When the Christmas and Easter holidays approach and especially when the heat begins to show signs of life and many families begin to organize their summer vacations, many newspapers, general information websites and social media profiles begin to give general advice when traveling: check the route well before leaving, have the car ready in all its technical aspects, wear comfortable clothes, stop every 2 hours, always drive rested, etc. But in general, few insist on very important aspects related to child safety, and since at Asalvo we are dedicated to baby and childcare products, we are going to emphasize some aspects that you cannot ignore when traveling with children.
- The first thing we are going to tell you may be very obvious, but it must be said: ALL CHILDREN LESS THAN 135 CM IN HEIGHT MUST TRAVEL IN APPROVED CHILD RETENTION SYSTEMS (CRS). Just because it is obvious, we should not forget it. The car seat or CRS your child travels with must be approved with regulation R-44/04 or regulation R-129 (also called I-size regulation). There are many dads and moms who have older children and who bought a quality chair at the time, or that a family member has lent them, and who continue to use these chairs “because when I bought it they told me it was the best chair on the market.” Surely in its time it was, and we do not doubt it, but the requirements that the approval bodies ask of car seats today are not the same as 15 years ago. Furthermore, you must take into account not only the approval, but also the useful life of a chair: chairs are not eternal and the manufacturers themselves speak of an average life of no more than 8-10 years.
- You already know that your car seat complies with current regulations and that all the safety elements it has have not deteriorated over time. Well, now you should know that this CAR SEAT SHOULD NOT GO IN THE FRONT SEAT UNLESS ONE OF THESE THREE CIRCUMSTANCES OCCUR: that your car is a two-seater and therefore there are no rear seats, that all the rear seats are occupied by other CRS or that, even if there is a free rear seat, there is no space for a third seat.
- Is it enough that the car seat is approved and placed in the appropriate seats to guarantee the safety of the little ones? Well the answer is simple: no. IT IS VERY FREQUENT TO FIND POORLY INSTALLED CAR SEATS. When you buy the car seat, make sure it can be installed in your car and that the installation is explained well. A poorly installed chair is not a safe chair, no matter how high quality it is. It is not unusual to see seats whose installation is only with the ISOFIX system, held “as best as possible” with the vehicle's 3-point belt, nor is it unusual to see seats that must use the top teether, without it in use. If you have any questions about installing your car seat, consult the instructions and ask the store, both physical and online, where you purchased it, so they can give you a hand. Are you going to put the life of what you love most in danger by not asking a question before traveling?
- Although there is increasing awareness about this, try to ensure that CHILDREN TRAVEL REAR-FACING as much as possible. We have already talked about this on several occasions, but we will not tire of repeating it to you: counter-steering SAVES LIVES. Do not put criteria such as fun or comfort before SAFETY.
- When you travel with children we already know that all the space we have is little, due to the amount of things we carry, mainly for them. A VERY FREQUENT MISTAKE THAT IS MADE IS CARRYING LOOSE OBJECTS IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT IN WHICH THE CHILD TRAVELS, that is, not in the trunk or luggage rack. It is a very very dangerous matter, due to an effect similar to what the DGT calls elephant effect: In the event of an impact, objects traveling loose in the vehicle become projectiles, and the force generated by their impact is the same as that exerted by an object with a mass 40 or 50 times greater. So, before traveling, optimize the space well and make sure everything fits in the trunk. If this is not possible, properly tie or secure whatever does not fit.
Many of the press or website articles with travel advice do insist on the importance of other aspects related to traveling with children. Of course here we also want to remind you that it is important that not only adults wear comfortable clothes and rest on the trip: children should also travel comfortably, resting and getting out of the car, at least every 2 hours, both to stretch their legs in the case of older children, and to change position and get some fresh air. And if the trip is long, also think about games or activities that make the trip more pleasant for everyone.
All of the above aspects also entail financial fines and in some cases withdrawal of points, but, although important, the fine is not the most important thing. Do not conceive either the car seat itself or its installation as a REMOVER but as a LIFE SAVER. There is no criterion that you can put before SAFETY. As we have told you on other occasions, it is in the car and when traveling where your baby is most vulnerable and it is up to all of us as a society to protect the most vulnerable: you as a father or mother, those of us who professionally dedicate ourselves to this world of baby items, those who legislate and those who ensure that the laws intended to protect them are complied with.
In this blog we are here to help you, to advise you and to make everything related to your children easier. And we want to constantly remind you of everything, but especially if we talk about SECURITY.
