Child safety is one of the most important prerequisites when parents choose a new family car. Car manufacturers are constantly innovating to ensure the safety and comfort of the children, but an essential aspect of safety is the knowledge and skills of parents to use it and to ensure that their child's seat in the car is in good working order on a daily basis. According to a study by Daimler AG general representative in Latvia, SIA “Domenikss”, almost every second child seat in a car is not properly installed, whereas 48 % of children are not properly secured and fastened in their seats.
No matter how exciting the speed and power of state-of-the-art technology is, the top priority of the responsible car maker will always be the customer safety, and especially for the smallest passengers. Child safety in the car is an area where both the car manufacturer and the adults have to be responsible for, by equipping the car with all necessary, and by forming the little person's awareness of road safety,” says Janis Dambitis, product expert at Domenikss adding – security has been a core value of Mercedes-Benz for decades, that is why an in-house accident investigation department was established 50 years ago, and the experience gained over the years is useful when educating customers and encouraging them to drive responsibly.
Baby Seats: just being there is not enough
Whether the child is in the front or rear seat, the baby must not be seated in the car without an age-appropriate seat. But it turns out that having a seat is not enough – in October 2018 a Daimler AG study by business partners-insurers showed that almost every second child seat in the car is not properly installed and that the children are not properly secured in their seats. The main problems are the position of the seat and incorrect seat belt fastening.
“Each manufacturer has developed detailed instructions on how to properly seat the child seat in the car and how to properly seat the small passenger. Adults may think that there is nothing complicated, but it is advisable to make sure that no important detail in the safety instructions is not overlooked. Is the seat secured in the correct direction? Are the seat belts adjusted correctly? Is the airbag function deactivated with the child seat on the front seat next to the driver? These and other issues should definitely be checked before you leave,” says Janis Dambitis. Mercedes-Benz has launched of a new concept child seat with PRE-SAFE® features in 2019, which prescribe that the seat belt tensioner is pre-tensioned before the impact, with the addition of a lateral protection element, besides there are integrated monitoring features for correct installation and for the child's physical condition.
Modern technologies for child safety and comfort
The state-of-the-art baby seats are able to communicate with the driver and report the child's actions on the control panel, to not distract the driver from the road, for example by looking back. “The most up-to-date models have an integrated camera and special sensors that even monitor the baby's temperature, heart rate and breathing to determine when the baby is asleep. It is a particularly useful tool when traveling with babies of up to one and a half years of age on the backseat with their face opposite to the driving direction,” says Janis Dambitis. During the trip the driver receives notifications – "All right", "Baby wakes up" etc., so there is no need for additional mirrors in the cabin, and the driver does not have to turn away from the most important – driving the car safely.
"Although children should be in the car's rear seat, Mercedes-Benz BabySmart Technology is also about the safety of children whose parents let them be in the front seat. This technology provides that, when installing a child seat in the front passenger seat, BabySmart Technology instantly deactivates the front passenger airbags, which are known to pose risks to child safety,” explains Janis Dambitis, reminding that despite these safety features, accident statistics show that the rear seat is much safer for the child.
Safety also outside of the car
Teaching children responsible behavior near the road and in the car is not less important than equipping a car with everything a small passenger needs. “The rules of the road traffic should be learned already from childhood. It can be a fun activity for adults as well – games, books and apps let you teach the basics of how to cross the street correctly and what you can or cannot do when driving,” advises Janis Dambītis and reminds – when pausing for a moment during the journey, care should be taken to ensure that the child does not run along the side of the highway or in the territory of the gas filling station, whereas in a moment, when the small one is capricious, it is not advised to take him out of the seat, if the car is in motion. It is also desirable to explain to the child why it is necessary to fasten the belt and why a specific belt position is vital.
