Child car-seat ratings get adjusted
January 31st, 2008 A question I face a lot is with regard to child safety seats. The problems usually come in the form of confusion. People don’t know how to get the seat placed correctly in the car, don’t know what size seat to use and don’t know if the seat they are using is of good quality. The government is stepping in and in the article listed below from the AP you can see that the safety ratings are getting easier to understand.
James Lunders, Insurance Agent
By KEN THOMAS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Parents who struggle to install their child safety seats or fasten their toddlers in the backseat chairs are getting new guidance from the government.
The Transportation Department said Wednesday it was revamping a consumer ratings system for child safety seats to help parents and caregivers make the best choice.
The new approach is to use a five-star rating system, based on the seats’ ability to secure a child and the ease with which the seats are installed. It also is to consider the seats’ labeling and instructions.
“We believe that the new star system will help simplify one of parents’ most important decisions: choosing the best safety seat that will protect their children,” Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said at an Arlington, Va., fire station.
Many parents can attest to the frustration found in securing a car seat or making sure their child is strapped in. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said seven in 10 child safety seats are either the wrong size or misused, reducing their ability to protect kids in a crash.
NHTSA estimates that child restraint systems reduce fatal injuries by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers in cars and by nearly 60% for infants and toddlers in SUVs, pickups and vans.