A safety institute survey in the U.S. revealed that installing a child seat safely to the car seat is not easy for most parents.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducted a survey where they examined more than 100 vehicles for child restraint installation hardware, which are the straps that parents use for tying child seats to the car seats.
The IIHS found that only three cars were ranked as "Good" in their grading system. These cars included the BMW 5 Series, the Volkswagen Passat and the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. The IIHS also revealed that over 50 percent of the cars examined received "Poor" or "Marginal" grades, while the others were measured "Acceptable."
The new Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, or LATCH, grading system of the institute will act as an important guide to families who are searching for a car for transporting their kids safely and with ease. The latest IIHS survey result is also meant to encourage car-makers to pay extra attention to this aspect of the car and make the necessary improvements.
The requirement of the LATCH hardware has been compulsory since 2002. Previous studies had found that caretakers or parents fail to tightly secure child seats and constantly made installation mistakes. A properly installed LATCH system will make it easier for parents to install child safety seats and it will also increase protection for children in case of an accident.
Experts believe that parents may install the child seat properly if the LATCH hardware is easy to use and meets hardware standards.
"LATCH is meant to simplify child seat installations, but it doesn't always succeed," says Jessica Jermakian, a senior research scientist at IIHS. "Parents often struggle to locate the anchors in the vehicle or find it's difficult to attach the seats to them. We believe fixing these problems will make the task less frustrating for parents and increase the likelihood that children will ride in properly installed seats."
Jermakian suggests that the latest survey may help parents to find a suitable car in which they can transport their children safely. However, the survey results are also a good source of information for parents who may be wondering whether their existing car makes the cut.
Check out a short video of how IIHS rates cars for LATCH ease of use.
Photo: Steven Depolo | Flickr
