A good score of car buyers plan to use their vehicles as family carriers. That said, the considerations one makes when shopping for a family car lean more towards safety — like child locks.

Today, we’re going to look at what child safety locks are, why this feature is important for those traveling with their families, and how these systems work.

Kids, especially toddlers, have a tendency to play with almost anything they can see and access. They’re at a stage where they are most curious and are thus itching to explore. If you’re a parent, you’d know how fast your child’s hand can move when attempting to manipulate stuff that catches their attention. Unfortunately, the levers and buttons of your car’s rear doors make appealing targets.

Vehicle child safety locks are special-purpose locks — found on the rear doors — that prevent the rear seat passengers from accidentally opening the doors while the car is moving or at a standstill. Having a child safety lock on your sedan, MPV, or SUV, gives you the peace of mind that your child will not be able to open the rear door by himself or herself. Such incidents can prove to be dangerous, or even fatal, for the rear passengers and other road users.

How does a child safety lock work?

On older vehicles, child safety locks can be activated through a small switch that can only be accessed by opening the rear door. When activated, the door can only be opened from the outside.

Newer models allow parents to electronically control the child safety lock and activate or deactivate it from the driver’s seat.

In addition, most cars have window locks that prevent rear seat passengers from accidentally opening the rear windows. This feature is often found on vehicles with power windows and allows the driver to control the window operation from dedicated buttons on the driver’s side control panel.

Photos from Recaro and Volvo Cars

Also read: 

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In the know: Keyed vs. keyless ignition