What happened on 2024 ADAC test and what are ADAC, Swedish Plus test and ECE R129 at all?

Intro

What is the ADAC test? What is Swedish Plus test? And ECE R129/03? ECE R44/04? One of them? Maybe ADAC sounds familiar a bit. Why are these all of them important? Because in 2024 one of the ADAC tested car seat is thrown through the vehicle in scenarios of frontal crash tests. Umm, What the heck, right?

Choosing a car seat for our baby is not an easy task, but the German ADAC and the Swedish Plus Test can be of great help. When a family chooses a car seat, the needs that arise are usually quite similar and categorizable. We want our child's car seat to be primarily safe, comfortable, and long-lasting, as well as practical, and at the same time, not to cost a fortune.

Important note for readers who tend to quit in the middle of an article

Perhaps one of the most surprising facts for parents is that child car seats have an expiration date, known as the 'expiry period.' This expiry period exists because the materials used in child car seats can age, causing their behavior to change over time. A perfect example of this is plastic, which tends to become stiffer with age and may not absorb forces from a collision as it should. It's essential for everyone to consider this when purchasing a used car seat. While buying a high-quality car seat is a clear choice for safety, it's even more costly to compromise on safety when it comes to our children's well-being during car journeys.

Another fact that if a family is expecting their third child, it's highly likely that the first child car seat they purchased will no longer be suitable, as its expiry period has likely passed. The simplest way to address this issue is to set a reminder in our calendars a few years after purchasing the seat, reminding us when its expiry period is due. If you are into to buy a used car seat, it's crucial to remove the cover, check the purchase year, and find the manufacturing year on the seat for any visible signs of damage. Nevertheless, when purchasing a used seat, one can never be entirely sure whether the car in which it was previously used was involved in even a minor accident, which could affect the seat's future performance in a potential real-life collision.

What certifications and tests exist for child car seats?

ADAC Test

The ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club) is a German automobile club, a highly esteemed organization. This club conducts various tests, including those on child car seats, aiming to help parents navigate through the tremendous amount of options available. Safety, ergonomics, materials used in manufacturing, and ease of cleaning are among the key criteria evaluated in these tests. By averaging the scores of these characteristics, a rating between 1.5 and 5.5 is obtained.

Plus Test (Sweden)

The VTI and NTF (National Society for Road Safety) introduced the Plus Test in Sweden in 2009. The Plus Test sets particularly strict test requirements and is an additional test that is voluntary for car child seat manufacturers. Since an update to the test protocol in 2023, no forward-facing car child seats can undergo the test. The fundamental idea behind the Plus Test is that no child in a car child seat recommended by the Plus Test should ever suffer a dangerous, or even life-threatening, injury due to a collision. The Swedish Plus Test is so rigorous that only rear-facing car seats can meet its standards. Prior to 2011, tests did not assess harmful substances, whereas from 2015 onwards, usability and ergonomics were the sole focus.

ECE R44/04 Standard

ECE R44 04 is the older European approval standard that is being phased out. Child seats with this certification can still be used, but new child seats will only be approved under the new standard (R-129), as ECE R44/04 will be phased out from September 2024. It's not tested for side impact and based on the child's weight.

i-Size (ECE R129) Standard

The new European Union standard gradually replacing the ECE R44 standard. The i-Size standard has stricter safety requirements, including side-impact testing and mandatory use of ISOFIX.

In June 2013, the i-Size ECE R129 standard came into effect, elevating child car seat safety to a new level. The new regulation imposes mandatory safety requirements for child car seats, providing enhanced protection in the event of an accident. Certain safety expectations, now considered essential, were not compulsory under the ECE R44/04 standard, which has been in place since 2005. Manufacturers could choose whether to incorporate these advanced protections or settle for standard quality.

The need for the new standard arose due to the shortcomings of the old standard and the advancements in car manufacturing, child car seat design, and safety technology that made it both possible and necessary.

Why was the new i-Size standard created then? in short: avoid human error (= parent error)

• Too many children died in car accidents. The leading cause of child fatalities is car accidents. Although the number of child deaths has decreased, in Europe, 10 children still died on the roads every week, and approximately 1150 are injured. (Sources: WHO (2007), EEVC Working Group 18 Report (February 2006). Survey in 12 European countries among children aged 0–14 (2003)). Since than it has improved a lot. Children have the lowest mortality rate compared to other age-groups, and the mortality rate has also decreased the most out of all age groups over the last decade. The absolute number of road fatalities among children between 2011 and 2020 decreased by 47%, from 733 fatalities in 2011 to 386 fatalities in 2020. As the total number of road fatalities was decreasing less rapidly, their relative share decreased slightly. Within the group of children, the largest decrease in fatalities could be observed among the age-group of 5–9 year olds. In terms of transport mode, children had a very high death toll among the most vulnerable modes of transport: 32% of children killed were pedestrians, 13% were cyclists. These figures are EU averages but there are much higher percentages in a number of EU countries. In Romania and Greece, more than one in two fatalities among children was a pedestrian. In the Netherlands, 47% of fatalities among children were cyclists.The differences between the percentages for children and all fatalities reflect the mobility behaviour of children. link: https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/7f00b402-9aa2-44c7-b3c0-aaa6f81e0abd_en?filename=ff_children_20220706.pdf

• ISOFIX is needed since many child car seats are improperly installed. Properly securing a child car seat with the car's seatbelt can be too lengthy and complicated for many parents, leading to 27% of parents installing the seat incorrectly. To address this, the best solution is ISOFIX. The rate of incorrect installation drops to just 4% with ISOFIX seats. The new i-Size ECE R129 standard requires child seats to be ISOFIX-compatible, as the standard mandates ISOFIX. However using ISOFIX does not mean it's safer then using belt properly. Many older cars on the road lack ISOFIX. While ISOFIX has become more common in cars manufactured after 2006–2007, it was often an optional feature. However, in cars produced from January 2011 onwards, ISOFIX is standard equipment.

• Another huge issue is that parents switch to larger car seats too soon.

• High incidence of side impacts. 25% of car accidents involve side impacts. Independent crash tests long focused only on frontal impacts, as none of the ECE R44 standards (from ECE R44/01–02–03 to the ECE R44/04 in effect since 2005) required side impact protection systems or testing protocols. The new ECE R129 i-Size standard introduced the necessity for side impact tests. i-Size car seats now require side protection systems, particularly for the head, neck, and hips, making such tests possible."

ÖAMTC Test

The Austrian automobile club's test, similar to ADAC, evaluates child seats based on several aspects, such as safety, handling, ergonomics, and environmental considerations.

Best car seats for babys in 2024 based on ADAC

In the latest child seat evaluation (2024 Spring), ADAC rigorously assessed 24 seats for safety, usability, ergonomics, and pollutant levels. While there are commendable models available in every size category, two seats were rated as 'unsatisfactory' due to pollutant contamination.

• 24 child seats across various sizes were tested,

• For babys, Nuna Pipa urbn with 1.6, Cybex Cloud G i-Size installed via Base G with 1.8, Lionelo Astrid i-Size installed via Astrid i-Size Base with 1.8, Avionaut Cosmo installed via IQ Base 2.0 C Base with 2.0 ADAC result.

Worst car seats in 2024 based on ADAC

The cover material of the Silver Cross Discover i-Size contains the pollutant DPHP , which can damage the thyroid and pituitary gland. In the safety category, this seat only received a satisfactory rating, and the poor rating of the pollutant content explains the ADAC's rating of 4.8. The second seat rated 'poor', Peg Perego Viaggio Twist + Base Twist, failed completely in a frontal crash , meaning that there is an acute risk of injury for the child: in the event of an impact, the seat is thrown through the vehicle! Due to the serious safety defects, the ADAC advises against using the Peg Perego Viaggio Twist + Base Twist in any case . In addition, the cover material is also contaminated, which resulted in the ADAC rating of 5.5 . The flame retardant TCPP detected there is suspected of being carcinogenic.

Video about the frontal crash test with Peg Perego Viaggio Twist + Base Twist

I hope you've enjoyed this review. Let's get strollin'...

source: https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/ausstattung-technik-zubehoer/kindersitze/kindersitztest/kindersitz-vergleichstest-2024/