mum
March 29, 2024

Car seat: what the new regulation says

Since July 2013, a new regulation called i-size has been put in place. It provides for major changes, for better protection of children by car.

 

Among the novelties:

- The obligation to transport children back to the road until the age of 15 months: Early use of "roadside" seating is not recommended. I-size provides better protection in the event of a frontal or lateral collision. Until the age of 15 months, the head of thechild is still "heavy" and his neck is not yet strong enough to withstand an impact in frontal impact.

 

- The introduction of the ISOFIX system: Thanks to an ISOFIX attachment, the car seat is clipped to specific hooks located between the backrest and the seat of the rear seat. This system considerably reduces the risk of bad installations which are unfortunately very frequent.

 

- A new classification of seats according to the size of thechild (as for clothes!): This change of classification is intended to prevent the position back to the road is abandoned prematurely. Taking into account the size of thechild instead of its weight also makes it easier to choose a car seat when buying.

 

- The new cars will be adapted to the ISOFIX system: To guarantee the compatibility of this new generation of car seats, modern cars will be designed according to the i-size regulations. In other words, to apply this new regulation, it will require i-size seats, and i-size cars! Which leaves us a lot of time!

 

- This new European standard applies in parallel with the current ECE R44 / 04 standard, which continues to apply for all car seats installed using the seat belt. So do not panic if you are not yet equipped! The seats under the current regulations are still regulatory and will remain so for a decade.



Car Seat Guidelines for Your Child (March 2024)