Smallest passengers on risky ride

"In 2012, only 5 percent of the 10 million China-made safety seats were sold in the country," said Cui Minyan, representative of the non-governmental organization Safe Kids China.

Insiders said Guangzhou is likely to be the next city with a safety seat requirement as the local advisory body - the People's Political Consultative Conference - recently proposed that legislators pass similar regulations.

"Many Chinese parents don't even know there is such a product for children," said Vicky Dong, mother of a 4-year-old girl in Beijing. "But specific regulations will greatly enhance awareness."

She has already installed one for her daughter.

"Using the safety seat, I can concentrate on driving when I travel with my daughter, which makes the trip a lot safer," Dong said.

In addition to legislation, insiders said that automakers will also play a crucial role in promoting child safety seats.

They said most of the child safety seats sold in China are not produced by automakers or auto component manufacturers, so product quality is always a big concern.

They said customers have more confidence in products offered by automakers and are more likely to buy a safety seat if it is an option offered by the manufacturer.

Volkswagen Group China said its products are "easy to install and use" and suitable for children up to 12 years old.

To help raise public awareness, the company's six brands - Volkswagen Audi, Skoda, SEAT, Porsche, and Bentley - offered 5,000 child safety seats for free during the Guangzhou Auto Show last November.

"We hope we can promote child safety seats in China through concrete efforts," said Weiming Soh, executive vice-president of Volkswagen Group China.