Compact Sedan Challenge. The 2014 Toyota Corolla LE Eco. Forward facing child seat. [Via MerlinFTP Drop] / Evan Sears Evan Sears, Cars.com
Child safety seats will be required to have labels warning about combined weight limits for the seat and occupant when the built-in LATCH anchors are used, under a new federal rule expected by late February.
The new rule will require child seat makers to include information on the limits for using LATCH by combining the weight of the seat and the weight of the child. Seat manufacturers will need to post the weight of the seat in a number of places so parents can do the math themselves. LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, and nearly every car seat and most vehicles are required to have the system.
As parents are urged to keep children in child seats longer and children generally get heavier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration became concerned whether the anchors for child seats in cars could withstand all types of crash forces.
Parents are expected to be advised to use seat belts - instead of LATCH - to secure car seats if the child and seat weigh more than 65 pounds combined, although some believe the limit could be raised to 70 pounds.
For example, a car seat weighing 25 pounds would need a label that says, "LATCH may only be used for children weighing 40 pounds or less."
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children stay in booster seats until adult seat belts fit correctly. That usually occurs when the child is from 8 to 12 years old. Some booster seats go to 120 pounds.
In a statement, NHTSA would say only that the rule is expected "in the coming months," but a person involved in the issue who wasn't authorized to comment publicly said it's likely by the end of February.
Julie Vallese, a spokeswoman for Dorel Juvenile Group, said her company and other seat makers petitioned to stay the rule because they feel that it is making a confusing system more so.
Child safety advocate Joseph Colella says NHTSA should require stronger anchors if it believes existing ones are inadequate. Most parents don't know how to properly secure a car seat with a seat belt, he says, and limiting LATCH increases the likelihood they will get it wrong. "There is no evidence of the anchors failing," he says. "Making a rule like this without providing data is premature."
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Read the original story: Child seat anchors to get weight limit soon