Safety Features

THE IDEA BEHIND I-SIZE IS THAT IN THE FUTURE ALL CAR SEATS WILL EASILY FIT IN ALL CARS.

All child restraints must pass certain tests before they can go on sale. The newest European standard for child restraints is known as i-Size. All i-Size child restraints use ISOFIX, a fitting system that attaches child restraints directly to the frame of your car using connectors. Cars may offer i-Size ready seating positions, meaning ISOFIX and additional safeguards that facilitate easy installation and optimal protection, however this is not strictly required.

Euro NCAP encourages the availability of i-Size ready seating positions in the vehicle along with other vehicle features that facilitate safe transport of children. The vehicle is rewarded for providing important features such as ISOFIX anchorages on various seating positions, “i-Size” labeling, a front seat airbag-disabling switch with clear user instructions, integrated child seats, and etc.

Leaving a child unattended in a parked car, even for a few minutes, can lead to heat-stroke and death, especially if the car is exposed to the sun. A child’s inability to exit the vehicle on their own, combined with a low tolerance for high temperatures, requires that children never be left unattended in a car. Temperatures can reach a critical level in just 15 minutes, and leaving windows ajar does little to reduce the threat.

Child deaths from vehicle-related heat-stroke occur less frequently than those resulting from crashes, but the nature of these entirely avoidable deaths deserves special attention as the technology already exists to address the issue of child hyperthermia in vehicles. Technological solutions for Child Presence Detection (CPD) are available that can detect a child’s presence in the vehicle and alert the carer or third-party services. Euro NCAP will reward vehicles that offer such solutions as standard from 2023.

 Introduced in 1997. Upgraded in 2023.