The General Traffic Regulations (RGC) establish the obligation for minors with a height equal to or less than 135 centimeters to travel secured by a child restraint system (CRS), which must be approved and properly installed in the vehicle.
In this regard, the reform of the Traffic Law approved in March of last year toughened the retraction of points for not carrying children in a CRS, doing it incorrectly or for them traveling without a seat belt, being this four points. points, one more than before the reform. Likewise, the fine for said sanction amounts to 200 euros. But the importance of children traveling with a CRS goes far beyond avoiding fines or the withdrawal of points from their licence, as it is a fundamental issue for their safety on the road.
No matter how aware we are of the importance of finding a safe car seat for children, these often have high prices, which leads many families to purchase them on second-hand platforms. However, this practice is discouraged, as can be seen from a report prepared by the Spanish Alliance for Children's Road Safety (AESVI).
As the aforementioned report highlights, the purchase of used or second-hand child restraint systems is a common practice on the rise and can be carried out without official control, without professional advice and without a guarantee on the product. Consequently, users can purchase these products without instructions for use and assembly, with structural deficiencies and even hygienic-sanitary problems. However, the possibility of a used CRS not working properly in the event of a traffic accident increases.
For its study, AESVI randomly acquired 10 child restraint systems on a second-hand platform and these were sent to a laboratory to be analyzed, carrying out a status of the samples in accordance with the requirements of the European Regulation ECE R44, as well as subjecting them to crash tests.
Of all the samples analyzed, 20% lacked the necessary safety marks, 80% were not accompanied by instructions and 10% were missing the approval label. In addition, the researchers detected a high degree of deterioration in all car seat bodies, signs of aging in the upholstery, problems with the harnesses, dirt and poor maintenance. All of this causes poor functioning and ineffectiveness in retaining the baby.
According to the tests established by Regulation 44, nine of the ten CRS purchased at random on the second-hand market could not perform their function within the required limits, according to the report. AESVI thus highlights the need for the Administration to "prohibit the sale of second-hand child restraint systems, due to the high risk of trusting in a CRS whose basic functions may be alarmingly impaired."
