As a New Parent, Here Are the Most Important Things I’ve Learned About Car Safety
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This article is brought to you by BYD.
Trying to childproof your life is hard — like, really hard. Pre-parenthood, I was traipsing through my day-to-day with barely a second thought of whether my skirting boards are too sharp or if the cables behind my desk would be a choking hazard. Now, my little one’s here, and I’m constantly trying to eliminate any possible danger 24/7. But this doesn’t just stop at the walls of my home — I want to make sure my car is as safe as possible too.
So, I’ve really been doing my research at all hours of the night (luckily, having a newborn helps with this). And I’m learning there’s so much that goes into the safety of a car beyond seatbelts and airbags, and not every car on the road is up to par. But fear not — I’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to, and I’ve learned the most important things when it comes to car safety and young children. Luckily, cars like the BYD Sealion 6 have made sure they’re doing as much as possible when it comes to safety, while not compromising performance or the other things we love about our cars.
First and foremost, it’s the restraints
When it comes to child safety in the car, the first thing that probably comes to mind is car seats and restraints. While 6 months is the legal minimum in states like New South Wales to keep newborns and infants in a rear-facing child car restraint, you really want to keep them rear-facing as long as possible. In a frontal collision, a rear-facing seat can really, really help. But, you also want to ensure the restraint or car seat is secured as best you can. The BYD Sealion 6, for example, sports ISOFIX child restraint anchorage points, specifically in the outer rear seats. It also includes a top-tether strap anchorage point in the centre rear seat. It’s all about putting security and safety at the forefront, and giving us all peace of mind.
Airbags on airbags
While you hope your car never has to trigger the release of its airbags, having them there will always give a sigh of relief. And these aren’t just for children — they’re for everyone. But they add an extra layer of protection on top of child car restraints, and you can never be too safe.
The BYD Sealion 6 has a colossal seven SRS airbags, including front, side (front & rear), and side curtain (front & rear) airbags, along with a centre airbag. This helps provide comprehensive passive protection for everyone. Combined with a secure restraint, this should be the safety standard and allow parents to drive without having to worry too much about the scary ‘what ifs?’
Going the extra mile
There are obvious things you want to look for in a car when it comes to child safety, beyond restraints and airbags. You want as high of an ANCAP safety rating as you possibly can, because that’s how you know the car you’re driving has been rigorously tested to ensure maximum safety. Five stars is the best a car can receive, and that’s a really quick way for you to know whether the car you’re looking at is actually safe.
But, now, cars are being juiced up with plenty of extra safety bonuses that are by no means the standard, but instead are going above and beyond to put parents’ minds at ease. The BYD Sealion 6 employs innovative Child Presence Detection technology. This has been designed to sense if a child has been inadvertently left behind in the vehicle’s rear seats. In the unfortunate event that this occurs, the system triggers an alert, drawing the attention of the driver or even passersby to the hazard so they can act fast and step in before anyone is hurt. On top of that, if the alarm isn’t switched off within three minutes, the A/C automatically turns on. It is technology that is vigilant when it comes to child protection, even for the busiest of parents.
Everyone has different preferences when it comes to their vehicle, but every new parent should be prioritising child safety as high as possible. The BYD Sealion 6 does just that, and you can learn more about what it can do for you and your kids here.