What are ISOFIX child seats? How to use them?
It is a common sight to watch a family travelling with their newborn(s) in a car. We have often heard buyers talking about Global NCAP ratings, airbags, braking & traction and other features. The buyers, however, tend to overlook the fact that their toddlers are still not completely protected despite having airbag-equipped cars. That’s when ISOFIX child seats come into the picture. In this article, we will discuss ISOFIX child seats as well as throw light on their importance.
Why ISOFIX?
International Standards Organisational Fix (ISOFIX), essentially, is a standardised international child seat fitting system. This was introduced because a standard seat belt cannot hold a toddler in case of an accident. Keeping this in mind, ISOFIX was made available in most of the cars sold internationally, from 2006 onwards. The ISOFIX child seat provides maximum comfort and safety for your child at the back.
Easy to set-up
ISOFIX car seats and child seats have specially designed fitting points. In the case of the car seat, it may be a metal clip that will be located at the base of the seat of the car. While, in the case of the child seat, there are ISOFIX connectors, which are essentially two prongs sticking out of the back. These connectors click into the metal clip in the car’s seat.
Usually, a fabric belt attaches to the top-tether anchor point in your car located either in the boot floor or the seatback of your car, providing a secure anchorage to the child seat. This setup ensures total safety by minimizing the impact on the child. Once you have selected the right seat for your little one, the process of fitting it to your car’s ISOFIX points gets easier.
Rear seats are the safest
Although it is permitted to travel with a child seat placed at the front, studies suggest that only 8% of children under four years of age in a rear-facing car seat are minorly injured in accidents, whereas 40% in a forward-facing car seat sustained injuries. However, it is best to keep your child in the back seat in order to safeguard them.
ISOFIX seats in Indian cars
Considering safety systems in our vehicles, ISOFIX child seats are not regarded as a necessity. With that being said, we are slowly witnessing the ISOFIX feature in many compact and mid-size segments of cars. As of now, there has been no official law passed regarding this safety feature. ABS is about to feature in all standard variants in all cars in India, we can hope that the Government of India makes ISOFIX seats mandatory in all cars at the earliest.
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