Chapter 6 – The Right Car Seat (Alone) Is Not Enough

Always buckle up

Even on the shortest trips, starting from day one, a child must always be seated in the car seat with the harness properly fastened. They should never be held in arms or placed in the seat without the safety belts. In the event of an accident, an unrestrained child can be thrown with a force many times greater than their body weight. It is impossible to hold them with your arms! Before setting off, it is essential to ensure that the car seat is properly secured to the vehicle seat.

Rear-facing position

It is mandatory to place car seats in a rear-facing position until the child is 15 months old, according to Regulation R.129. The rear-facing position is the safest and is also recommended for older toddlers.

In the back seats

It is highly recommended to install the car seat in the rear seats, ideally in the center seat, which is farthest from any potential impact. The car seat can also be placed in the front passenger seat. In that case, if the seat is rear-facing, the airbag must be deactivated. If the seat is forward-facing, the airbag should remain active, but it’s advised to move the seat back as much as possible. Since deactivating the airbag isn’t always possible or can be quite complex, it’s always preferable to install the car seat in the rear seats, especially for very young children.

Anti-abandonment systems

The recent amendment to Article 172 of the Italian Highway Code (enforced by Ministerial Decree No. 122 of October 2, 2019) introduced the requirement for drivers to use a system that prevents the risk of leaving a child unattended in the car when transporting a child under 4 years old.

Anti-abandonment systems may be:

1. Integrated into the vehicle (some cars are equipped with sensors that detect presence and/or weight when the vehicle is turned off)
2. Integrated into the car seat (some car seats have built-in sensors and alarms)
3. Accessories for the car seat (devices that can be attached to the car seat)

Category “c” devices are the most common. They come in various models and are sold by multiple manufacturers. Some are labeled as universal, meaning they can be used with any car seat. However, since the law states that the anti-abandonment system “must not alter the homologation parameters of the car seat,” it is recommended to use an anti-abandonment system from the same brand as the car seat. Only the company that owns the seat’s certification can confirm that these parameters remain unchanged when pairing the seat with a device.