Baloise Crash Test Highlights Dangers of Incorrect Child Restraint

Basel, 24 May 2024. Awareness about child restraint in cars has improved enormously over recent decades. Despite high safety standards, there remains a lack of public education. Consumers often lack sufficient knowledge to navigate the range of available products. Baloise teamed up with Dynamic Test Center AG (DTC AG), Basel’s traffic police, and retailer baby-walz for a crash test featuring various restraint methods.

Every day, emergency workers see children incorrectly restrained in accidents, leading to potentially fatal outcomes. What is required of parents, grandparents, or taxi drivers when traveling with children? The answers are not straightforward, and relevant knowledge is not easily accessible.

“Our aim is to highlight the dangers of insufficient child restraint and to explain the safest way to travel with children,” says Daniel Junker, Head Vehicle Expert at Baloise. The first test revealed severe consequences for incorrect restraint systems, including severe injuries to both adults and children.

Correctly installed child seats significantly reduce the risk of injury. Albin Hugentobler of Basel’s traffic police emphasizes that car seats must be the right size, correctly mounted, and adjusted as per instructions. Proper restraint can significantly reduce the risk of injury in accidents.

Daniel Junker of Baloise summarized the findings: Children need age-appropriate infant seats. It is recommended that children up to the age of three be placed in backwards-facing seats. Travelling with unsecured babies or children on laps should be avoided at all costs.