Placing children in a Child Restraint System (CRS) is required by law – failure to do so is classed as a serious offense and constitutes
a minimum fine of 200 euros and, under the draft of the new traffic law, the withdrawal of 4 points from the driver’s license (before 3) – for anyone with a height equal to or less than 1.35 meters, although up to 1.50 meters is recommended. For example, from 0 to 12 years old, they will go through four different seats due to the large morphological differences between babies, children and adults, depending on their weight or height; until you jump into the seatbelt.
When choosing the right chair, there are a number of parameters to consider. First of all “always buy the chair
in specialized storesalways looking back to at least four years old, from top brands, in ranges of use not older than 3-4 years, with Isofix systems and support leg,” details Jesús Monclús, Director of Prevention and Mapfre Foundation Road Safety.
Also, try the seat before purchasing it and whether it is comfortable for the child as this will avoid many problems in the various journeys that are carried out. At the regulatory level, understand the details of the seat approval (R44/04 or R-129 – the safest and most up-to-date –) and, depending on that, the group (weight) or length for which it is approved, which must match the characteristics of the end user.
Of course, and the most important parameter to take into account, “you should never buy a second-hand product”, emphasizes Monclús. And it is that according to a study conducted by the
Spanish Alliance for Road Safety of Children, AESViToday, 9 out of 10 child seats purchased on the second-hand market would fail the dynamic tests with which they were approved at the time to comply with the European safety regulation.
The purchase of second-hand or used CRS through online sales platforms is
a common practice that it has not stopped growing in recent years and that, moreover, it can be carried out without official control, without professional advice and without guarantee on the product. Consequently, it is possible to buy products without instructions, incorrect assembly and even with hygienic-sanitary problems.
“Even the greatest experts are unable to know whether a child seat has internal damage or degradation caused by use, solar radiation or thermal stress; Therefore, the market for second-hand child seats should simply not be considered as a purchase option,” Monclús emphasizes, continuing that in the event of a road accident, the CRS should be “immediately replaced”. “Child restraint systems are devices
designed to withstand the decelerations of a collision, where energy dissipation elements work in many of them, which is why they can only work once. Continuing to use a CRS after a collision can compromise the correct restraint of the child and therefore it should always be replaced, even if we do not see any external damage to it,” details Monclús.
An affirmative statement
David Fernandez, road safety technician of the RACE Foundation. «The purchase of a second-hand chair entails uncertainty about the product, since the history of the chair is unknown, in what conditions it has been preserved and whether it has had an accident that could have damaged the structure of the chair. ». It adds that “the passage of time and the environmental conditions in which the child seat has been used and stored may cause the materials with which it is made to deteriorate.”
Finally, it should be taken into account that SRIs expire. The materials are stable
during the first years of use, but after 5 or 6 years they can start to lose their mechanical properties. For this reason, and always following the seat manufacturer’s instructions regarding use and service life, we must not reuse child seats for another child, and if we no longer use them, sell them second-hand,” concludes the director of Prevention and Road safety of Fundación Mapfre.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
