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NHTSA child car seat guidlines

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released new guidelines today to help parents decide on a safety seat for their child and the best use of that seat. According to the new guidelines, kids should stay in rear-facing child seats until they're two years old, or have reached the height and weight limits advised by the seat's manufacturer.

Whether kids are kept in a rear- or forward-facing seat, NHTSA says it is important children always ride in the back. If the back seat is unavailable, passenger air bags should be turned off when car seats are in front of them.

After kids reach two, NHTSA recommends leaving them in a child or booster seat appropriate for their weight and height until they properly fit in an adult seatbelt. Further, NHTSA recommends keeping kids in the back seat at all times until they hit those magical teen years.

Click past the break for the full press release from NHTSA.

[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Image: visualthinker - CC 2.0]

Continue reading NHTSA issues new child seat guidelines

NHTSA issues new child seat guidelines originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car seatchild seatchild seatsnational highway traffic safety administrationnhtsasafety seatMon, 21 Mar 2011 15:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19886275/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/03/21/nhtsa-issues-new-child-seat-guidelines/19886275/article-detail.xml 19886275 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/carseat630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/carseat630.jpg <![CDATA[Followup: NHTSA to allow vehicle-specific child seats after all?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/27/followup-nhtsa-to-allow-vehicle-specific-child-seats-after-all/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/27/followup-nhtsa-to-allow-vehicle-specific-child-seats-after-all/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/27/followup-nhtsa-to-allow-vehicle-specific-child-seats-after-all/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Last week Volvo announced a range of car seats designed with Britax specifically for Volvo cars. The same announcement also stated the seats wouldn't be for sale in the U.S. because NHTSA doesn't allow the sale of car seats only meant for specific cars. In our reader poll of your opinion, more than 80% of you declared the feds universal child seat mandate wrong.

Could it be a coincidence that today, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood wrote, "NHTSA will ... institute a new program to make it easier for parents to choose child safety seats for their specific vehicles"?

LaHood had ordered a review of child seat policy and the new program is part of the review findings. Although the program isn't specifically geared toward Volvo's development, it provides that "Manufacturers will recommend specific seats in various price ranges that work best for individual vehicles." The DoT is aiming for a start date in 2011. Hat tip to JM

[Source: U.S. DoT]

Followup: NHTSA to allow vehicle-specific child seats after all? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>babybjornbooster seatsBoosterSeatsbritaxcar seatsCarSeatschild seatsChildSeatsdepartment of transportationDepartmentOfTransportationdotinfantinfant car seatsInfantCarSeatsmaclarenmedelanational highway traffic safety administrationNationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministrationnhtsapeg pereloPegPerelosafetyvolvoMon, 27 Apr 2009 17:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1529399/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/04/27/followup-nhtsa-to-allow-vehicle-specific-child-seats-after-all/1529399/article-detail.xml 1529399 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/volvo_britax_dot_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/volvo_britax_dot.jpg <![CDATA[NHTSA in hot seat after troubling baby car seat tests found]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/03/nhtsa-in-hot-seat-after-troubling-baby-car-seat-tests-found/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/03/nhtsa-in-hot-seat-after-troubling-baby-car-seat-tests-found/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/03/nhtsa-in-hot-seat-after-troubling-baby-car-seat-tests-found/#commentsFiled under: , ,



The Chicago Tribune is shaking a rattle at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Its investigation has found 31 cases of infant seats exceeding injury limits or disconnecting from their bases during federal vehicle frontal impact crash tests. The NHTSA slams countless cars into barriers each year, like the 2008 Dodge Caravan in the gallery below. In addition to the sensor-laden crash dummies, some of the vehicles are also fitted with infant or child seats. According to the Tribune, the unreported child seat failures in those tests - crashes conducted only to test vehicle safety, not the safety of the child seats - has uncovered a serious flaw in infant/child seat testing.

In the United States today, infant seats are only tested on a sled. Before being sold, the seats must demonstrate the ability to survive a "simulated" head-on crash at 30 mph. On the other hand, the NHTSA crashes actual vehicles into a barrier at 35 mph (although it is only 5 mph faster, the impact is significantly greater). Sled tests are effective in some studies, but they fail to test the variables found among different vehicle interiors and the unique seat designs that change from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Responding to the Tribune report, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a written statement Friday that he ordered a "complete top to bottom review of child safety seat regulations." He will also make changes to make the crash-test results "more available" to consumers. Government crash test regulations have held automakers to the fire, and the result has been much safer vehicles for adults. Now it's time to bring infant/child seat manufacturers to the same flame and improve small occupant safety, as well.

Gallery: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan Crash Tests


[Source: Freep, image by NHTSA]

NHTSA in hot seat after troubling baby car seat tests found originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Car seatsCarSeatschild seatsChildSeatscrash testCrashTestinfant seatsInfantSeatsnational highway tra...national highway traffic safety administrationnational highway transportation safety administrationNationalHighwayTra...NationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministrationNationalHighwayTransportationSafetyAdministrationNHTSAregulationsrulessled testSledTestTue, 03 Mar 2009 14:19:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1475418/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/03/03/nhtsa-in-hot-seat-after-troubling-baby-car-seat-tests-found/1475418/article-detail.xml 1475418 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/infant_sled_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/03/infant_sled.jpg <![CDATA[New "Ease of Use" child seat rating system unveiled by feds]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/01/new-ease-of-use-child-seat-rating-system-unveiled-by-feds/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/01/new-ease-of-use-child-seat-rating-system-unveiled-by-feds/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/01/new-ease-of-use-child-seat-rating-system-unveiled-by-feds/#commentsFiled under:

Child SeatThe NHTSA has announced that it will begin using a new ratings system for child seats that communicates to parents how easy they are to use. (All NHTSA-rated child seats are considered safe.) The four ease-of-use criteria that will be considered are:

  • Vehicle installation features
  • Securing the child
  • Evaluation of seat instructions
  • Evaluation of seat labels
Ratings of one to five stars will be given, kind of like the organization's vehicle crash tests, with the hope that it's easier for parents to choose the best possible seat.

It's good to see that ease of use will be rated, because the simpler it is to transfer a seat from car to car, the more likely a parent is to do so. After all, if a seat is a "pain to install," as IIHS president Adrian Lund bluntly puts it, a parent might be less likely to bother moving it. Of course, your child's safety should trump all other factors, regardless of how annoying it might be to move his or her car seat. Better to swear under your breath during the install than to regret not having done it later. These new ratings sound like a good, common-sense move.

[Source: AP, NHTSA]

New "Ease of Use" child seat rating system unveiled by feds originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>child seatsChildSeatsNHTSA child seat ratingsNhtsaChildSeatRatingsstar ratingsStarRatingsFri, 01 Feb 2008 18:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1104051/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/02/01/new-ease-of-use-child-seat-rating-system-unveiled-by-feds/1104051/article-detail.xml 1104051 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/02/kidinchildseat_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/02/kidinchildseat.jpg <![CDATA[Recaros for your kiddos]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/27/recaros-for-your-kiddos/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/27/recaros-for-your-kiddos/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/27/recaros-for-your-kiddos/#commentsFiled under: , ,

When most people shop for a car, they may be aware of the brand of tires or the kind of stereo, but few people think about who manufactured the seats. One exception to that is Recaro. The German company has long made seats for carmakers like Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, as well as for the aftermarket. In the late '70s, Recaros became very popular with the introduction of their multi-articulated seats.

More recently, Recaro has applied some of its expertise to the world of child safety seats. They offer a line of products ranging from rear-facing infant seats to boosters for older children. Styled in the fashion of their full-sized driver seats with adjustable bolsters and removable liners, the child seats' can be tweaked to keep your kids safe and secure as they grow. They aren't cheap, but they are Recaros.

[Source: Recaro via The Driving Woman]

Recaros for your kiddos originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>child seatsChildSeatsrecaroTue, 27 Mar 2007 17:29:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/852734/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/03/27/recaros-for-your-kiddos/852734/article-detail.xml 852734 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/03/transparent-midnight-desert_thumbnail.gif http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/03/transparent-midnight-desert.gif -1 2