While safety has been a concern for most of the car buyers, the last few years have seen its importance grow as a primary feature concern which has also been well complemented with the government’s policies making the addition of certain safety features mandatory.
Whenever we talk about the most prominent safety features of the car, we often consider features such as Airbags, ABS, and EBD. At the same time, we neglect the importance of a feature as important as a distinct seat for seating a toddler or a kid safely.
Child Seating
The majority of Indian buyers are not well versed with the concept of child seating but moving forward, a strict emphasis has to be laid on educating the buyers about the same. Though the past couple of years have seen even budget segment cars being offered with ISOFIX child seating, it is not a household term yet.
In India, we often see these toddlers seated on their parent’s lap, which can prove to be very fatal, in case of any unfortunate happening. And if the car happens to be equipped with an airbag and a kid is sitting in the front row, situations can go way worse, purely due to the impact thrust with which airbags open. Thus, the importance of a child seat can be understood by the same. In this article, we will be discussing ISOFIX which is a standardized international child seat fitting system.
How the ISOFIX mounts are different from standard mounts?
It is worth noting that different cars get seats that are distinct in terms of size, design, and shape. Even the seatbelt length and anchorage changes for different models, this is where mounting a child seat becomes a complex task and if they are being made to fit somehow, they are ineffective in securing a child in the desired manner.
ISOFIX ease out this complexity by providing a secure way of attaching child seats in a car. It also eliminates the need for the use of rear seat belts. ISOFIX child mounts get specifically designed fitting points, which may be a metal clip on the rear seat of the car.
Called as the ISOFIX connectors, these stick out on the rear seat and can easily be plugged into a metal clip, providing a firm anchorage for the child seat to be mounted effectively.
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Special Features that child seats get
- These seats also feature an anti-rotational device that keeps the child seat firmly in position, in-case the car rolls over.
- There is a fabric belt that is attached to the top-tether anchor point in the car located either on the boot floor or the seatback of the car.
- The child seat also features a support leg that extends right from the base of the seat to the car’s floor.
How it can be fitted into the car?
- After the selection of the right seat size according to the kid’s age. You need to locate the mounting points in the car. This is rather easily done as the labels are marked on the rear seat and if the user faces some problem, they can refer to the manual.
- ISOFIX connectors are prong shaped extensions on the back of the child seat or its base. These connectors should then be plugged into the ISOFIX connection slots on the car seat. The ‘click’ sound will confirm that the seat has been inserted properly.
- Modern seats and ISOFIX mounts come equipped with color indicators, on the seat getting plugged in successfully, the color of the band changes from red to green.
- Attach the top tethering belt to the designated point in your car. The seats usually get indicators to signify whether or not the tether is secured firmly.
Advantages of using ISOFIX mounts
- Safety tests have proved that they are extremely safe which provides a strong and rigid connection.
- They can be installed easily and there is a very low margin risk of connection going wrong.
- The connection of the child seat to the frame is easy and fast, as it can be plugged easily through a single click.
- Extra strapping on the top and support at the bottom end on seats will ensure that the forward movement of the child is minimized.
