Impact Protection

When you realize just how vulnerable child passengers can be, you readily understand just how important the legislation on child car seats is. Impact protection is key.

Children’s skulls are considerably less rugged than our hard headed adult noggins. Of course they’re more malleable too, to accommodate the extraordinary growth process that’ll take place over the next few years. That means that any kind of impact, no matter how slight can have a severe impact on the skull and on the brain itself.

Not only that, but at birth, a baby is just three quarters body and one whole one quarter head. His or her body still has a lot of catching up to do with the cranium, so that makes for a big vulnerable target in a crash.

Similarly the chest wall and pelvis are under developed and equally malleable. Bear in mind the body will keep on growing throughout childhood; bones don’t even reach full hardness until the age of six or seven. So again the slightest impact in a crash could cause critical damage to the internal organs. And what do you think could exacerbate the impact of a crash? A three point adult seatbelt.

The only way to protect your children against injury and let’s face it, death, is to install the appropriate baby seats, child seats, booster seats and booster cushions.

For very young infants, weighing up to 12 or 13kg, rear facing seats afford maximum protection. The seat itself helps cushion the body against the impact, while the safety harness helps secure the child and disperse the forces of impact over a wider area.

For older children, booster seats and booster cushions elevate the child, so that he or she adopts the appropriate position and posture to use adult seatbelts safely. The seats also provide impact protection, particularly in case of side impact.

Utilise the appropriate restraints and protect your child from the impact itself - and from the repercussions associated with ill fitting seatbelts. After all, it’s not just the crash that can harm you…