Never forgotten again

August 29, 2019

Forgetting your child in the car seems like an impossible event. Yet the news reports numerous cases of children who died precisely because they were abandoned alone in the car, for hours and under the sun or in the cold. The competent bodies could not remain impassive in the face of these premature and absurd deaths . It must be said that there are still few cases in Italy, compared for example to the United States where the phenomenon is growing , but 'few' are still too many, and it was therefore decided to take measures. The causes of the phenomenon According to experts, the abandonment of a child in the car is due to an episode of dissociative amnesia (the so-called blackout) of the adult following stress, poor sleep, emotionally difficult moments. The parent tends to literally dissociate himself from the reality that surrounds him. The sounds and lights of the anti-abandonment device are designed to reactivate the parent's attention and thus avoid the occurrence of tragic episodes. The directive on anti-abandonment sensors In 2018 the obligation was approved (the effective date was scheduled for next July, but according to Altroconsumo, an association for the protection of consumers, the date should be postponed to at least 19 November 2019 ) to install special alarm devices on the car seats prevent children under the age of four from being abandoned in the car . Paragraph 1bis of article 172 of the Highway Code states: «The driver of vehicles of categories M1, N1, N2 and N3 registered in Italy, or registered abroad and driven by residents in Italy, when carrying a child under at four years old secured to the seat with the restraint system referred to in paragraph 1 (the car seat, Ed.), has the obligation to use a special alarm device aimed at preventing the abandonment of the child, responding to the technical-construction specifications and functions established by decree of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport".

How will the devices be These will be sensors that will communicate with the smartphone via app or Bluetooth and that will sound an alarm and send a message if the child is left in the seat and the parent moves away. There is also talk of devices with acoustic and light sensors , which remain active even when the car is off and signal the presence of the child on board. There are two purchasing solutions: for new parents, the choice of latest generation car seats with integrated devices; for those who already own a child seat, the possibility of installing 'retrofit' solutions, i.e. sensors that can be connected to the different models of child seats. All these systems will have to meet specific ministerial requirements and will have to be approved by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. Iperbimbo already sells these products and they are available both online and in the store: - https://www.iperbimbo.it/online-shop/auto/seggiolini-auto/accessori-auto/inglesina-dispositivo-anti-abandoning-ally-pad/ - https://www.iperbimbo.it/online-shop/auto/seggiolini-auto/accessori-auto/digicom-tippy-smart-pad-my-cms-dispositivo-anti-abandoning-in-auto/ Costs and incentives The 2019 Budget law provides for incentives to support families. One million euros have been allocated for the current year and another million for 2020 . According to the text, the bonus should be translated into the form of a tax incentive for both devices and child seats with sensors. The cost of the devices has dropped to around €50 thanks to these incentives. The fines Article 172 of the Highway Code provides for the obligation to use an approved child seat suitable for the weight of children up to 150 cm in height. Anyone who does not comply with the rules relating to the transport of children in a child seat (including those relating to anti-abandonment devices) risks a fine ranging from 80 to 323 euros and the deduction of five points from the driving licence. In the event of a repeat offense within two years, the driving license will be suspended for a period of between 15 days and two months. Taken from Born Mom | by Carlotta Cordieri