Volkswagen sets standards in Child safety

There has been a constant growth in safety awareness in the Middle East and the Gulf Region. It can be seen everywhere through safety campaigns - child seats, traffic rules, driving techniques to promote positive practice towards the safe driving.

Studies conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) have shown that casualty and fatality rates in the Gulf countries are rising at an alarming rate. Road traffic accidents are one of the major causes of calamities in these countries. The majority of infants in the Middle East travel unrestrained in vehicles. It is common to see small children standing or kneeling on the front passenger seat, or climbing from the front to the back seats while the vehicle is moving. Babies are carried in the arms of another passenger or even the driver.

Studies demonstrate often child seats are fitted or used incorrectly. This behavior, combined with high speeds and inattentiveness, is a formula for disaster many of which results in serious injuries or in the worst cases fatalities.

If the vehicle has integrated child seats, there is no need to fit and remove child seats - a task that is often awkward. For this reason, the research and development engineers at Volkswagen concentrate on small passengers. Numerous safety features for children are integrated in current Volkswagen models as standard.

Commenting on this vital matter, Andreas Prinz Managing Director of Volkswagen Middle East said, 'Volkswagen has taken on this challenge to deal comprehensively with social responsibility. The engineers at Volkswagen are concentrating on setting standards in safety and occupant protection. Our extremely robust models offer highly effective restraint systems and the active and passive safety elements make our cars extremely safe as well as comfortable.'

In the Passat, Volkswagen offers a completely new generation of integrated child seats for children aged between three and twelve years of age (weight classes II to III). The new seat is easy to operate and can be folded flat into the rear seat bench when not in use. The safety experts at Volkswagen have adapted the child seats so that the small passengers can sit comfortably and in safety: the seat bolsters are now more ergonomic and can be adjusted on the sides to protect the body in the event of a side-impact collision. Specially designed side head restraints protect the head and neck. They also prevent the child slumping to the side, for example when asleep, and assuming a dangerous position.

The folding boosters are another plus. In the event of a collision, the rear of the booster is lowered in a fraction of a second to prevent the child submarining under the belt. This patented mechanism is particularly effective in head-on collisions. The integrated child seat in the Passat has been awarded a prize by the German motorist association (ADAC). Integrated child seats are also available for the Sharan (for up to four children) as optional but important equipment.

The ISOFIX system anchors portable child seats particularly well. Standard connectors attach the child seat firmly to the vehicle body. The advantage of ISOFIX is that it is simple and fool-proof to operate and holds the child seat firmly in the vehicle. The ISOFIX standard anchor points are fitted to the outer rear seats in all Volkswagen models as standard. The ISOFIX system is fitted to the front passenger seat as standard in some models, and is optional in the Eos convertible coupé. As in all Volkswagen models, the front passenger airbag can be deactivated by using a keyswitch, for example when transporting a rear-facing baby seat.

ISOFIX is an international standard for mounting points for child safety seats. It is an alternative to securing the seat with seat belts. Seats are secured with a single attachment at the top and two attachments at the base of each side of the seat.

Volkswagen achieved commendable crash test scores for child protection through Euro NCAP- (European New Car Assessment Program), a program that provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe and those that are exported globally.

Andreas Prinz concluded, 'There is no single blueprint for road safety. Interventions and strategies that work in one setting may need to be adapted elsewhere. The loss and suffering associated with road traffic casualties and injuries are preventable. We at Volkswagen Middle East firmly believe integrated approach and intervention, roads can be made safer. Volkswagen is continuously researching on new techniques to make our vehicles safer and environmental friendly'.