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LATCH systems increase safety of child car seats
Safety

LATCH Child Restraint Systems

Securing a child safety seat should be a lot easier with the LATCH system, required in U.S. passenger vehicles and most child safety seats manufactured after September 1, 2002. LATCH (which stands for the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system) is a specialized way for your child's safety seat to attach in your vehicle without using the car's seatbelt system. The LATCH system is designed to simplify child seat installation and consequently reduce the number of child injuries and deaths that occur from improperly secured child safety seats.

Vehicle manufacturers are required to install top tether anchors behind the backseat of all models (except convertibles). These anchors must be in three seating positions. (Some convertibles also have tether anchors as a safety feature.) Manufacturers also must install lower vehicle anchor points near where the vehicle's backseat cushion and seat back meet. These lower anchor points must be in at least two seating positions.

Child safety seats manufacturers also are required to have two lower connectors at the bottom of the safety seats that fasten into the vehicle's lower vehicle anchors. In addition, most forward-facing child safety seats are required to have top tether straps that attach to the vehicle's top tether anchors.

For all other child safety seats, follow the seat manufacturer's instructions and your vehicle's owner's manual for instructions specific to your vehicle. Seatbelts that lock only in emergencies may need a locking clip to hold child seats correctly. Here are some other child safety seat tips:

  • Make sure the child seat harness is snug and stays on the child's shoulders, and that the shoulder straps are in the appropriate slots.
  • Call the Department of Transportation's Auto Safety Hot-line (888) 327-4236 to find out if your child seat has ever been recalled.
  • Consider buying a vehicle with built-in child safety seats. Some cars and vans, like DaimlerChrysler's minivans and Toyota's Corolla, have integrated child seats that allow you to skip any concerns about whether the child seat will fit your car or whether the seat is properly secured to your car.