The obligation to place warning devices on car seats for children up to 1 years of age to prevent abandonment has been postponed from 4 July to a date to be defined.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousThe obligation to place warning devices on car seats for children up to 1 years of age to prevent abandonment has been postponed from 4 July to a date to be defined
The anti-abandonment car seats will no longer be mandatory from 1 July, but only at a date to be defined. Despite the Senate's yes at the end of last September, now the obligation is postponed to no earlier than next November. What happened?
As Altroconsumo explains, what still missing is the implementing decree of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport which had to define the technical characteristics and which should have arrived within 60 days of the entry into force of law 117/2018. None of that.
The legislation of last October, in fact, had only introduced the obligation to have the so-called "anti-abandonment systems" on cars (aimed at preventing parents from forgetting their children in the car) for children under the age of 4, postponing decisions on the technical characteristics that these devices should have to an implementing decree of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
That never came.
This is why the electronic systems that should help parents prevent the abandonment of their children in the car they will no longer be mandatory from next July.
In reality, the implementing decree, which was to arrive by 27 December 2018, was launched as a draft text only on 21 January 2019. The text, which was sent for any adjustments to the Tris office (the information system on regulations techniques of the European Commission), he was supposed to stay until April 22, but due to a extension will remain there until 22 July.
Only after that, the Council of State will give a positive opinion for it to be published and from that moment another 120 days will have to pass for the provisions of the law on anti-abandonment systems to come into force. On balance, therefore, the obligation is postponed until November 19, 2019.
In the meantime, what can new parents do? Undoubtedly apply every possible tool so that you do not get distracted when you leave the car and consider that in any case it is dangerous to leave children locked in the passenger compartment even for just a few minutes.
Plus, it's already buying integrated alarm systems for some types of child seats, systems mediated by apps and bluetooth and - probably the most reliable - i universal products with a sensor on the seat which provide the alarm before the parent gets out of the car.
Finally, there are some suggestions from the Ministry of Health, such as:
- greater awareness of the risks: never even voluntarily leave a child alone in the car, not even for a short while or if the outside temperature is not too high;
- place your phone / bag / company badge next to the child;
- place the baby's changing bag on the passenger seat;
- adopt the American technique "look back before you lock", ie check all the seats before closing the car.
Read also:
- Car seats: here are the dangerous ones rejected by Altroconsumo
- Slap: a red bracelet to not forget the children in the car
- Car seats: 10 safety tips according to the new regulations
Germana Carillo
