New Child Car Seat Regulations Here

Child car seats take on a new look starting September 1st , when stricter head protection standards take effect. That means most seats will come equipped with a tether strap that anchors the top of the seat more securely so children move less in a crash.

The change is the first phase of a three-year federal plan to create a universal, easy-to-use child seating system. The goal is to eliminate the confusion among parents that results in incorrect installation of up to 80 percent of car seats.

Once all autos and seats have the new system, the government estimates it will save up to 50 lives and prevent 3,000 injuries per year.

While there are hundreds of thousands of child seats already in use, parents should not abandon them. Seat manufacturers and automakers are offering kits to add the tethers and new attachment points to existing seats and cars.

Experts believe that existing seats are safe when installed properly, but the new regulations are needed to simplify that task.

Currently, it varies from seat to seat and vehicle to vehicle what type of restraint system you have,'' said Steve Oesch, senior vice president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an industry-backed research group that supports the change.

This system will make child restraints safer, simpler and more secure,'' said Dr. Ricardo Martinez, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency issuing the new regulations.

Starting Wednesday, the safety administration is requiring that automakers do their part by beginning to equip new cars with anchor points for the top tether straps.

In most sedans, the anchors will be on the shelf between the rear seat and rear window. In minivans, the anchors will be on the floor behind the seat. Eighty percent of the 2000 model year vehicles sold in the United States must have the anchors, with the percentage increasing in succeeding years.

By Sept. 1, 2002, car seat makers must also add two more straps to attach the seat bottom to a car without using its seat belt system. Automakers must equip all new vehicles with standardized attachment points for both the top and bottom straps by that date as well.

Ford Motor Co. plans to equip all its 2000 models with the top tether mounts. Its Windstar and new Focus models will also come with the lower mounts. A government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Volkswagen may also get a head start by announcing that all three attachment points will be standard equipment on its 2000 model year Beetles.

Car accidents are the leading killer of children ages 14 and under. With dozens of seats being offered to protect infants and toddlers, parents have been frustrated by the difficulty of finding the right one for their vehicles.

Automobiles also come with a wide variety of seats and seat belt designs, adding to the confusion.

On Monday, Jim Hall, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, asked states to get moving on setting up fitting stations where parents can have child restraints installed and checked. So far, two are doing so, New York and South Carolina.

The new head protection regulation reduces the amount a child's head can move in a 30 mph crash from 32 inches to 28 inches. While some existing seats can meet the stiffer requirement without a tether strap, most cannot.

The rest of the tether and anchor system was proposed as a means of standardizing seat installation.

Child seats now cost from $40 to $220. The highway safety administration, in a study last year, estimated that a universal latching system would increase the cost by $10 to $65 per seat.

The safety administration said that those with questions about the new system should call their seat's manufacturer, the maker of their automobile or NHTSA's auto safety hot line at 888-DASH-2-DOT.

Information is also available via the Internet at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps.

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