The safest way for children when traveling by car

(Baonghean.vn) - Sitting alone in the passenger seat, leaning out the sunroof or being held by an adult while traveling in a car all pose dangers to young children when the vehicle is in traffic.

In the event of a collision, adults, who may have been wearing seat belts, are kept in place and protected from injury. However, children, if not in a special seat, often not wearing seat belts, can be thrown from the vehicle or even fall out with serious injuries.

Choose a chair for your baby based on weight and age.

Car seats are common in many countries around the world. And in many places, the law requires children to have their own car seat until a certain age, usually 12.

But in Vietnam, a separate car seat for children is a "rare and hard to find" thing in families with small children. Because car users are not familiar with this minimum safety standard. Children can sit in the back seat or even the front seat, freely move, stand up and sit down, turn left and right without being reminded or forbidden.

Children can also be carried by adults, and even carried in the front passenger seat, facing numerous dangers in the event of even a minor collision.

Where should the baby sit?

In some countries, child car seats are designed according to the child's weight and divided into groups:

Group 0 and 0+: for children under 13 kg, the seat is placed opposite to the direction of the adult and away from the airbag. Because if a collision occurs, the speed and force when the airbag deploys can cause injury. The safest position is in the middle of the back seat.

Group 1:For children from 9 to 18 kg. This type of seat can be placed in the same direction or opposite direction as the person sitting.

Group 2:for children weighing 15 - 25 kg. This group of seats can be adjusted, placed in the same direction as the person sitting, usually has a backrest or armrests.

Group 3:used for children weighing over 22 kg. They do not have a backrest, like a cushion underneath, this type of seat helps raise the child's sitting position to use the car's seat belt.

For children weighing over 36 kg but less than 135 cm tall, group 2 or 3 seats should still be used so that the seat belt works better.

Some points to note

Before choosing a child safety seat, you need to know the type of car and the size of the car seat.

Make sure the child safety seat is installed correctly in the car seat. When installed correctly, the seat should not move more than 2 cm. The seat belt should be fastened tight enough to reach across the knees and below the shoulders.

For children under 1 year old, when the car seat is placed facing backwards, you need to recline the seat to avoid the baby's head folding forward because at this age the baby's neck bones are not yet stable.

While the vehicle is in motion, the safety seat handles must be pushed down and secured.

To avoid crushing the baby by the seat belt, you should use a thin pillow or towel to wrap around the baby.

To ensure the safety of children in cars, equipping car seats for children is essential.

In addition, adults need to pay attention to the following to ensure the safety of young children:

Before departure, check that the child seat is securely installed.

Check the seat belt, if it is too loose, shorten it to fit the child. If the seat belt is still loose, you can add a cushion for the child to help him sit more securely.

Lock the car doors before moving to prevent naughty children from opening the car doors unexpectedly.

Do not place large and heavy objects, especially in the back seat or on the luggage rack, as they may be thrown forward and cause injury to children or other passengers in the event of an accident. Large and heavy objects should be placed in the trunk.

Do not leave children alone in a car seat because they may accidentally injure themselves or wrap the seat belt around their neck, leading to suffocation.

Never let your child sit on the driver's lap because the child may be naughty and distract the driver or affect the steering wheel or cause an obstacle when the driver needs to handle the situation. In addition, letting your child sit on the driver's lap is the cause of many child deaths in accidents./.

Ngoc Anh

(Synthetic)