Volvo's commitment to safety is legendary. The company was founded around the principle that 'cars are driven by people. The guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo, therefore, is and must remain safety.' And that mantra extends to the safety and security of our nearest and dearest, to children, those little people who make all our lives richer. Which is why Volvo has launched a new range of ISOFIX child seats.
The two new seats, developed in conjunction with leading child seat manufacturer Britax, are the Baby-Safe Plus infant seat, and the FixWay child seat.
The Baby-Safe Plus seat is suitable for children aged from birth up to 13kg in weight, an age also known as the Group 0+.
Like a Volvo, the Baby-Safe Plus seat has side impact protection thanks to Britax's Adjusta-fit System for easy harness height adjustment, with deep, padded side wings, a head guard and headrest with integral cushion to promote a natural sleeping position.
Meanwhile, the FixWay child seat is suitable for children of between 0 and 18kg in weight, otherwise known as Group 1. It too has softly padded side wings and a five-point '1 pull harness' for the child, and has a multi-adjustable seating angle so that a child can be placed in a natural sleeping position.
The Baby-Safe Plus car seat is available from Volvo dealers for £223.69 (including ISOFIX base). The FixWay seat is available at £265.37 including ISOFIX base.
That the seats are ISOFIX compatible is important because surveys have reported that some 60 percent of conventional child seats are fitted incorrectly. ISOFIX - the latest and safest development in child seat technology - has been developed specifically to be easily fitted, with minimal opportunity for incorrect seat location. Most Volvos can be fitted or retro-fitted with ISOFIX mounts, even if they don't have them as standard.
Volvo's new seats fit simply and snugly into a base unit that attaches directly to the ISOFIX mountings, and includes a foot prop and a rebound bar to further reduce movement of the seat in a crash. Both seats are rear facing and can be fitted to the rear seats or, if the car is equipped with a passenger airbag cut off switch, the front passenger seat as well. Rear facing child seats must not be fitted to the front seats of cars that don't have passenger airbags cut off switches.
Both seats have been crash tested at the Volvo Safety Centre and can be fitted to most Volvos or other cars with ISOFIX child seat mounts. Full details and a compatibility list for the seats is available at www.britax.co.uk/volvo
Volvo also offers a child seat for older models and cars without ISOFIX child seat mounts, and has produced a 'Children In Cars' booklet, full of handy tips and advice about child safety in cars. It's available from www.volvocars.co.uk
(under 'Brand Values', 'Safety', 'In-car child safety').The company also offers a range of accessories, including a child seat kick-guard, padded seat and head restraint cover, seat belt cushion, play board, sun shield and mirror. Some are available to buy online at .www.volvocars.co.uk/accessories
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