Volvo – official sponsor of ‘The Baby Show’ at Birmingham’s NEC

Volvo is the official sponsor of the The Baby Show at the Birmingham NEC from 19 to 21 May where it will have free ‘Mum-to-be’ window stickers and its informative and potentially life-saving ‘Children In Cars’ booklet available, plus its ISOFIX infant and child seats and a selection of its latest cars on display.

The Baby Show (thebabyshow.co.uk), in association with Practical Parenting magazine, is dedicated to all matters concerning pregnancy, parenting, babies and toddlers, and provides a unique opportunity to see a huge range of products and information in one place.

Having children makes most people more conscious about the safety of travelling with young children in the car and often means a larger or more versatile car is probably needed, too. Volvo provides lots of valuable safety tips and information in its free ‘Children In Cars’ booklet. It also has its own ISOFIX child and infant seats and the option of a ‘Family Pack’ which includes integrated booster cushions available for most of its models. The versatile Volvo range includes three saloons (S40, S60, and S80), the V50 sportswagon, V70 estate and XC70 AWD, plus the seven-seater XC90 SUV and the new C70 coupe/convertible, with prices starting from £15,730.

Children In Cars

Reports show that an alarming number of children still die in car accidents each year4; many are unrestrained, not using appropriate restraints, or in child seats that are not fitted correctly. The Government is introducing a new law5 in September 2006 stating that children must use a correct restraint when travelling in a car, which it estimates could prevent over 2,000 child deaths or injuries each year.

Volvo’s free ‘Children In Cars’ booklet has helpful tips and advice gained from Volvo’s Traffic Accident Research Team and crash-testing at its award-winning Safety Centre, such as:

Children up to three years old (3-18 kg) should use a rear-facing child-safety seat. A Swedish survey revealed that only a quarter of three-year-old children were still using a rear-facing child seat despite research which shows that there is a five times greater risk of fatality or serious injury if using a forward-facing seat. A baby’s head is large and heavy in relation to the rest of its body and its neck is not very well developed yet. Rear-facing child seats act as an extra safety cage and reduce the forces on the child's neck. Volvo is one of the only car manufacturers offering rear-facing child seats for children up to approximately four years or 18kg.

Six out of ten parents don’t belt their children in properly. Many parents are unaware of how to fit the diagonal section of a seatbelt correctly (not too far out on the shoulder and never under the arm) or how to fit a lap belt (across the tops of the legs, never across a child’s stomach).

Children aged three to ten (15-36 kg) should use a booster cushion. Using a booster seat ensures that the seatbelt is in the correct position across a child’s body for the best possible protection in the event of an accident. The child will also enjoy a better view from a more elevated position.

Anyone sitting in a seat with a passenger airbag must be at least 4ft 5in (135 cm): Many parents are unaware that anyone sitting in a passenger seat fitted with an airbag should be at least 4ft 5in, unless the airbag has been disabled.

ISOFIX Child Seats

Volvo has worked with the leading child seat manufacturer, Britax, to develop its new, rearward facing ‘Baby-Safe Plus’ infant seat (up to 13kg, group 0+) and ‘FixWay’ child seat (9-18kg, Group 1).

Surveys suggest that up to 80 per cent6 of conventional child seats are fitted incorrectly, compared to only 4 per cent of ISOFIX child seats that are fitted incorrectly. Volvo’s new child seats use ISOFIX mountings which use a fixed attachment to the car and are easier to fit, without using seatbelts.

The ISOFIX system is the latest safety development for child seats and is designed to be simple to use to help ensure the seat is always fitted correctly. An ISOFIX child seat simply ‘clicks’ directly onto a base unit which is securely attached directly to the car’s ISOFIX mountings, with a foot prop and rebound bar to further reduce any seat movement in the event of an accident.

Both of Volvo’s ISOFIX child seats are rear facing and can be fitted in both the rear seats, or if the car is fitted with a passenger airbag cut off switch, the front passenger seat as well. They have been crash tested at the Volvo Safety Centre and can be used in any make of car fitted with ISOFIX attachments – which are available across the Volvo range and can be retro-fitted to most Volvo models.

Family Pack

A ‘Family Pack’ comprising two integrated booster cushions and power child locks is available on the Volvo S40 and S60 saloons, V50 sportswagon, V70 estate and XC70 AWD.

Accessories for children in cars

In addition, Volvo offers a wide range of other accessories designed for children travelling in cars:

Mirror for child seat: This enables parents in the front seat to keep an eye on a child sitting in a rear-facing child seat via a practical mirror fitted on the rear seat. It can be easily removed if other rear passengers are travelling in the car, and costs £20.

Kick guard: A very practical accessory to protect the car’s upholstery while the child is in the car seat, incorporating pockets for storage. It is designed to be used if the child seat is facing forwards or backwards, and is machine washable. It is available for ISOFIX and non-ISOFIX child seats for £22.

Play board: The play board accessory fits to all Volvo child seats and creates a table for children to put toys or drinks on while sitting in the car seat. It costs around £20.

Sun shield: A sun shield is also available for the car seats, from around £17.

These are available from Volvo dealers, or available to buy on-line at www.volvocars.co.uk/accessories.

Allergies

Volvo car interiors are a better place to be for the increasing number of children suffering from allergies, thanks to Volvo’s ‘Clean Inside and Out’ environmental programme. All new Volvos have an Interior Air Quality System and a cabin pollen filter as standard, while the materials used meet the requirements of the international Oeko-Tex 100 environmental standard which means all fabrics, leather, carpets, plastics and seatbelts are tested for allergenic dyes, pesticides and metals to ensure they are free of emissions or chemicals that trigger allergies.