Is using LATCH to secure a child restraint safer than using the vehicles safety belts?
The simple answer is that in the crash test lab, they are equally safe**. But in the real-world the lower anchors may be safer because they are EASIER to use. The LATCH system’s designers hoped that easier would mean fewer mistakes made in securing the child safety seat, and therefore fewer injuries in a crash. It is not yet clear if LATCH is safer in real-world crashes. One small study found that parents were making the same mistakes with LATCH as they made with the vehicles safety belt–that the child safety seat was not secured tightly to the vehicle and that the child was too loose in the harness. Here are a few things that have been proven to be safer: 1. Always use a tether on a forward-facing child safety seat. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you are using the vehicle’s safety belt or the lower anchors to secure the forward-facing child safety seat. You CAN still use the tether. 2. Ride in the center of the back seat. The center seat is 43% safer than the side seats because you c
