Gasgoo.com (Shanghai July 16) - The China Automotive Technology and Research Center will begin conducting quality tests of child safety seats next year, the Beijing Times reported today, citing a statement made by CATARC Auto Testing Research Institute Director Li Wei at a press conference for 2013's second round of C-NCAP crash testing. The test results, which are the first to be conducted in China by a team of experts, will be publically announced in the latter half of next year.
According to Mr. Wei's explanation, the CATARC will employ a variety of testing methods to test the quality of child safety seats. He also emphasized the importance of the safety seats in ensuring the safety of children in the event of an accident. Mr. Wei hopes that the test results will help further guide consumers, who currently are forced to make their purchase decisions based primarily on brand and price.
Child safety seats domestically manufactured in the country are notorious for being of relatively low quality. There are several poor quality seats that, Mr. Wei cautions, fail to live up to current safety standards.
According to a crash test experiment conducted by Tsinghua University, car accident fatality rates for infants under three years of age decreased 71 percent if they were sitting in a child safety seat. The rate decreased 54 percent for children aged between three and six years.
