A properly installed child restraint system and a LATCH system, without the use of the tether, offer the same levels of protection in a crash. Using the tether on either system improves overall effectiveness in reducing fatalities and injuries. LATCH was developed for improved ease-of-use and correct installation without using vehicle seat belts.

The safest system is one that holds your child's safety seat in place properly and securely. This could be the new LATCH system, which stands for "Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children" that doesn't require the use of a vehicle's belt system, or the older system, which uses safety belts to secure the child. If either your car or your child safety seat don't have LATCH components, you can still safely install the child seat using the safety belt.

No. The safety standard does not require that both systems be used together. Child restraints are tested to ensure compliance with Federal safety standards when (1) attached to a vehicle using the LATCH system, and (2) attached using the vehicle belt system without LATCH. The LATCH system was designed to make child safety seat installation easier, without using seat belts. Yes, as long as it does not interfere with a secure fit of the child safety seat and correct installation.

The LATCH system allows you to securely attach your safety seat in your car without using the vehicle belt and possibly to get a better fit. For seating positions with LATCH anchors, experts recommend trying the LATCH installation first and only using the vehicle belt in that seating position if LATCH, for some reason, results in a looser fit.

Yes. Any child safety seat, even one with LATCH, can be safely installed using a seat belt and, if available for use with a forward-facing child safety seat, a top tether anchor. Be sure to follow the vehicle owner's manual and child safety seat manufacturer's instructions for correct installation and proper use.

NHTSA does not test these retrofit systems in its compliance testing program, so we have no policy on these systems. However, some child restraint manufacturers offer retrofit kits for lower LATCH attachments. If you choose to use a retrofit LATCH attachment kit, it is important to read the manufacturer's instructions to ensure that it can be used with your child seat model. Yes. The requirement only applies to child safety seats manufactured on or after September 1, 2002.

Your current non-LATCH child safety seat is still safe to use, even in a LATCH-equipped vehicle. There will be many different model LATCH child safety seats available on the market. Try a LATCH child safety seat in your vehicle before you buy it and see if you find it more convenient to install correctly. If you find it easier to install correctly, you may want to consider replacing your current child safety seat.

No, you can still use the vehicle seat belt system to secure your child safety seat to the vehicle, and it is still safe.

Yes. Non-LATCH child safety seats meet the same safety standards and are safe if they (a) are installed according to the vehicle owner's manual and child safety seat manufacturer's instructions, (b) haven't been recalled, and (c) haven't been damaged or in a crash. Child safety seats that don't have LATCH should be installed using seat belts, even in LATCH-equipped vehicles.

LATCH attachments on child safety seats should be obvious on the product. These attachments may be flexible (a strap with a hook on the end) or rigid (an inflexible, firm bar with a connector on the end). The LATCH attachments will likely be (1) threaded through the path provided on the child safety seat that is to be used to secure the seat to the vehicle using the vehicle's belt system in non LATCH-equipped vehicles, or (2) attached to the lower portion of the child safety seat.

Hundreds of child safety seat models are in use, and there are dozens of vehicle safety belt configurations and other anchoring systems. As a result, there are thousands of potential combinations, which can make correct safety seat installation confusing. Below are a few pointers for installation: Check your vehicle and child safety seat instructions to see how to lock your child safety seat in place and whether you will need any special hardware.

Contact Sgt. Mike Earney of the Beaumont Police Department Traffic Unit at 409-833-3271. If the call is after hours, leave a message at the same number by selecting extension 350.

LATCH (also ISOFIX) is not necessarily safer than using seatbelts to install a carseat. It may make it easier to get a safe installation. LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. Most newer vehicles and child seats have this system. For more information, see our comprehensive guide:

L.A.T.C.H (lower anchor and tether for children) is equally as safe to use as the vehicle seat belt. LATCH was designed to make the installation of a child safety seat more user friendly to parents, grandparents and caregivers. LATCH is a three point system. All vehicles manufactured from 2003 must have at least two rear seating positions equipped with latch anchor points. One of the anchor points is for the tether strap and is located to the rear of the vehicle seat.

If you're in the market for a child car seat you've probably being hearing a lot about something called LATCH. But what is it? Well, LATCH stands for "Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children" and is a system for installing a child car seat in an automobile. Defined by the United States Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standards, LATCH is designed to make installing a child's car seat easier.

The "best" safety seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and fits your family's needs in terms of comfort and convenience, so that you'll use it on every single ride. For more information about selecting a safety seat to fit your child, see "Best Child Safety Seat."

No, the WS90 does NOT have a seat belt. This item does have a strap, but its purpose is to hold the seat to the wagon.

Generally, the recommendation is to replace all safety seats in use in a crash. It is almost impossible to tell if there is internal weakening of the plastic, and it would be very expensive to perform a thorough investigation of the safety seat to verify that it is safe to use. In California, state law requires that the responsible insurer replace safety seats that were in use at the time of the crash.

Unfortunately, there is no escape-proof safety seat. Children who learn how to get out of one kind of safety seat soon learn how to escape from others. However, most children quickly respond to parental firmness. This finding is based on a study conducted by SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. with data collected from a range of English- and Spanish-speaking families.

Yes. The Federal Aviation Administration strongly recommends, but does not require, using safety seats on airplanes. Babies and children are much better protected during turbulence and in emergency landings when they use a safety seat. SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. has petitioned the FAA to require all passengers to be buckled up, including children under two, who currently are exempt. The White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security has recommended that all children be properly restrained.

If you have no shoulder belts in the back seat, use the lap belt for now. A lap belt at least keeps a passenger from being thrown out of the car in a crash, which increases the risk of death four times compared to staying in the car. If shoulder belts are available but the child is sitting in a center lap belt, move the child to the side. Use the lap AND shoulder belt with a belt-positioning booster until the child is big enough to fit well without a booster.

You can call the following toll free number: 800-car-belt (800-227-2358). This program is funded by PennDot. The information is provided by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The rear seat is the safest seat for any passenger. Head-on crashes cause the greatest number of serious injuries. A person sitting in the back seat is farthest away from the impact and less likely to be injured. People sitting in the rear have the soft back of the front seat in front of them, instead of hard surfaces like the windshield, mirror or dashboard.

To select the correct protection for your child, carefully read the recommendations of child safety seat or child restraint system manufacturers. The recommendations tell you what age weight and height a child can be to use the seat or system. The recommendations are normally printed on the outside of the package. Infant seats are normally for infants that weigh approximately 22 pounds or less, are 25 inches or less in length, or are less than one year old.

Under the new seat belt law, when an officer observes an individual driving a motor vehicle not wearing a seat belt, the officer can stop the individual and take enforcement. The old seat belt law required the officer to have another violation before the contact. The new law took effect June 13, 2002.

Since the regulation notes that child safety seats manufactured after September 1, 2002 must be LATCH-equipped, all child safety seat manufacturers will be making LATCH-equipped child safety seats. The LATCH-equipped child safety seats will be available in the same stores (discount clubs, toy stores, specialty shops) that currently sell non-LATCH-equipped child safety seats.

LATCH child safety seats are being phased into the market. Most child restraint manufacturers are producing and shipping LATCH model child safety seats from August through October. Retailers are introducing LATCH-equipped child safety seats along with their current stock of non-LATCH-equipped child safety seats.