When you are traveling with kids it involves unique challenges like ensuring their safety in cabs. A journey with little ones requires meticulous planning, caution and research. Amongst the most common challenges is finding a car with child and booster seats.
It is important to have child and booster seats as infants and children do not fit the standard adult seats of the car. Child and booster seats are safety measures made to protect children and reduce the risk of getting injuries.
In many countries, the use of child and booster seats in cabs is mandated by law. There are clear sets of regulations that specify the age and weight requirement for child and booster seats.
However, in India, even the availability of child and booster seats is very restricted. This lack of safety devices is a problem for people who are traveling to India with kids.
Considering the Indian road culture and disrespect to traffic rules investing your money in child and booster seats will bring you great returns. This article will analyze the existing problem of child and booster seat availability in India.
Why Child and Booster Seats Are Important?
Child and booster seats are of supreme importance in ensuring the safety of children in cabs.
- These seats are designed according to age, height, and weight to give optimal safety. Child and booster seats are made for infants and toddlers up to around one year old or 9 kilograms.
- Convertible seats are designed to fit both newborns and toddlers and they can support up to 18 kilograms of weight. While booster seats are designed to accommodate older kids from the age of 4 years to 8 years.
- These seats ensure that the seat belt of the cars fits completely over the stronger parts of a kid's body offering better protection. Booster seats have a three-point belt system.
- Plus it can lift your kid so that your car's seat belt can fit them properly across the body of the child. Your child should continue using the booster seat until he is big enough to fit in your car's seat belt.
- It is crucial to note that not all child and booster seats are designed equally. It is important for you as a parent to research and select a seat that meets federal safety regulations.
- Do not forget to check if the child and booster are appropriate for the child's age, weight, and height. Additionally, it is crucial to install these seats correctly according to the manufacturer's guidelines to ensure maximum protection.
Why Child and Booster Seats Are a Challenge in India?
The situation of child and booster seats is filled with challenges. There are no mandatory traffic rules to use child and booster seats in India. Additionally, general awareness about the advantages of child and booster seats is almost absent.
Many parents may not even know of the dangers of not using these safety devices. People rely instead on traditional practices that do not offer proper protection when they are traveling.
There is a high number of people who do not know how to use child and booster seats properly and then some people do not use these seats due to financial constraints.
If you are used to strict safety norms then finding child and booster seats in rental cars and taxis in India can be difficult. Even some of the renowned Indian car rental service companies do not regularly provide child seats.
If child and booster seats are available, they are generally not in enough quantities or in great condition, making it challenging for travelers to ensure the safety of children.
Above all, if you are visiting India for the first time then find rental cars with baby seats as you are not familiar with local alternatives. Moreover, the stressful planning that you have to do requires extra time just to find car rental services in India that provide child and booster seats.
Furthermore, the restrictive availability also means that tourists may need to book the cabs well in advance to secure these seats. Therefore, adding another requirement of meticulous planning and expected expense to their overall travel budget.
Child and Booster Seat Prices and Rentals
The price range of child and booster can vary depending on brand, quality and features. Generally, a good child seat can cost around INR 6,000 to INR 10,000 (about $73 to $122 USD). If you are searching for more high-end seats with extra features like good cushion and side-impact protection it can cost more than the ordinary ones. Although booster seats cost less with a price range between INR 1,500 to INR 5,000 (approximately $20 to $70).
Renting children and booster seats is not common to find which is why only a few options are available. While there are a few companies, like Stayfari, that have understood this need and provide child and booster seats.
Moreover, there are some companies that offer child and booster seats at additional prices, however, the availability by the company is not guaranteed. The rental fees for child seats can be priced anywhere between INR 200 to INR 500 per day (approximately $3 to $7).
This increases the overall expense of travel as there is an utter lack of rental options leading to a complicated travel experience for people traveling with families.
Conclusion
The availability of child and booster seats in India at present is very limited. This poses a big challenge for tourists who are visiting from countries with strict child safety rules. For a tourist, it restricts transportation options and increases costs to a great degree.
Additionally, Implementing mandatory rules for child and booster seats, spreading public awareness, and ensuring overall availability in India is crucial. India can uplift child passenger safety in cars.
This will help in making an image of India as a more family-friendly travel destination. Ensuring the safety of young passengers should not just be a regulatory necessity but a moral imperative, one that requires strong efforts from all stakeholders involved.