Isofix Car seats Installation in Volkswagen Taigun || Isofix Child Seats Mounts ||

Isofix (styled ISOFIX) is the international standard for attachment points for child safety seats in passenger cars. The system has other regional names including LATCH ("Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children") in the United States and LUAS ("Lower Universal Anchorage System") or Canfix in Canada.[1] It has also been called the "Universal Child Safety Seat System" or UCSSS.

Isofix is International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard ISO 13216, which specifies the anchoring system for Group 1 child safety seats. It defines standard attachment points to be manufactured into cars, enabling compliant child safety seats to be quickly and safely secured. Isofix is an alternative to securing the seat with seat belts. Seats are secured with a single attachment at the top (top tether) and two attachments at the base of each side of the seat. The full set of anchor points for this system were required in new cars in the United States starting in September 2002.

In the EU the system is known as Isofix and covers both Group 0/0+ and Group 1 child safety seats. The mechanism for attaching the seat to the lower anchors is quite different from that in the United States. In the EU two "alligator-like" clips connect the seat to the lower anchors rather than the open clip style connectors commonly used in the United States.[2] However, some child seat manufacturers are beginning to offer true Isofix type attachments in the United States. In the European standard, there are also various installation categories: "universal", "vehicle-specific" and "semi-universal". The main difference is that "universal" represents use of a top tether strap with the Isofix anchorage, "vehicle-specific" represents the usage of the Isofix anchorage without the top tether in specified vehicles only, while "semi-universal" represents usage of the Isofix anchorage together with a "foot-prop".[3][4]

Isofix is designed to secure a maximum combined weight (comprising both seat and child) of 33 kilograms (73 lb).[5]

The center-to-center distance between the anchors of Isofix (and also LATCH) systems is 280 mm (11 in).

Isofix
For Group 2/3 seats there is a system called Isofix which anchors the seat to the vehicle so it cannot slide around when not in use. In the case of Isofix, the child is held into the seat using the vehicle's existing seat belt system, not the safety seat's straps.

History
ISO 13216 part 1 (covering lower anchorage points) was published in 1999. Part 2, covering top tether anchorages was published in December 2004.[6][7]

Amendments to include Isofix in United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) vehicle regulations 14 and 44, which specify uniform provisions for the design of vehicle seat anchorages and child safety seats, came into force for signatory countries in February 2004.[8][9]

Under the current UN/ECE R14, all new vehicles produced since February 2013 are required to have Isofix lower anchorages and top tether attachments.

Australia
On September 19, 2014, the Australian government legalized the use of Isofix child seats. Prior to this date, their sale (and use) in Australia was illega

Have you ever wondered what's the safest way to transport a new born, toddler, or even a 4-year old in a car? In India, it's a common sight to watch parents transport these little ones either on the lap or in their arms. We've also noticed a few dim wits seat a toddler on the front seat in an airbag equipped car. Now, imagine if the car was to meet with an accident.

Firstly, there's no way one can hold a child securely with their arms wrapped around, in the event of a crash. Secondly, an airbag explodes at 250kmph. It can be potentially fatal to your bundle of joy as the child is too fragile to handle the impact. Also, one must remember that seatbelts in a car are designed to restrain an adult only, which makes wrapping it around a little kid pointless.

Child seats, as a concept, is alien to many parents in India and this is regardless of their socio-economic background. It's about time they realise the importance and effectiveness of these seats in securing a child, in case the car is involved in an accident.

Why ISOFIX?
ISOFIX, essentially, is a standardised international child seat fitting system. In other words, it is the international standard for attachment points for child safety seats in cars. It was first developed in 1997 by the child safety seat maker Britax-Roemer in association with Volkswagen. Thereafter, in 2006, it was made standard in all new cars sold in most international countries.

Car seats differ in design, shape and size. So does the length of a seatbelt as well as seatbelt anchorages. This makes it problematic to fix a child seat correctly and securely. In fact, a number of surveys indicate that child car seats are fitted incorrectly, making them ineffective in securing a kid in the event of an accident.