Failing Grade for Most Child Car Seats

Consumer Reports began testing rear-facing infant car seats at the same speeds that most cars are tested and they discovered that a majority of the seats failed miserably. Many of the seats twisted violently or even flew off their bases. While car seats sold in the U.S. are required to protect their occupants in a 30-mph frontal crash, most cars are tested at 35-mph frontal crash tests and at 38-mph side impact tests. It is at these speeds that the child seats failed. If these results weren’t frightening enough, the test also revealed that seats installed in the vehicle using the LATCH attachment system actually failed at a higher rate than those that were secured solely with the vehicles safety belts. Despite the poor test results, Consumer Reports urges all parents to continue to use child seats, stating that any child seat is better than no seat at all.