In order to 'educate parents and caregivers about child safety seat features and which are easy to use as well as to assist you in narrowing your choices by selecting the appropriate child safety seat for your needs,' the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released ease of use ratings for child car seats.
In this program, child care seats are given an overall ease-of-use rating at the "A", "B" or "C" levels, with the overall rating determined from the letter grades the child restraint receives in each of the following five categories:
- Whether the restraint is pre-assembled or requires assembly after purchase.
- Clarity of the labeling attached to the restraint.
- Clarity of the written instructions on the restraint's proper use.
- Ease of securing a child correctly in the restraint.
- Whether the seat has features that make it easier to install in a vehicle.
While many seats got an overall "A" rating, few car seats made an "A" in each of the five categories.
What do these ratings mean?
They don't mean that any of these car seats are safer than another. If used properly, they should all protect your child.
However, the main thing to keep in mind is that many car seats are used incorrectly, and a car seat that is hard to use may be more likely to be used improperly and not protect your child in a crash.
These ratings can be helpful to parents that:
- are looking to buy a new car seat, since if you have a choice, you might as well buy a seat that is easy to use
- have a car seat that did not get an 'A' rating. If your seat is not easy to use, you may be using it incorrectly, so review the manufacturer's instructions again or consider going to a car seat safety checkup.
You can view the overall ease of use ratings for infant, convertible, forward facing only, combination and booster seats in the following pages. To see the full rating for each category, please visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration site.
Next page > Infant Seat Ratings > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Car Seat Safety Internet Resources:
- Car Seat Safety Quiz: take our quiz to see if you know how to properly use a car seat and keep your kids safe
- Car Seat Buyer's Guide
- Safety: more safety tips from your Pediatrics Guide
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: complete user ratings with each of the 5 categories and overall ratings for car seats.
- Safety First: safety tips and resources from your Guide to Parenting: Babies and Toddlers
- Family Shopping Guide to Car Seats: AAP guide to buying a car seat, with a price comparison chart of features and prices of car seats from different manufacturers
