Child Restraint

Child Safety

Child Restraint Car Seat

A Child Restraint or Child Safety seat is also called an infant safety seat, child seat, baby seat or a booster seat. It is a seat that is specifically designed to protect children from injury or death during a road crash. The Child Restraint are mostly not provided by the vehicle manufacturers hence these are to be purchased and installed by the car owners. Generally, the car owners are required to provide mechanism to ensure that a required child seat could be fitted on to the car seat. Child Restraints are a type of passive safety device which must be used properly to ensure safety of children when traveling in a car. However, research indicates that many child safety restraints are often not installed or used properly.

A Child Restraint System comprises an arrangement of components which may include straps, securing buckle, adjusting devices, attachments and in some cases a supplementary device as a carrycot, infant carrier, a supplementary chair or an impact shield, capable of being anchored to a power-driven vehicle. It is so designed as to diminish the risk of injury to the wearer, in the event of a crash or of abrupt deceleration of the vehicle, by limiting the mobility of the wearer's body. Like vehicles, other safety devices and vehicle components, child restraints are tested by the testing agencies to ensure the compliance of the safety standards set for the restraint. Just like a vehicle, safety gear or any component if the restraint is damaged in any way it is strongly recommended to replace it. This is due to the fact that the damaged child restraint may not perform or provide safety in case of a subsequent crash.

Groups of Child Restraint Seats

As per the Indian standards, Child Restraints are categorized into the following five mass groups:

• Group 0:for children of a mass less than 10 kg
• Group 0+: for children of a mass less than 13 kg
• Group I: for children of mass from 9 kg to 18 kg
• Group II: for children of mass from 15 kg to 25 kg
• Group III: for children of mass from 22 kg to 36 kg

Child Restraint Standards and Law in India

The standards of Child Restraint seats in India are defined in Automotive Industry Standards titled Approval of Restraining Devices for Child Occupants of Power-Driven Vehicles (Child Restraint System) which are numbered as AIS-072.

According to Section 125(8) of Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 all cars excluding transport vehicles and special purpose vehicles manufactured on and after 1st April, 2015, shall have a provision for installation of at least one category of child restraint system for all weight groups on at least one of the seating positions.

Provided that the manufacturer or importer or dealer of the child restraint system shall provide the guidelines for fitment and use of such system to the buyer of the vehicle.

Provided further that for such vehicles, vehicle manufacturer or importer or dealer of the motor vehicle shall provide the guidelines for recommended position in the vehicle.

According to the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019 carrying a children below the age of 14 years without a safety belt or child restraint system is a punishable offence under section 194 B(2) which is described below: