It’s no surprise that car seat innovation and car seat safety will always elicit a lot of attention from parents. In our case, even though we rarely drive day-to-day, we do, however, drive 6-8 hour stretches quite regularly. (With our next trip slated for tomorrow evening.) Car seat safety, of course, is always paramount, as is comfort for driving long distances. That said, all families have different needs when it comes to the big ticket kid gear such as car seats.
What’s great about the juvenile products market is that it’s always evolving, especially to meet all those different needs while maintaining the highest safety standards. Dorel, the parent company of Safety 1st products, proves just that with its latest innovation.
Earlier this week, Dorel announced the launch of Air Protect, a new safety feature that was developed to protect children in the event of side impact collisions. Dorel brought in the big guns for their latest innovation: the company worked together with Kettering University’s Crash Safety Center to develop Air Protect, which, essentially puts a layer of air protection around the child’s head.
The company describes Air Protect:
Through the precise release of air, Air Protect compresses and shields children from side impact intrusion and immediately reduces crash forces where the child is most vulnerable – the head. Air Protect does this by extending ride-down, the amount of time it takes to slow a child’s movement in a crash. By extending ride-down time, Air Protect creates a slower, softer landing.
Air Protect convertible car seat for children 5 to 50 pounds is being offered in the new Safety 1st Complete Air car seat in black/gray and brown/orange. The Safety 1st Complete Air with Air Protect features the Safety 1st’s QuickFit Harness System as well. As of today, this seat, which costs $250, can be preordered through BRU, and will be available exclusively in BRU stores on August 1st. Other retailers will carry the Safety 1st Complete Air by next year.
As far as car seats go, this is probably one of the most interesting innovations I’ve come across yet. It’s not even out yet, and moms are already buzzing about it! If I have the chance to review and/or check it out in person, I’ll be sure to report further. In the meantime, check out the promo video for the Air Protect technology to see how it all comes together.
