The SAS Survival Driver’s Handbook. John Wiseman

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СКАЧАТЬ back seat. In Britain, the rules on carrying children are as follows:

      Children under 3 years of age: must always wear a child restraint (an adult seatbelt will not do) when travelling in the front seat. In the back seat a child restraint must be used if one is available. There’s nothing in the law to stop you carrying a baby or toddler in a back seat which is not fitted with a child restraint.

      Children from 3 to 11 years of age and less than 1.5 metres (5 feet) tall: must wear an appropriate child restraint if one is available. If not, an adult seatbelt should be worn.

      Children aged 12 and above or younger children over 1.5 metres tall: must wear an adult belt if one is fitted, whether they sit in the front or the rear of the car.

      In Britain there’s no law against carrying more passengers than there are seat belts available, or against carrying children in a car which has no appropriate child restraints whatsoever. But the fact that it’s not illegal doesn’t make it safe. Heavy passengers will pose a danger to those sitting in front of them if they don’t wear a belt, and children have a much better chance of surviving an accident if they are secured by a child seat or other restraint rather than an adult seat-belt which they might slide out of. Don’t stop at complying with the legal requirements — follow the recommendations set out below (see Child Restraints).

      A seatbelt that has been worn in an accident should be checked by an expert. The whole assembly may need to be replaced even if there is no visible sign of damage.

CHILD RESTRAINTS

      Children who are left unrestrained in cars have accidents — even when the car is stationary. Try not to leave them unsupervised, and NEVER leave them alone in the car with the keys in the ignition. It’s well worth fitting childproof locks so that the rear doors can only be opened from outside the car. And if you have electric windows, ask if a device can be installed which will allow you to override the rear-window switches so that they can only be operated from the driver’s seat.

      The only safe way for children to travel by car is strapped into a child restraint which is suited to their weight and size, and which conforms to approved safety standards (look for United Nations, European Community or British Standards labels signifying that the product has been tested and approved). The alternatives don’t bear thinking about:

      Holding an infant in your arms. Even if you are wearing a seatbelt, in the event of a collision the force of the impact will probably cause the child to be torn from your arms and hurled at the windscreen.

      Putting your seatbelt round a child being carried on your lap. In a collision, you will be thrown forward exerting some three and a half tons of force on that child’s body. If the child isn’t crushed to death outright, horrific injuries will be inflicted.

      Leaving the baby in a carrycot on the back seat. Even if the carrycot is strapped in, it’s the cot which is restrained, not the baby. In a violent collision the baby could be thrown out.

      Using an adult seatbelt to restrain the child. In a crash, a small child wearing an adult seatbelt will most likely ‘submarine’ out from under it. There’s also a risk that the belt will bear upon the child’s neck, damaging the thorax.

      Using an adult seatbelt to restrain two children. The same dangers as above, multiplied by two.

      Allowing the child to travel unrestrained: Even when an accident occurs at speeds as low as 12 mph children can suffer serious injury being thrown out of the car or through the windscreen.

      Sitting on the floor of the luggage space of an estate car: Unless rear-facing seats with harnesses have been fitted in the luggage compartment, it is not safe for children to travel in this area.

      If you are going to carry children in your car and you care about their safety, have a proper child restraint fitted for each child. Check before you buy that the restraint will fit both your child and your vehicle. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation and use in every detail. If in any doubt, consult your garage or dealer. Most child seats are designed to make use of an adult seatbelt to hold them in place, so it should be a straightforward process. Make sure that the car’s seat-belt buckle does not rest on the frame of the child restraint, and that the restraint is anchored securely.

      The safest place for children is in the back seat, so if your car doesn’t have rear seat belts, buy a child seat which comes with it’s own fastening straps and, if necessary, get a mechanic to fit it for you.

      Many parents prefer to have young babies in a rear-facing baby carrier fitted to the front passenger seat. This has the advantage that you can see the baby clearly, but in the event of a collision baby would be much safer in the back seat. To keep an eye on children in the back seat, fit a second rear-view mirror angled to give you a good view of them without losing sight of the road ahead.

      If for any reason you have to transport your child in a car where no child restraint is available, it is better for them to wear an adult belt alone in the back seat than no restraint at all.

      NEVER fit a rear-facing child restraint in a front passenger seat equipped with an airbag. In the event of an accident, the airbag inflates at up to 200 mph — and a rear-facing seat places the baby’s head where it receives almost the full force of the impact. In America, a year-old baby travelling in such a seat was decapitated in a low-speed collision — one of 31 airbag-related infant deaths in the USA to date.

       TYPES OF CHILD RESTRAINT

      The choice of restraint is governed by the child’s size and weight rather than its age. Expensive as these restraints are, never buy a secondhand child restraint unless it comes with the manufacturer’s fitting instructions and you are 100 per cent certain that it has never been used in an accident. If any signs of wear and tear are visible, DON’T buy.

      In summer, metal and plastic surfaces of child restraints left inside closed vehicles can get hot enough to cause burns. Check before placing your child in the seat that the buckle and other surfaces will not pose a danger.

      Baby seat

      For babies up to nine months old, weighing up to 10 kg, a rearward-facing baby seat is the safest type of restraint. These can be fitted in the front or (preferably) the rear seat of a car using an adult seatbelt. A built-in harness with a crotch strap holds the infant in place. A sleeping baby can be carried from car to house in the seat, making it very convenient to use.

      It’s possible to buy a baby seat that will hold the infant in a rear-facing position until it’s old enough to sit up, then convert into a forward-facing child seat which can be used until the child reaches 18 kg (at around 4 years of age).

      Child seat

      For children weighing between 9 and 18 kg (approximately 6 months to 4 years of age) an upright child seat (forward- or rear-facing) secured by an adult safety belt or by its own straps. A built-in harness holds the child in place.

      Booster seats and cushions

      Bigger children СКАЧАТЬ