RESULTS

The travel conditions of 431 children have been verified : only 34% of children were correctly restrained;
That means they used correctly a CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM (CRS) adapted to their morphology.

MAIN MISUSES :

Inappropriate use (no child restraint system or system not adapted to the child).
There is incredible to observe today children not restrained, seating on knee of an adulte or simply set with no CRS ! For children beetween age of 3 and 10, parents take out booster seats too soon thereas child morphology requires always the use of a CRS.

Misuse of child seat with the seatbelt.
A lot of seatbelt misuses to fix the child seat to the car was observed : too much loose in the belt, wrong route, seats not fixed !
For infant carrier installed in backward direction, most of parents have a CRS, but only 23% of them were correctly installed : the route of the belt around the child seat was often inverted.

Bad position of the belt to restrain the child.
When the child use a booster seat or simply the seatbelt only (adter the age of 10 years), there is essential to set correctly the seatbelt on tighs in lower part and on shoulder in upper part, in order to restrain correctly the child in case of crash. Unfortunately we have frequently observed that the child, who attache himself, set the seatbelt above the armrest, and/or place under his arm or in his back to avoid friction on the neck.

Harness misuse
Most of CRS with harness had too much loose and some cases of harness not buckled were observed.

ISOFIX SYSTEM : UNKNOWN AND NOT USED !

The ISOfix system allow to install a child seat on rigid car anchorages that improves child seat maintain. This promising system sold since the beginning of years 2000 helps the child seat installation but around 80% of french drivers interviewed didn't know this system, theras half of vehicles observed were equiped. Only 1% of child seats observed were installed with ISOfix system.


FALSE IDEAS

During the study, we heard falses ideas :

« A child seat in backward direction have to be installed in front seat! »
- NO, it's just a possibility but the child seat in backward direction ca be installed in front passager seat or in rear seat (keepin it in backward direction).

« If I turn off the front passenger airbag, all airbags will be turned off ! »
- NO, only the front passenger airbag will be turned off. The front driver airbag and the others keep in function.


SAFETY ADVICES :

Child seat installation is not very easy. Do it during a moment wher you are not stress or in late. The child seat brochure is here to help you, and don't hesitate to ask questions in the sell point.

The seat belt that fix the child seat have to be thight; In case of ISOfix system, verify seat fixations are locked.

Verify before each travel that the child seat is always adapted to morphology of the child transported.

Keep in mind to turn off the airbag (button or key) if you install a backward child seat in front passenger saet. If it's not possible to turn off the front passenger airbag, the child seat have to be installed in rear seat.

Don't see our children higher that they really are. Parents change generally their CRS too fast.

If your child buckle himself his seatbelt, think to verify that he did it correctly.