World’s safest child car seat unveiled

British inventors have revealed the word’s first child car seat with active airbag technology – which observers are already dubbing the ‘world’s safest child car seat’.

The new Carkoon has been created by British engineers on the south coast, in association with university researchers. Promising to ‘revolutionise the industry’, the seat is packed with technology.

Its key feature is a unique ‘airshield’, which deploys in 50 milliseconds to cover and enclose the child within the seat. This protects them from flying objects, debris and even fire (the Kevlar material means it is flame-resistant for 20 minutes).

A brace of onboard sensors detects a vehicle crash (including its severity) and initiates the airshield protection – and, via GPS sensors, also automatically calls the emergency services when it is deployed.

Thanks to a GPS Emergency Beacon Transmitter, the emergency services are even shown where the Carkoon is on an electronic map.

The Carkoon child seat also has side impact protection that protects children during heavier accidents – and even the industry-standard ISOFIX fixture system has been reinvented, with a colour-coded display showing if it is installed correctly or not.

This has been devised because statistics say up to 90 per cent of all car seats on the road are incorrectly fitted. The colour-coded fitting device is thus a big safety boon in its own right.

Crucially, the child seat is rear-facing, to ensure it offers best protection for the child’s head, back and neck. Carkoon technicians advise all children up to four years of age sit in rear-facing seats.

However, it’s also practical, as the inventors have devised a swivel system; parents can load the child with it facing forward, then swivel it round once they’re safely stowed.

The inventors have made it easy to remove from the car in an accident, and also ensured it is easy to remove the child once the airshield protection has kicked in.

“The Carkoon baby seat is the only child car seat that activates extra protection for your child upon impact,” says the firm.

“With our rapidly advancing motor industry, cars are becoming faster and further advanced in their safety aspects, but car seats are not moving at the same pace – until now.

“Offering an extra level of protection, unheard of before in baby car seats, Carkoon is set to revolutionise the industry by raising the bar.”

The seat is currently undergoing testing in British laboratories and, if authorities give clearance to its many innovative new features, it may soon go on sale – billed as ‘the word’s safest child car seat’.