Top 5 child safety features that every Indian family car should have

by Vivaan Khatri | 04/07/2018
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Having kids inside the car might require further safety features to prevent their wild behaviors from causing serious accidents or getting hurt by car crashes.

Safety is one of the biggest concerns in the car purchasing progress. And each of the safety functions could work differently for adult and children. One prime example is the use of airbags. It could save the life of an adult however, the force of the airbags is actually harmful to kids. It’s why the manufacturers have put effort into developing the whole range of safety features which are able to protect the kid passengers.

The following part will list out the most common and basic child safety features that parents should take into consideration when searching for a new car.

1. Seatbelts

seatbelt child safety feature

Seatbelts for kids are the most important child safety features

Seatbelts are a standard safety feature for every single car. However, the regular seatbelts are not designed with children in mind. Therefore, the seat belts alone could not properly work for children and there is the need for specific modification or addition to make them suitable for kids. Child seats are commonly used to fix this problem. And in some cars, LATCH or Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children is provided to allow easily installment of the child seats. Another name for LATCH is ISOFIX. LATCH or ISOFIX requires suitable attachment points for children, which makes it easier and quicker to set the child seat.

It is also important to have both of shoulder and seat belts at the rear bench where the kids usually sit, which will benefit the children’s safety. You also need to put extra care to see if the seatbelts work properly with your children height. Here is the guide to find the most suitable and practical child seats for your kids:

How to buy the best child car seat

2. Airbags for kids

air bags child safety feature kid warning

Normal airbags could be very dangerous for kids

As what is mentioned before, the impact of airbags does not bring benefits for the children or even causes harm to the kid’s safety. Kids must sit at the rear row, where the airbags are commonly not available. In case the kids have to occupy the front seats, there is the need for airbag switch-off function or the smart airbag.

Smart airbags will use the sensor to determine the weight of the occupants and predict the seriousness of the car crash. The information will help to decide the force of the airbags will release, and reduce the risk for kids.

3. Automatic door locks

two kid lean heads out of the car window

Automatic door locks prevent accidental door opening

Door locks could prevent opening the car while it is moving. You might think that it is impossible for the door to unexpectedly open. But nothing is certain with the naughty kids inside the car. To prepare for the worst situation, the door locks are necessary.

Some manufacturers even offer the children door locks as a basic child safety feature which is specially designed for the rear door and could prevent kids from open the while the car is running.

4. Window

The window also poses danger for the kids inside. The normal toggle window switches could be activated accidentally and cause serious threats. However, with a push and pull switches, it is unlikely to happen. Besides, the automatic reverse or anti-pinch feature is an effective way to prevent injury if someone is trapped when the windows closed or open. This smart feature must be on the must-have list for any family car.

5. Camera

car safety kids inside the car

Keep the safety for both kids inside and outside the car

It is not only the kids inside the car that need protection but also the kids outside the car. Kids with zero awareness of the potential danger from the car will move and run around the car without paying attention to its movement. Together with their small size, it is hard to notice if they are on your way. The rear camera or even a full-degree camera allows a better view of the surrounding, which could, in turn, reduce the risk of kids getting hit by the car.

Kids with the reckless behaviors are always the source of their parents’ worry. With the help from these child safety features, the parent will feel more relaxed when it comes to travel with kids.

Read more tips on car safety from IndianAuto:

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