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The LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system which has been required to be placed in new cars since 2001 will no longer be used to secure all car seats as of 2014. The new rule requires child-seat makers to tell parents not to use the LATCH system if children and their car seats have a combined weight of 65 pounds, because the strength of the anchors cannot be guaranteed.
Child seats typically weigh 15 to 33 pounds. So the new rule means some children as light as 32 pounds might not be able to use the system designed to make child seats easier to install and, therefore, safer.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers sought the change in the rule because limits weren't factoring in how much seats weigh. Joseph Colella, one of five child-safety advocates who petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to change the rule, says car makers aren't able to guarantee the safety of heavier kids given the strength of LATCH anchors.
While LATCH makes it easier to properly install car seats in vehicles, it's important for parents and caregivers to know that securing a child seat with a seat belt is equally as safe says Transportation Department spokeswoman Lynda Tran.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children use car seats with harnesses through age 8.
Source: www.usatoday.com
