[TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=675 border=0] [TBODY] [TR] [TD class="xtext ads_left_padding" id=magazine_text_container colSpan=2] [DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]Sorry for the really long post.
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]Any of you guys see this? I'm directing this towards those of you with little
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]ones.
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]I have my little one in the Peg Perego which I'm going to attach with a belt now instead
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]of LATCH.
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]Anyway...good morning! I'm about to make a pot of Timmy's.
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]
[DIV class="xhead magazine_body_title"]Safety alert: What if this were your child?
[DIV class=xblurb]Most infant car seats fail our new front- and side-crash tests[/DIV][BR id=XSpLit67] [DIV id=magazine_text] [DIV class=xtext] [DIV class=rx_ephox_inlinevariant contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: inline"] [DIV id=s_image_image contentEditable=false style="WIDTH: 500px" un-selectable="on" rxselectedtext="" inlinetype="rxvariant" rxinlineslot="105" sys_dependentid="127941" sys_dependentvariantid="476" sys_folderid="128464" sys_relationshipid="888522" sys_siteid="308"][img contentEditable=false height=116 alt="Evenflo Discovery infant seat during a side-impact test" src="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/resources/images/babies-kids/child-car-booster-seats/car-seats-2-07/overview/infant_carseat_side_test.jpg" width=500 un-selectable="on"] [DIV id=s_image_caption contentEditable=false style="WIDTH: 500px" un-selectable="on"] [DIV contentEditable=false style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" un-selectable="on"][SPAN contentEditable=false style="COLOR: #ffffff" un-selectable="on"][B contentEditable=false un-selectable="on"]A SIDE CRASH, UP CLOSE[/B][/SPAN] The Evenflo Discovery infant seat performed poorly in our new side-impact test, shown here. It also failed to meet the federal frontal-crash standard. [/DIV][/DIV][/DIV][/DIV]
You'd think that in a car crash, infants in their cozy car seats would be the most protected passengers of all. But you'd be wrong, our tests reveal.
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[SPAN class=n11 style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-STYLE: italic"]Consumer Reports[/SPAN] [SPAN class=n11 style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #ffffff"]Video[/SPAN] [img height=8 alt="" src="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/resources/images/interactive_white.gif" width=18 border=0][/TD][/TR][/TBODY][/TABLE] [TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=181 bgColor=#e0e0e0 border=0] [TBODY] [TR] [TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" colSpan=2]
SAFETY ALERT[/TD][/TR] [TR] [TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" vAlign=top width=70][img height=54 alt="" src="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/resources/images/video/CarSeat/CarSeatStill70x54.gif" width=70 border=0][/TD] [TD style="PADDING-TOP: 5px" vAlign=top width=105]Infant Car Seats
[A href="jvascript:popup('mypage','/cro/resources/images/video/CarSeat/CarSeat.html',%20525,%20320,%20150,%20150)"][img alt="" src="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/resources/images/trdshw_vidbut_sm.gif" border=0][/A][/TD][/TR] [TR] [TD colSpan=2][img height=7 alt="" src="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/resources/images/nav_foot.gif" width=175 border=0][/TD][/TR][/TBODY][/TABLE][/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]Cars and car seats can't be sold unless they can withstand a 30-mph frontal crash. But most cars are also tested in a 35-mph frontal crash and in a 38-mph side crash. Car seats aren't. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]When we crash-tested infant car seats at the higher speeds vehicles routinely withstand, most failed disastrously. The car seats twisted violently or flew off their bases, in one case hurling a test dummy 30 feet across the lab. Here are the details:
[UL] [LI]Of 12 infant seats we tested, only 2 performed well: the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS. [/LI][/UL] [UL class=noindent] [LI]Nine infant seats provided poor protection in some or all of our tests, even though they meet the federal safety standard. One seat, the Evenflo Discovery, didn't even meet that standard. We urge federal officials to order a recall of that seat. [/LI][/UL] [UL class=noindent] [LI]Infant car seats sold in Europe undergo more rigorous testing than do models sold in the U.S. Indeed, when we crash-tested an infant seat we bought in England, it was the best in our tests. An infant seat sold in the U.S. by the same manufacturer failed. (See [A title="European car seat models" href="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/child-car-booster-seats/car-seats-2-07/european-models/0207_seats_euro.htm" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="128018" sys_dependentvariantid="529" sys_folderid="128470" sys_relationshipid="897159" sys_siteid="308"]European models[/A].) [/LI][/UL] [UL class=noindent] [LI]Our findings offer added evidence of problems with LATCH, the federally mandated attachment system for child car seats. Most car seats performed worse with LATCH than with vehicle safety belts. And LATCH attachments aren't always easy to use. [/LI][/UL] [DIV class=xtext]One federal agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, regulates both vehicles and child car seats. Why aren't car seats tested as rigorously as cars? [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson says the U.S. car-seat standard is rigorous and that side-crash tests are problematic. For side crashes, "our engineers do not have a performance test they're comfortable with," he says. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xsubhead]TOUGHER SAFETY TESTS[/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]Our new tests are tougher than the federal car-seat standard because a significant performance gap exists between vehicles and the car seats they carry. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]The federal New Car Assessment Program tests most cars and minivans, and some pickups and SUVs, in 35-mph frontal crashes and 38-mph side crashes. Scores in the form of "star" ratings are widely publicized, and as a result carmakers have improved the crash protection of vehicles. There has been no such incentive for the makers of child car seats sold in the U.S. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]The infant seats we evaluated are rear-facing carriers that snap in and out of a base. The base connects to the car by means of the vehicle's safety belts or LATCH attachments. (LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, includes belts that hook the base to metal anchors in the car.) [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]We crash-tested multiple units of each infant seat. In some crashes we used vehicle safety belts to secure the base; in other tests we used LATCH attachments. The collisions mimic a crash in a Ford Explorer SUV, a popular family vehicle. (The Toyota Camry sedan crumples similarly, especially in a side crash, so we would expect comparable results for some sedans.) [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]We used a test dummy weighing the maximum claimed weight for each seat. That's 30 pounds for the Graco SafeSeat and 22 pounds for the others. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]In our 35-mph front-impact test, seven car seats failed. They separated from their bases, rotated too far, or would have inflicted grave injuries, as measured by our test dummy, whose sensors record the severity of impact. We retested these to see whether they passed the 30-mph federal standard. All passed except the Evenflo Discovery. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]When we performed side-impact tests at 38 mph, eight models failed. Four of the seats flew out of their bases.[/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]Three seats failed all our tough tests: the Evenflo Discovery, the Graco SafeSeat, and the Britax Companion, formerly our top-rated seat based on earlier tests that mirrored the federal standard. Most other tested seats passed either the front- or side-crash test in some configuration, though only the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS passed all our tests. (EPS stands for expanded polystyrene, a cushioning material.) [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]Some Britax Companion seats were recalled in October 2006 because carriers were assembled incorrectly; we tested a later model. The Evenflo Discovery, which we deem Not Acceptable and believe should be recalled, was the subject of a NHTSA investigation in 2004 after the agency received seven reports about the carrier separating from its base. (Evenflo received 52 reports, 6 involving fatalities, NHTSA says.) NHTSA said it could not identify a safety defect and closed the investigation. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]The Eddie Bauer Comfort infant seat also had problems, specifically in our fit-to-vehicle test of one of two bases sold with the seat. Because of that test result we judge the seat Not Acceptable and believe the base should be recalled. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]Our trained car-seat installers could not get the base to fit securely in five different vehicles. The seat also performed poorly in our side-crash tests. The company Web site indicated that our model included a new and improved base. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]The Web site was wrong, which we learned when we later bought another sample of the seat and discovered a different base that fit better. We have also learned that the manufacturer will supply that base through a "customer satisfaction program" but only to those consumers who know to complain to the company. The car seat (also called the Caress Comfort) is being discontinued though it is still sold. We're crash-testing the seat with the other base. Results will be posted in our Ratings in the coming months. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xsubhead]ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH LATCH[/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]No car seat can provide good protection if it's not installed right, something that the LATCH system was devised to address. A tight fit is important for crash protection, and our testers find that you are more likely to get a secure fit with LATCH than with vehicle safety belts. Nevertheless, the car-seat tests underscore continuing problems. For example, more seats failed when attached with LATCH than with safety belts, even when the installation was done by professionals. The same has been true in our previous car-seat tests. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]Our tests suggest that infant car seats might be better secured if their bases were attached to floorboard anchor points in addition to existing LATCH anchors. Another improvement would be for the U.S. standard to allow for car-seat bases similar to many sold in Europe. They include a "foot" that adds stability in a frontal crash.
[DIV style="FLOAT: right; WIDTH: 175px"] [TABLE style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #cccccc" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=175 border=0] [TBODY] [TR] [TD] [DIV class=rx_ephox_inlinevariant contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: inline"][img contentEditable=false height=201 alt="Matthew Gallardo and cousin, Aaron" src="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/resources/images/babies-kids/child-car-booster-seats/car-seats-2-07/overview/0207_seats_ov5.jpg" width=175 border=0 un-selectable="on" rxselectedtext="" inlinetype="rxvariant" rxinlineslot="105" sys_dependentid="127942" sys_dependentvariantid="302" sys_folderid="128464" sys_relationshipid="888548" sys_siteid="308"][/DIV][/TD][/TR] [TR] [TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px"][SPAN style="COLOR: #ffffff"]VICTIMS[/SPAN] Matthew Gallardo was killed and his older cousin, Arron, was injured in a side crash in which Matthew was ejected from his car seat. Below, Carlye Siebens holds her son, Landon, who was bruised in a collision when his car seat separated from its base. [/TD][/TR] [TR] [TD] [DIV class=rx_ephox_inlinevariant contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: inline"][img contentEditable=false height=190 alt="Carlye Siebens and son, Landon" src="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/resources/images/babies-kids/child-car-booster-seats/car-seats-2-07/overview/0207_seats_ov7.jpg" width=175 border=0 un-selectable="on" rxselectedtext="" inlinetype="rxvariant" rxinlineslot="105" sys_dependentid="127944" sys_dependentvariantid="302" sys_folderid="128464" sys_relationshipid="888549" sys_siteid="308"][/DIV][/TD][/TR][/TBODY][/TABLE][/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]Another problem with LATCH is that anchors in many cars are hard to access. And most vehicles don't have LATCH anchors in the safest seat in the car: the center rear. It can also be hard to adjust safety belts to a car seat located in the center rear. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]General Motors vehicles are an exception; many have center LATCH anchors. And some Ford models allow parents to use the inner two LATCH anchors from the outer seats to install a child seat in the center rear. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]NHTSA spokesman Tyson says the agency will hold a public hearing on LATCH probably in February; the date had not been set as of press time. LATCH has been successful, he says, but there are concerns. "The problem we have now," he says, "is parents who are not installing the seats properly." [/DIV]
[DIV class=xsubhead]REAL-WORLD COLLISIONS[/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]All states and the District of Columbia require infants to be secured in car seats when traveling in passenger vehicles. Still, 572 infants under 1 year old were killed in traffic accidents from 2001 to 2005, with side crashes accounting for 151 of those deaths, or 26 percent, NHTSA data show. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]No one is saying that a car-seat standard with side-crash tests would prevent all deaths and injuries from side impacts. Still, the families of some victims say it would be an improvement. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]Mary and John Gallardo's grandson, Matthew, was one of those victims. In March 2004, Matthew's infant seat flew off its base in a side-impact crash on U.S. 49 in Harrison County, Miss., and he was ejected from the car. The Gallardos' daughter, Candace, was also killed and another grandson, Arron, was injured. "This was devastating," says John Gallardo, who wants car seats made so that they better withstand side crashes. "We just want to help see that no one else has to suffer what my family went through." [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]Carlye Siebens and her son Landon were luckier. In May 2006, after securing Landon in his car seat, Siebens pulled out from a stop sign near her home in Deland, Fla. Her car was broadsided, and Landon, then 7 months, suffered bruises and minor cuts when his car seat separated from its base and he landed face down. "The first thing I did was look in my mirror to check on my child, and he wasn't where he had been," Siebens says. "You assume the car seat would have been intact." [/DIV]
[DIV class=xsubhead]WHAT YOU CAN DO[/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of
Consumer Reports, strongly believes that NHTSA should strengthen safety testing for car seats so that it is comparable with the tests conducted on new cars. That means including a side-crash test. If the New Car Assessment Program is any indication, crash performance improves when results are publicized. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]The agency also needs to revisit the LATCH standard. Automakers should make anchors and tethers easy to access. And LATCH anchors should be required in center-rear seats. [/DIV]
[DIV class=xtext]For now, here's how to keep your baby as safe as possible while traveling:
[UL] [LI]If you're shopping for an infant car seat, buy one of the two we recommend. (See the [A title="infant car seat Ratings" href="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/child-car-booster-seats/reports/child-car-seats-ratings/ratings-child-car-seats/latest-ratings/index.htm" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="109774" sys_dependentvariantid="594" sys_folderid="130269" sys_relationshipid="898281" sys_siteid="308"]Ratings[/A].) [LI]If you already own a Chicco KeyFit, Compass I410, Evenflo Embrace, or Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP, use it with vehicle safety belts, which passed our tests, not with LATCH, which didn't. If you can't get a tight fit with the safety belt, buy one of the two seats we recommend. [LI]If you own a different infant seat, consider replacing it with the Baby Trend Flex-Loc or the Graco SnugRide with EPS. [LI]Secure your child in the center-rear seat if the car seat can be tightly fastened there. Go to
[A href="jvascript:Start('http://www.nhtsa.gov')"]www.nhtsa.gov[/A] to find a free car-seat inspection station near you. [LI]Send in the registration card that comes with new car seats, so that the manufacturer can contact you if the seat is recalled. [LI]Remember that any child car seat is better than no seat at all. [/LI][/UL][/DIV][/TD][/TR] [TR] [TD colSpan=2]
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