Volvo’s new-generation child seats
Since as early as the 1960s, Volvo has been the first car maker to actively test child seats in crash tests.
Now, three new child seats have been launched with a focus on design, comfort and convenience while Volvo claims to be a pioneer in child safety with a heritage of development, testing and clear installation and usage guidelines for parents.
“We understand that many people find child safety in cars a complex and sometimes confusing subject. We have focused for many years on communicating clear guidelines around how child seats should be used and the correct way to install them,” says Lotta Jakobsson, Adjunct Professor, PhD and Senior Technical Leader, Injury Prevention at Volvo Cars Safety Centre.
In addition to teaching adults how to correctly install and use a child seat Volvo acknowledges the all too familiar struggle of getting a child to stay in the seat, particularly as the child gets older.
“Our focus is on ensuring that young children travel in the safest manner possible, depending on their size and age. This means rearward-facing up to the age of at least 3 or 4 years and after that with child seats or booster cushions up to 140 cm in height. The safety benefits are unquestionable, yet many parents unwittingly allow their children to sit forward-facing too early. One of the many reasons quoted for this is comfort – the child complains that there is not enough legroom, or is too warm due to the upholstery,” continues Jakobsson.
Made up of 80% wool textile, Volvo Car’s new-generation child seats are smoother to the touch, highly durable and better-performing in both hot and cold climates. The seats also have a slimmer design to increase legroom and overall comfort.
“We believe that children will be more comfortable in our new rearward-facing seat and that this will encourage parents to keep their children rearward-facing for longer. This will have a direct impact on overall child safety and supports Vision 2020, where no one will be killed or seriously injured in a Volvo car by the year 2020,” she adds.
The new seats are designed to suit the needs of children of different ages and sizes:
- Infant sea – rearward-facing (up to 13 kg or 1 year)
- Child seat – rearward-facing for children from 9 months up to 6 years (least 3-4 years as recommended by Volvo)
- Booster seat – forward-facing for children that have outgrown the rearward-facing seat (from 3-10 years old)
The new seats will be available in South Africa from July 2016.
Images supplied.