Children in the car, in front: can it be done?

Can you travel on a spider with your children? The answer is yes! Provided that, if the age requires it, they are transported with appropriate child seats. On the other hand, article 172 of the Highway Code speaks clearly: children of less than 1.50 m stature must be secured to the seat with a suitable restraint system, adequate for their weight, of a type approved according to the regulations established by Ministries of Infrastructure and Transport, in accordance with the regulations of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe or equivalent Community directives.

We at Mamme in Auto got on board the Mazda MX-5, the Japanese company's spider equipped, in our case, with a 184 HP 2-liter Skyactiv-G engine.


There is only one basic rule: if the child is over 15 months of age and travels in the passenger seat with the seat facing forward, the airbag must be kept active. If the child is less than 15 months old, transport is possible, as long as the seat is positioned in the opposite direction to that of travel. In this case, however, the airbag must be strictly deactivated.

We at Mamme in Auto turned to Doctor Giovanna Baroni, surgeon specializing in Pediatrics and we asked her what are the most common consequences of incorrect use of the airbag, as well as the damage - even permanent - that can be caused to children.

"First of all, we must remember that the little ones have vertebral bodies that are not yet calcified - explained the pediatrician - so any movement that is given by the impact or the explosion of the same airbag can create very important injuries. The most extreme leads to the death of the child, but fortunately they are still rare. Then there are chest crush injuries, among the most common, along with those involving the face of the child. The most serious concern the lesion of the cornea and the acoustic nerve and of the entire structure that characterizes the auditory system. Facial lesions are manifold and of various depths. Often they are zygomatic and orbital arch lesions. Let's not forget, then, that the airbag contains substances which, in the event of breakage, if inhaled, can be just as dangerous ".

How is an airbag built? It consists mainly of five elements: the sensor that detects the impact, the control unit, the detonator, the explosive capsule and the life-saving bag. The "white" substance present in the capsule is sodium azide, an acid that is toxic to the environment which, however, in this case contributes to saving lives.

"If inhaled - Dr. Baroni points out - this substance can give rise to alterations of the airways, at the level of the central nervous system".

According to ASAPS, the Friends of the Traffic Police Association, in 2019 there were 40 victims of road accidents among children (28 males and 12 females), 9 fewer than the previous year. 24 of these children were carried in a car (60%), 1 on a motorcycle, 3 on a bicycle, 12 on foot. The most affected group is that between 0 and 5 years (21 victims); 9 in the 6/10 year range while there are 10 deaths of children aged between 11 and 13 years.

The airbag is one of the most important and indispensable tools for car safety. Put simply, it is the life-saving bag that can explode when the vehicle collides or crashes, protecting the driver and passengers from serious injury. It was invented in the early 1950s in the United States of America by John W. Hetrick and was mounted, for the first time, in 1973 on an Oldsmobile Toronado. In our country, however, it was introduced in the early 1970s on the Lancia Sinthesis 2000 concept car.

Today there are child seats on the market which, inside them, have small airbags capable of cushioning blows in the event of an accident. “A step forward in the name of the safety of the little ones in the car”, concluded Doctor Baroni.

So mothers: if you have a spider in your hands, don't worry! Go on a trip with your child. Know that it is possible - enjoy! - but always respecting the rules and in complete safety.