar(makingsureyoufollowthe

manufacturer’sinstructionsforfittingandusingit).

• Neverleavethechildunattendedintheseat.Trytohavesomeoneelsedothedriving,

soyoucansitnexttothebabytokeepaneyeonhimorher.

• Onlyusethebabyseatinthevehicleandnotonanintegratedtravelsystemorfor

activitieswhichincludefeedingorsleeping.

• Ifinanydoubt,consultthehospitaloryourGP.

Choosing a Family Car

Ifyouareconsideringbuyinganewcarforthefamilyyoushouldexaminecloselyinformation

regardingthesafetyperformanceofindividualcarmodels.

OnesuchsourceisEuroNCAP.Itprovidesmotoringconsumerswitharealisticandindependent

assessmentofthesafetyperformanceofsomeofthemostpopularcarssoldinEurope.

Informationcanbefoundat:

www.euroncap.com

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