Volvo makes child safety resource available online

ACCORDING to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 1.35 million people lose their lives in traffic accidents every year. Additionally, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults ranging from five to 29 years of age.

Volvo said in a release that the disturbing statistic fuels its “passion for finding solutions to curb the number of road traffic injuries.” With an avowed goal that “no one should be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo,” the company says that each vehicle it develops is designed with people in mind: drivers, passengers, other motorists, and even pedestrians.

Volvo Philippines makes available for free online the “Volvo Children & Cars Safety Manual,” an insightful guide that is also available on international Volvo portals.

In 1964, just a few years after Volvo had generously shared the three-point seat belt invention with the world in 1959, the company also began testing rear-facing child seats. Since then, it has progressively improved on safety technologies explicitly designed for children in cars. Today, Volvo has some of the most advanced and comfortable child seats in the world.

Backed by decades of safety research, Volvo underscores the importance of using child restraint systems appropriate to age, height, and weight. As a pioneer in child safety, Volvo Cars’ testing and clear installation guidelines for parents and caregivers are unequaled.

Said Adjunct Professor, PhD, and Senior Technical Leader for Injury Prevention at Volvo Cars Safety Center Dr. Lotta Jakobsson, “We understand that many people find child safety in cars a complex and sometimes confusing subject. We have focused for many years on communicating clear guidelines around how child seats should be used and the correct way to install them.”

Volvo’s unique approach to child safety has led to creating and carrying out tests based on real-life traffic situations. These tests enable Volvo to tailor car designs based on how each child seat performs in a real-life car environment. As a result of over 40 years of in-depth research, Volvo Cars strongly recommends using rearward-facing child seats for children up to the age of four.

“Children up to four need to travel rearward-facing in cars, simply because their neck is too weak to support the head. You, therefore, need to protect them. We need to communicate this message to everybody, so they understand the importance of having the children rearward-facing because if they end up in high-severity frontal impact, it’s a question of life and death,” concluded Dr. Jakobsson.

For more information on Volvo Child Safety, visit: https://www.volvocars.com/ph/why-volvo/human-innovation/future-of-driving/safety/child-safety.