Driving with children? Here are our top 7 safety tips

At Volvo Cars, safety has always been our top priority. We build cars to be equally safe for everyone, regardless of gender, age, height, shape, or weight – and our youngest passengers need some extra protection. That’s why we consider children’s safety as part of the whole process, starting from the drawing table, based on real accidents and crash tests in cars.

In 1972, we launched our first child seat, a rearward facing seat – and a world-first by a car maker. Since then, we’ve introduced new generations of child seats and boosters, always breaking new ground to keep our young passengers safe and comfortable. While designs have evolved, our core protection principles – protecting the head, neck and belly – remain unchanged.

Our focus lies on two kinds of child restraints: rearward-facing child seats and belt-positioning boosters, integrated or accessory, using the car’s safety belt. Young children are best protected in rearward-facing child seats. We recommend rearward-facing child seats up to at least age four. After that, boosters together with the safety belt should be used until children about 140 cm tall and 10 years old.

Most importantly, make sure to adjust or replace the restraint to match the child’s size and age as the child grows.

Here are some of our top safety tips for driving with children, based on more than 50 years of real-life research and crash tests.

1. Switch from a rearward-facing baby seat to a large rearward-facing child seat as soon as the child can sit stably in the child seat and fits in the harness. This is better than waiting until they have completely outgrown the baby seat.


2. Don't recline a rearward-facing child seat too much. The child seat supports and distributes the load over the child’s back and head, and this works less effectively if the child seat is reclined.


3. Use a rearward-facing child seat for as long as possible to provide the best protection for the child’s head and neck. Sitting with bent knees is not dangerous for the child, but if it’s uncomfortable, adjust the child seat to extend the legroom. If possible, place it in the front passenger seat, which usually provides more legroom.


4. The booster’s main purpose is to lift the child into a good position within the car’s protection system. Ensure that the lap belt is snug against the hips, positioned towards the thighs rather than the belly.


5. When in a booster, the shoulder and lap belts should be positioned close to the child’s hip and shoulder. If the child is wearing a bulky jacket, open the jacket.


6. Always make sure that the shoulder belt is placed on the child’s shoulder, ideally in a mid-shoulder position. If it feels uncomfortable against the neck, adjust the booster sideways, or place some cloth between the child’s neck and the shoulder belt. Never place the shoulder belt under the child’s arm, behind its back, or off the shoulder.


7. Do not stop using a booster too early. You can tell that your child is ready to use only the safety belt when their back is against the car seat, their knees bend at the seat edge, the lap belt sits on their hip (not their belly), the shoulder belt sits between their neck and shoulder, and they sit comfortably without slouching.