Unbuckling – a matter of life and death

You are driving along and suddenly; your toddler climbs up next to you from the backseat. How did that happen? How long has your little Houdini been unbuckled? Knowing that your child can unbuckle itself does not only prevent you from focusing completely on your driving – an unbuckled child in a moving car can quickly turn into a catastrophe.

The escape artists

It may feel impossible to do everything right sometimes. You’ve secured your little one in the car seat, made sure he or she isn’t wearing any thick clothes preventing the safety harness to be tight enough and checked that the buckle is locked. But still the little escape artist has figured out how to unbuckle, and once your child has tasted freedom, he or she are likely to do it again, and again. What can you do? Fortunately, there is an answer. But first, a few disturbing facts.

“Tragically, 40% of the children lost were not buckled up correctly.”

Tragedy in numbers

In 2019, in the US, 183 000 children under the age of 14 were injured in traffic crashes and 731 children died. Tragically, 40% of the children lost were not buckled up correctly.¹  A car seat can save your child’s life in case of an accident, but only if it’s used properly.²
This means making sure that the car seat is installed correctly and adapted for the height and weight of the child – and that the child is buckled up when the car is moving. Then, and only then, a car seat reduces fatal injuries by as much as 71% for children 0-1 years old, and 54% for 1-4 year-olds.

Shorter distances are not safer distances

It’s easy to think that it’s safe to go for a short ride at a low speed, but an unbuckled child in a moving car is an immediate risk. Recent Swedish research shows that rural caregivers are better at securing children in their car seats than city folks, where as many as 14% of the children sometimes ride without any seatbelt at all. When asked why, parents state that they simply forget, or believe that it is safe to travel short distances at a low speed.

However, reality proves them wrong – statistics show that most car accidents happen during short trips, close to home and at a low speed. And in case of an accident, the unbuckled child is at a 50% higher risk of getting injured.³

“Now, you can concentrate 100% on the road.”

Connected safety is here

During 2022, global safety leader Holmbergs has launched a Bluetooth-enabled innovation that connects the car seat buckle to your smartphone – Holmergs DigitalSafety™. A new dimension of child car seat safety, as the system immediately sounds an alert and sends a warning to the app if the eBuckle™ becomes unbuckled.

It also sends a warning if you walk away from your parked vehicle while your child is still buckled into their seat, to make sure the child is not left alone. Read more about Forgotten Baby Syndrome here.

Now, you can concentrate 100% on the road. If your little one gets unbuckled for some reason, or is left alone in the car, Holmbergs DigitalSafety™ will let you know.

Visit our website for more information.

Holmbergs DigitalSafety™ works both with IOS and Android

Sources:

1. 2019 Data: Children (dot.gov)
2. How To Keep Your Toddler From Unbuckling Their Car Seat – BabyTraveling.com
3. Säkerhetsmissar svenska föräldrar gör i bilen | Volvia (mynewsdesk.com)