Latin NCAP believes that vehicle manufacturers are responsible for protecting children and providing suitable fittings for the correct installation of child restraint systems (CRS). Many CRS users install the system incorrectly in the vehicle and also improperly secure the child occupant, thereby compromising the protection provided to the most vulnerable passengers. Latin NCAP promotes improved CRS designs with ISOFIX and i-Size anchorages. The ISOFIX system offers a safer way of securing child restraint systems in the car than the seatbelt, as its primary aim is to reduce the risk of incorrect installation. The i-Size approval further reduces the likelihood of incompatibility between CRS and vehicles.
The Child Occupant Protection assessment covers three aspects: the protection offered by the CRS in frontal and side impact tests, which under the new protocol include occupants aged 18 months, 3 years, and 10 years respectively; the vehicle’s ability to correctly and easily accommodate a range of CRS representative of the Latin American and Caribbean markets; and finally, the vehicle’s own capability to allow the safe installation of a CRS.
The CRS used in the tests are recommended by the vehicle manufacturer from a list of CRS that have shown good performance in consumer CRS tests (PESRI) and that meet Latin NCAP requirements.
Finally, the installation of frontal airbags deactivation mechanisms is encouraged in order to allow the installation of a CRS in the front seat. Child presence detection technologies are also evaluated; using cameras and sensors, these systems alert people outside the vehicle to the presence of children inside. These systems aim to prevent adults from leaving children unattended in vehicles, exposing them to risks caused by extreme temperatures.