The holidays often start with a big smile, a carefully prepared playlist and a car full to crack. But behind the joy of the departure, a disturbing reality invites itself on the highway: 2 in 3 children still travel badly attached by car. An alarming figure, especially at the dawn of the great summer transhumance.
According to a study by Dorel France and the “Road Prevention Association, the majority of children under the age of 11 are not properly installed in their car seat. And yet 68 % of French people choose the car to go on vacation (Ipsos-Europ Assistance 2024). A comfortable mode of transport, but where every detail counts to guarantee security.
Why are so many children still poorly attached by car?
Clémence Hourlier, communication manager at Maxi-Cosi, alert: “While millions of families are preparing to hit the road for the holidays, an alarming figure: 2 in 3 children are still poorly attached by car“. Alongside the Security, reference in the road safety of children, it recalls that the errors are numerous.
In question: a lack of information, unsuitable, poorly installed seats, or children attached with their coat, distorting the tightening of the harness. However, the law imposes an auto seat adapted up to 10 years, depending on the size, age and morphology of the child. And this, for each trip, even the shortest.
A misuse, a bad installation, and it is the entire device that loses its effectiveness. The observation is clear: parents often underestimate the rigor necessary to properly attach their child.
Another often neglected point: the wet swimsuit. After swimming at sea or in the swimming pool, it may be tempting to quickly put the children back in the car, still soaked. Bad idea. The humidity creates a possible slide under the harness, which can no longer fulfill its protective role in the event of a shock. Before hitting the road, it is therefore essential to dry the child and put a dry clothing for him, to guarantee optimal support in the car seat. A simple reflex that can change everything.
Choose well and use a car seat well: key steps
The specialized rays overflow with models, but choosing the right one is not enough. You still have to know how to install it and use it correctly. Here are the main steps recommended by Maxi-Cosi and Security:
- COSI (0 to 12/15 months): always back to the road, on the rear seat or the passenger seat with disabled airbag;
- Headquarters with harness (1 to 4/5 years): we still favor our backs on the road, because it is 5 times safer for the neck in the event of a frontal shock;
- The booster with file (4 to 10/12 years old): compulsory as long as the child has not reached the required age or morphology.
Security insists: Even if the law imposes the back on the road only up to 15 months, it is strongly advised to keep it as long as possible. Cervicals for young children are still fragile, and a frontal shock can have dramatic consequences.
The gestures to adopt to travel serenely this summer
Before taking the road, a last check is essential. Because a poorly fixed seat or a poorly adjusted harness can make all your efforts vain.
- Check the type of seat according to the age, size and weight of your child;
- Set the seat correctly, either with the ISOFIX system, or with the vehicle safety belt;
- Remove the too thick coats or clothes: they prevent the harness from placing well;
- Hold the back to the road to the road as long as possible, at least up to 4 years;
- Set the headrest and adjust the harness without leaving space between the shoulder and the strap;
- And above all, always check that the harness is well locked before starting.
Good equipment does not exempt from prudent driving. Roll slowly, take regular breaks, and stay focused, even if the children sing “released, delivered” in the back.