A new type of child's car seat, called the Carkoon, incorporates an airbag to protect the child during a crash. Photo Credit: Pieter Kuiper/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA
For parents, there are few things more important than safe-guarding their child’s safety while driving. A British company has created a new seat, called the Carkoon, which uses an airbag to shield the occupant in the event of a crash.
The hidden danger
Thousands of people die every year from injuries sustained in car crashes, but aside from the accident itself, another serious danger is the risk of unsecured objects that become airborne upon impact. According to ABC, accident investigation service Safety Research and Strategies estimates 13,000 annual injuries are due to unrestrained objects in car accidents.
Though most of those injuries would be preventable by securing objects, a company in Britain has devised a way to keep children in car seats safe from flying objects in crashes, according to The Telegraph. It’s called the Carkoon.
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The seat, designed as a rear-facing child seat, uses an airbag mounted in the cowl around the seat. In the event of a crash, the airbag deploys, shielding the child from flying debris.
Design inspired by fireman
The designer of the seat, Jullian Preston-Powers, was inspired to design the Carkoon after hearing of a fireman who had burned his hands while trying to rescue a child from a burning car. The child was still restrained in the seat and unfortunately perished.
The seat, according to the Daily Mail, is made from kevlar and carbon fiber and sits on a swivel, making it easier to retrieve the child in the event of an emergency or, in extreme cases, if the car has been parked. The swivel locks into place for driving. In the event of a crash, the seat also has a GPS unit that will send a signal to emergency responders.
Cadillac of car seats
The kit comes with a mirror that can be mounted inside the rear window that faces the Carkoon occupant so the driver can make eye contact with the infant by looking at the baby’s mirror through the rear-view mirror.
The seat hasn’t been approved yet for use, but it has been submitted for testing in order to be rated. Preston-Powers says the airbag is capable of being pelted with a brick with no ill effects.
Should it be approved for use as a car seat, it is going to be expensive. The seat is priced at 499 pounds or about $793. Whether it will be sold anywhere besides the United Kingdom remains to be seen.