Younger children will be better protected when travelling by car following the adoption of a new regulation on child-restraint systems (CRS) by the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) Working Party on Secondary Safety (GRSP).

The new regulation (known as the “I-size Regulation”) is the response of experts in UNECE to criticisms of the existing regulation for child car-seats from both Member States and consumers. Work on the new regulation started in 2008.

Ronald Vroman, who has been representing ANEC and Consumers International (CI) in the work, commented: “ANEC and CI welcome the adoption of the new and more consumer friendly I-size regulation, which will offer greater safety to the youngest consumers. Besides other improvements, we are particularly pleased that the new regulation requires the mandatory rear-facing transport of children up to 15 months of age, provides side impact protection and will help reduce misuse of the child seat”.

Stephen Russell, ANEC Secretary-General, added: “Despite numerous recommendations from safety experts and pediatricians on the better protection offered by the rearward-facing transport of children until two or three years of age, parents have been turning their children forward-facing as of 9 kg (approximately 6 months of age) through using car seats complying with the current regulation ECE R 44. Car seats complying with the new I-size regulation will protect children better and will be easier for parents to fit”.

ANEC urges the World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations for swift adoption as to achieve the implementation of the new regulation from January 2013.

ENDS

ANEC in brief

ANEC is the European consumer voice in standardisation, representing and defending consumer interests in the process of standardisation and certification. ANEC was set up in 1995 as an international non-profit association under Belgian law and represents consumer organisations from the 27 EU Member States and 3 EFTA countries and Croatia. ANEC is funded by the European Union and the EFTA Secretariat, while national consumer organisations contribute in kind. Its Secretariat is based in Brussels.

More information: www.anec.eu

Raising standards for consumers

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Tel. +32(0)2 743 24 70

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& EC transparency register: identification number 507800799-30