Safe Kids Clark County News Articles

Written on Monday, January 22nd, 2007


Consumer Reports and Infant Seats

Consumers Union (Consumer Reports Magazine) announced on January 5, that only two infant car seats (Graco SnugRide EPS and Baby Trend FlexLoc) passed its proprietary crash tests, including a side-impact crash at 38 mph. The Consumer Reports article advised parents to replace other models if possible and to use safety belts only, not LATCH, with four other models (Chicco KeyFit, Compass 1410, Evenflo Embrace and Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP). The report was mentioned on NBC News and generated quite a bit of controversy, especially among child passenger safety technicians. The controversy resulted from the crash tests CU performed; a frontal sled test of 35 mph and a side impact test of 38 mph. Car seats must pass a federally mandated crash test of 30 mph (FMVSS 213); this test is more severe than 97% of most real world crashes. It’s like two vehicles going 30 mph crashing head-on into each other or one vehicle going 60 mph crashing into a parked car. Consumers Union tested to the standards that new vehicles must be tested to, not those for which car seats are designed.

The side impact test Consumers Union performed is done on new vehicles (called the NCAP test). A striking barrier is set at an angle and is released at a vehicle at 38 mph. The struck vehicle moves and absorbs some energy, which helps the occupants in the vehicle. This results in a simulated 34 mph impact to the vehicle, with a change in velocity to the crash test dummies of 14-18 mph (that’s the important part). The problem with the test Consumers Union ran is that they put the car seats on a test sled moving 38 mph. They should have used a test sled moving at 14-18 mph to get an accurate result because that’s within the NCAP standard for the crash test dummies to withstand. Because crash forces multiply exponentially, the forces on the car seats were at least 339% over what has been the proposed standard for occupants. A 70 mph crash isn’t just twice as forceful as a 35 mph crash.

Consumers Union withdrew its infant seat report on January 18 following testing by NHTSA. To view NHTSA’s statement on Consumers Union’s report and to view NHTSA’s crash tests performed on the same infant seats tested by Consumers Union, click here .

Safe Kids Clark County would like to remind you that:

  • Today’s car seats are safe and effective if used correctly. Every car seat on the market in the United States has passed the same rigorous crash tests required by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
  • If you’re following manufacturer’s instructions, you’re giving your baby the safest ride possible with current technology. Make sure your infant car seat is less than six years old, has never been in a crash, is reclining at about a 45-degree angle in the car, is secured tightly in the back seat and the harness straps are adjusted correctly for your baby.
  • Any car seat made after 2002 can be installed either with safety belts or the LATCH system in a vehicle made in 2002 or later. Use safety belts or LATCH for an infant, whichever you prefer, but not both. If you’re worried about the performance of LATCH, use the safety belt.
  • We want to see the technology continue to improve, but we don’t want parents to lose confidence in their car seats today — the best protection available. Federal standards do not call for side-impact crash tests at this time. The International Standards Organization is drafting global standards that will include side-impact tests; meanwhile, the highest standard in the world is a side-impact crash test at 19 mph that is mandatory in Australia. Consumers Union tested car seats at twice that speed.
  • Read the instructions and follow them carefully. Even if you don’t usually read the instructions for other products, read your car seat owner’s manual cover to cover. Also read the section of your vehicle owner’s manual that deals with occupant protection.
  • We recommend that children under 30 lbs. ride in rear-facing car seats. Children in rear-facing car seats benefit from the protection a rear-facing seat provides, especially in side impact crashes. If your child outgrows his infant seat, the next step is a rear-facing convertible seat. Click here to double-check that you’re using your car seat correctly.

For more information on the Consumers Union crash testing, click here.