Safety Rating on Car Seats

NHTSA provides ease-of-use ratings for car seats.

As the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration explains, all car seats on the U.S. market meet the dynamic testing requirements set in federal motor vehicle safety regulations. NHTSA has considered a crash-testing program for child-restraint devices, ultimately deciding against it in 2005. The agency contends that results from such a program would be of little use to consumers. Instead, NHTSA's ease-of-use ratings for car seats serve as the go-to rating system for motorists.

Types

The NHTSA rates the following types of car seats: car bed, infant, forward-facing, three-in-one, convertible, combination and booster seats. Generally, as the NHTSA Child Safety website notes, babies ride in an infant seat from birth until they are 1 year old and at least 20 pounds. Toddlers move to a forward-facing car seat at age 1 and 20 pounds until age 4 and 40 pounds. When a child outgrows a forward-facing car set with five-point harness, he rides in a belt-positioning booster seat until he is tall enough to use an adult seat belt.

Evaluation Criteria

All car seats meet federal safety standards and crash performance measures, according to the NHTSA. The agency's rating system measures car seats on the basis of how easy they are to use. NHTSA considers the "content and clarity" of the car seat's owner's manual in its "Evaluation of Instructions" category. The "Vehicle Installation Features" measure looks at how easy it is to install the car seat. NHTSA assess the "content and clarity" of car seat labelling under the "Evaluation of Labels" category, while reviewing how easy it is to secure a child in the restraint device in the "Securing the Child" section.

Rating System

Each evaluation category receives a rating on a five-point scale. A five-star rating means that the car seat ranks as "excellent" in a particular category. Four stars equals "above average," while three stars equates to "average" performance in a given category. The NHTSA considers a two-star ranking "below average." A rating of one star means the car seat performs poorly in that category. All ratings refer to the ease of use of a car seat's features.

Considerations

The NHTSA points out that it does not provide "fit" information for car seats. In order to determine which car seats are compatible with your vehicle, the agency suggests consulting with vehicle manufacturers. Additionally, since most new vehicles come equipped with the LATCH system (a series of hooks designed to secure car seats), NHTSA evaluates ease of use by using the car seat with both standard seat belts and LATCH.

Top Car Seats

You can view the NHTSA's ease-of-use ratings at its website (see References). The site allows you to categorize car seats by type. It does not allow you to sort car seats based on individual or overall ease-of-use rankings, opting for an alphabetical listing. Several car seats received five stars in all areas for 2009, including the "Compass B510" high-back booster seat and the "Evenflo Big Kid Amp" backless booster seat. Among infant seats, "The First Years Via" was perfect in 2009. "The First Years" brand also dominated the "convertible" category. Convertible car seats switch from rear- to forward-facing as your child grows.

References

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Child Passenger Safety Ease-of-Use Ratings
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: 2009 Child Safety Seat Ease-of-Use Ratings
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Child Safety Seat Ease-of-Use Ratings FAQ
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Child Safety