The IIHS, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, explains that children are much more safer then they used to be. The rate of motor vehicle crash deaths per million children younger than 13 is less than a quarter of what it used to be in 1975.
Proper restraint use can reduce crash deaths and injuries even more. Appropriate child safety seats provide significantly more protection in a crash than safety belts alone.
Children should always be seated in the rear of the vehicle and the child restraint should be chosen based on the child's age and size (weight and length).
Our Volvo vehicles are built with the child safety, LATCH technology. The LATCH system is Lower ANchors and Tethers for Children - it is a system that is designed to make it easier for parents to attach children's safety seats without having to use the seatbelt alone. Child restraints have lower attachments that can now be connected to the anchors in the Volvo's seat. Lower anchors can be used until your child reaches the maximum weight for the cart seat and vehicle.
Top tethers attach to the anchors on the vehicles rear shelf, the seatback, floor or other location. The top tethers are considered a part of the LATCH system and should be used whenever a child's car seat is installed forward facing whether it is installed with a seat belt or the lower tethers. The top tether provides an additional attachment and prevents the child from moving too far forward in the event of a crash.
Child Safety Restraint Tips
The photo above (from safecar.gov) shows the estimated ages your child will be in each restraint seat. All Infants and toddlers should ride rear facing until they are 2 years old or until they reach the height and weight limit of their child restraint. This information is usually listed on the car seat or in the safety manual.
Once the child outgrows a rear-facing restraints, children should ride in a harness-equipped forward facing restraint for as long as possible or up to the height and weight limit of the car seat. Top tether should be used whenever a child restraint is installed forward facing.
A correctly installed child restraint system should not move more than an inch, if there is more room the seats hold be reinstalled more tightly to ensure proper safety.
When children outgrow their child restraint, they should use belt positioning booster seats until the safety belt fits properly across their lab and shoulder.
What is the correct position of the car seat harness?
For rear facing car seats, the harness should be routed through the back slots that are at or below your child's shoulders (as the child grows, they will need to be adjusted). The locking chest clip should be at chest/armpit level.
Forward-facing seats the harness should still be routed through the slots that are at or above the child's shoulders, the harness needs to be snug and the locking clip should still be at chest/armpit level.
For more information about Child Restraint Systems and the importance of making sure your child's seat is installed correctly visit the IIHS.org website. Here you can find useful information about car seat and booster seats as well as frequently asked questions.
If you have any question about your Volvo LATCH system, visit our Ramsey Volvo dealership and see one of our sales professionals.