From birth to 4 years there is no question that the safest way for your little one to travel is rearward facing however what about when this isn’t possible? Our children are our most precious cargo and as a brand who put children at the forefront of innovation, Maxi Cosi are constantly working hard to develop the way children travel and whether that be forward or rearward facing, they endeavour to make this as safe as possible.
Yesterday we went down to the Transport Research Laboratory to look at the brand new Axissfix Air; the world’s first car seat with built in airbags and see the 2-year long journey Maxi Cosi have taken to develop this innovative car seat.
Just like other car seats in the Axissfix family, the Axissfix Air is suitable from 4 months old and is to be installed rearward facing in your car using the Isofix and top tether connection. The Axissfix Air allows rearward facing travel up to 87cm which is approximately 2 years old and after this age, the seat will rotate to a forward-facing position to be used to 4 years old. You can also rest assured that the Axissfix Air complies with the latest iSize legislation and in the rearward facing position, your little one is as safe as possible. So, what is different about this seat?
 |
 |
As mentioned earlier the Axissfix Air is the world’s first car seat to have built in airbags but we want to explain what this means for car seat safety and how the airbags work to protect our little ones.
In the event of an impact, the Axissfix Air works incredibly quickly and within 1 second the Air Safety System will be activated, cold air is then forced into the Airbags that will inflate to cushion your child’s head and neck and then the airbags deflate immediately to clear them from your child’s face.
You can see this on the timeline below and a slowed down video of the crash test shows how quickly all of this takes place.
Now, as with everything new, we know you will have a few questions about this new technology so below we have some of the most frequently asked questions but if you have any more, just shout!
Why develop a forward-facing seat when we know extended rearward facing is safer?
Keeping your little one rearward facing for as long as possible is for sure the safest option however we live in a world of choice and where ERF isn’t always possible or circumstances mean you want/need a forward-facing seat then the Axissfix Air is a great option.
How much safer is the Axissfix Air than a normal forward-facing car seat?
Don’t forget that the Axissfix Air can rearward face to approximately 2 years old which we would always recommend however when tested forward facing against other Maxi Cosi forward facing seat, the Axissfix Air is 55% safer.
I am worried about the pressure of the airbags on my child’s face.
When the airbag deploys, it does so in the direction of travel, this means that rather than the force coming towards your child like with a traditional airbag, it is there to softly cushion the child’s head and neck as they move forward. After 1 second, the airbag will deflate to clear them from your child’s face.
I am worried about burns from the air inside the airbags.
Unlike traditional airbags, the ones in the Axissfix Air are filled with cold air from a small cannister inside the car seat, once inflated the cold air is pushed back out through the holes on the outside of the airbags.
Available Now, the Axissfix Air is available in 3 colours and you can shop here for more information.
We hope to have answered some of your questions around this brand-new car seat and we would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Maxi Cosi on continuing to push the boundaries in car seat safety!