After analyzing several models of child restraint systems, the RACE determined that the chairs placed in the opposite direction to the march are safer, and based on this, the DGT (Directorate General of Traffic) proposes that children weighing up to 18 kilos travel in the opposite direction to the march, but will they serve the same chairs?.
This has been included in a draft reform of the General Traffic Regulation that the Government is studying, along with the amendment to prohibit children who are less than 135 centimeters from traveling in the front seat.
Before a frontal collision, the chairs that go in the opposite direction to the march better protect the child from suffering injuries, since they retain the whole body and avoid any torsion movement of the neck.
So far, it was recommended to place them in the opposite direction, but generally it was done with younger children, those who used group 0 chairs, for children up to 12 kilos of weight, who are usually children under one year of age and who because of their Size can still go comfortable in the opposite direction to the march.
What type of chairs to use in the opposite direction to the march?
But when proposing that children weighing up to 18 kilos travel in a child restraint system in the opposite direction to the march, the question that arises is: Will they serve the same chairs?
They should occupy chairs of group 1, for children up to 18 kilos or approximately 4 years old, and it is hard for me to think where the little poor would place their legs if they are looking towards the backrest.
There are chairs specially designed to be placed in the opposite direction to the march, but not all are suitable. Many of those sold in Spain do not allow placement in the opposite direction to the march, or at least not all are comfortable for children, those that my daughters have used are not. And the models that are, are quite expensive.
They have to be placed with a three-point belt and / or with an Isofix system, and they must have enough space in front for the children's legs.
What you see is the Cybex Sirona 2013 chair, one of the most expensive and safest on the market, around 550 euros. It incorporates Isofix system, and it is rotatable 360º, therefore the child can be placed comfortably in a frontal way, and then it can be placed both in the direction of travel and in the opposite direction.
If this regulation is approved, it will be necessary to think about it when buying a car seat, and even without being mandatory, it has been shown that it is safer for the child to travel in the opposite direction to the march, so if you are thinking of buying one, keep that possibility in mind.
One of the concerns that arises, which logically come after security is that they do not enjoy the landscape so much when looking towards the backrest, and the possibility that they get more dizzy in the car when traveling in the opposite direction to the march.
They propose that children cannot travel in the front seat
The DGT has also proposed in that same draft that Children measuring less than 1.35 meters should not travel in the front seat.
So far, the legislation states that children under 12 can only travel in the front seats of a vehicle if they are placed in devices approved for this purpose or, in the event that their height is equal to or greater than 135 centimeters, wear a seat belt.
There are opinions of all kinds about the modifications that you want to introduce. Some prioritize security above all, while others believe that it is something that is regulated by European regulations and that the Spanish government cannot "innovate."
We will be attentive to see what is decided, but for now, keep that in mind when buying a car seat.
