Smallest passengers on risky ride

7-year-old Zhao Ruopu said he feels comfortable in a safety seat because his Beijing parents began using it when he was 2. Zeng Ya / For China Daily

Market matures, concerns grow over child safety

A 21-month-old girl who survived a serious car accident on Feb 15 in Hefei, Anuhi province has again put child passenger safety in the public spotlight.

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Strapped in a safety seat in the back, the youngster was unscathed after the car driven by her father was hit broadside by another vehicle, sending it spinning across the road.

But not all child passengers are so lucky in China.

According to information from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, more than 18,500 children under the age of 14 die in car accidents every year in the country, about 2.5 times the number in Europe.

So as China's vehicle market matured - it became the biggest in the world in 2009 - several local governments grew concerned about child safety.

New regulations were released while auto companies designed related new products. A new regulation announced by the Shanghai People's Congress in late 2013 required safety seats in all cars carrying children under 4 years old starting last Saturday.

Foreign automakers, including Volkswagen AG, have started selling child safety seats in the China market in recent years.

A World Health Organization study found that child safety seats reduce fatalities by 71 percent.

But it is still not a priority for most Chinese parents.

"China is a major producer of child safety seats, but most are sold abroad.