Around half of all injuries and deaths to children in China in car crashes could be prevented by using a child seat. [Photo: auto.sina.com.cn]

 

　　The latest figures released by the Public Security Bureau shows that around half of all injuries and deaths to children in China in car crashes could be prevented by using a child seat. Yet few Chinese parents use one.

 

　　Zhou Heyang has more.

 

　　Until children car passengers are tall enough to wear a normal seat belt, they need to use a child seat. The importance of this has been highlighted recently by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the US. They found using these seats can reduce fatal injuries in car crashes by up to 71 percent.

 

　　Yet in China few parents use these potentially life-saving seats.

 

　　Here, it's common to see children in the front seat of a car on an adult's lap, or sitting freely in the back seat. If parents were aware of the recently released statistics in the US, would they change their ways? We asked a number of Chinese parents their views on driving with children.

 

　　"I put him in the front of the car. It's safer this way, because he's next to me."

 

　　"My child likes to wriggle around so I think it's safer to hold him on my lap."

 

　　"I tell my kid to sit in the back with the seatbelt fastened. This should be safe."

 

　　But experts warn of tragic results because of such habits. Sitting a child in the front of a car could be very dangerous. Children can be injured by the airbags suddenly inflating during a crash.

 

　　Holding the child is also a bad idea. The inertia generated in a crash can multiply a child's weight thirty times making it impossible for a parent to keep hold.

 

　　And using conventional seatbelts can also cause harm because they're designed for adults. They can even suffocate children in a strong collision.

 

　　Such dangers have led experts to recommend child safety seats because they significantly lower risks for children.

 

　　Liu Yuguang is deputy chief engineer of China Automobile Technology Research Center:

 

　　"Child safety seats can confine the movement of a child in the car even during big collisions. This should be adopted by all parents that drive with children under the age of 12."

 

　　When using child safety seats one belt crosses the child's upper thighs and another goes over the chest.

 

　　In general, kids should ride in the back seat until they're 13, and use a car safety seat if they're less than 1.45 meters tall.

 

　　The best way to protect kids in a car is to use the right seat, at the right time, and use it the right way.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Zhou Heyang.