Isofix is a car seat fitting system that has been internationally standardised -“ this means it can be fitted in cars across the globe.
Car seats with this fitting system are said to be the safest on the market.
"Isofix provides the safest, easiest and quickest way to install a child car seat correctly, without the need to use seatbelts," said Debbie Billson from Brands Africa.
Isofix has proven to be outstandingly safe in tests, specifically because it is directly attached to the body of the vehicle. "The benefits of Isofix is that it that your car seat is installed to the chassis of your vehicle.”
Also read: Shocking number of SA parents don’t own car seats
The fitting system was first developed in 1997 and was made standard in new cars from 2006. Billson, however, said not all cars are fitted with Isofix.
"Not all cars are fitted with Isofix, most European manufactured cars have Isofix. We do recommend that the consumers check their manual or contact their dealer if they are not sure if their cars have Isofix."
What distinguishes Isofix car seats from regular car seats is that it has specifically designed anchor points that latch onto the hidden metal clips at the base of the seat in your car.
“With Isofix, there is less risk of incorrect installation of the car seat. One of the biggest causes of injuries to children in the event of a car accident is that the seat was not installed properly.”
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Isofix uses two standard anchor points that are located at the base of the seat and an anti-tipping or anti-rotation device, which is either a support leg or a top tether.
Support Leg: This is positioned on the floor of the car between the front and back seat where the car seat is on.
Top Tether: This is a universal system -“ this means the car seat should fit all cars with the top tether as an anchor point. It can be located at different places at the back of the rear seat, at the bottom of the boot or on the ceiling.
The Isofix car seats are categorised by three stages:
Group 0 New Born to 75cm
Group 1 67cm to 105cm
Group 2/3 105cm to 1.35m
Isofix car seats are generally more expensive than the standard car seats -“ but they do vary in pricing. Bambino Elite Isofix car seat prices from R3, 999 at Babies R Us and Baby City.
Watch Bambino’s Isofix car seat installation
