There are no Isofix bandaids, but…

“It’s a bandaid, for athletes, colourful or patterned”. This is one of the answers you might get if you ask someone what Isofix is. In actual fact it is relevant, in a way, because ‘Fix’ suggests something that fixes, that attaches. And this is precisely what Isofix technology does, fix the car seat to the vehicle body. It’s not “an industrial glue”, another opinion you might come across, but you do have a guarantee that once the car seat has been put in place, it becomes one with the car and remains in a safe, stable position even in curves or when driving on a rough road.

It’s a car seat base! And that’s not all

“Isofix is the name of the approved car seat base, the most modern kind”. It’s true, car seat bases were the first to introduce this safe technology. Our Viaggio Isofix System is composed of: Isofix Base 0+ 1 K, the Primo Viaggio SL car seat and the Viaggio1 Duo-Fix K car seat.

All latest generation car seats feature Isofix attachments capable of fixing them to special rings under the rear seats of vehicles registered since 2005.

The stability of Isofix bases can be further increased using a third anchorage point (a Top Tether belt or a supporting foot, called Support leg). Isofix is the name of the anchorage system, not a car seat technology.

It’s better for the health than many medicines

There are pills, bracelets and even chewing gum to prevent car sickness, but Isofix is not one of these; it’s not a medication. And yet some people think the name sounds like a medicine. But no pill can keep your child as safe in the car as this anchorage system.

It’s not just a matter of modern technology; there are other essential features:

1. It reduces the risks involved in incorrect installation of the car seat, an error that can frequently be committed with non-Isofix car seats.
2. It provides a very solid permanent connection between the car seat and the car body.
3. Test results leave no doubt: Isofix car seats are much safer.

It’s a ‘safety certificate’

Isofix is not “a company quality certificate”. Known as LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) in the United States and UAS (Universal Anchorage System) or Canfix in Canada, it is an international standard that has nothing to do with product quality and everything to do with safety. Many new parents have no idea what it’s all about and don’t fully understand the importance of having not only an Isofix car seat, but a vehicle set up for this anchorage system.

There are still a lot of old cars around and if you have a child in a car seat, it’s important to consider your child’s safety when you choose your car.

Don’t know what car seat to choose? Discover products made by Per Perego to keep your child safe in the car.

#MoreThanAJourney

Sometimes, however, it is really hard for those not "inside" the process to imagine all the steps that are followed.
This is why we decided to publish the story of the Engineer Agrati, who went to Munich with his team just before Christmas to do some tests.

“We concluded three days of tests at the ADAC laboratory in Munich, where EuroNCAP tests, which give the famous "stars" to car seats and cars, are performed. These tests, although very expensive for the company, are of absolute importance for the development of new car seats.

Perhaps few people know that when a car seat is launched for the so-called crash test, the collision occurs in about 2 tenths of a second, during which the car seat goes from 70 km/h to zero.

It would be impossible to understand what would happen if these tests were not filmed by means of sophisticated high-speed cameras that allow engineers to see the crashes and understand what to do to reduce the negative consequences.

The modern test dummies, the Crash Test Dummies, which come with the laboratory, are much more sophisticated than the dummies used in European certification today. In fact, they are able to record decelerations sustained by the child in the head, torso and neck, and through these values we can calculate how much energy is absorbed into the child's head, how much force affects the neck, not just in a frontal collision but also in a side collision, a test which is not yet provided in European certifications.

Thanks to these experiences our company is able to design and produce a range of car seats characterized by two aspects, present in all products:

1) a generous headrest that can absorb the force of the collision;

2) the ISOFIX connection, which can significantly reduce the collision force suffered by the baby in the case of an accident.

Particularly in these three days, we have developed some improvements which will be present in the 2012 range of the Viaggio 1 Duofix but most of all we have been able to complete, with superlative results, the certification test for a completely new car seat that will be put on the market next year.

I still cannot tell you what model it is, however I am very pleased that these certification tests have been concluded far ahead of production, so that our youngest customers will already have a well-tested and reliable product available."

Many of us are familiar with the Isofix attachments, those anchor points, often yellow in color, that enable you to install the car seat to two metal rings placed in the gap between the seat and backrest of newer vehicles.

What not all of us know is that, in order to secure the Isofix car seat, one must also use a third anchor point. Many car seats use the so-called support leg.

Others use a belt located behind the car seat backrest that attaches to a special anchor found in newer vehicles. This is the so-called Top Tether.

What advantages does the Top Tether offer?

The use of the Top Tether greatly increases your child's safety, as it makes the seat even more stable and more securely fixed to the vehicle. In case of an accident, a seat so securely fastened will undergo deformation and absorb the energy released by the vehicle, instead of risking dangerous whiplash injury to the child, as in traditional installations with seat belts.
In addition, if the child is placed in a traditional seat or a seat without a base, by buying a car seat with Top Tether you will be guaranteed the safety of an Isofix product, without the need to buy a separate base.

But where do I find the Top Tether? On what vehicles and what car seats?

All recent cars must have the Top Tether attachment. This may be placed behind the vehicle's backrest, on the shelf in sedans, or in the trunk in the case of minivans. In any case, the position is marked by the presence of the logo pictured to the right.

As regards Peg Perego products, you can avail of the Top Tether when you buy Viaggio 1 Duofix TT. We have produced a video on the subject, to explain the Top Tether’s characteristics and installation options in full.

The video of the test drive of the new five-door Lancia Ypsilon highlights the model’s most significant features, but also the presence of Isofix attachments, ensuring ease of car seat installation. And guess what? The car seat used is our very own Viaggio 2-3 Surefix, the brand new car seat designed for older children (up to 36 kg, or 12 years of age), which has already received prestigious awards across Europe. Pretty good, right?