I'm here with Jen Stockburger at the child seat test center
to discuss a very serious topic.
Yeah, Jack.
Today we're going to talk about child seats.
And they've come a really long way
from a time, when I was a child when I didn't use anything,
to a period when they were more about just keeping the child
staying put than really protecting them
to the advanced safety features that they are today,
with all this energy absorbing ability to really protect
kids in a motor vehicle crash.
Engineers here have been testing car seats for decades
to ensure babies and children are better protected.
In fact, Consumer Reports was a critical advocate
of the dynamic safety tests that all child seats
have to meet to be able to be sold in the United States.
How do parents choose the right child seat
for their individual child?
Yeah, so each child has a progression
of seats from the time they're born in an infant carrier
probably to as big as a booster seat.
So they'll go through a series of seats, rear facing, forward
facing.
But you also as a parent need to be
aware of how big your child is, height, weight, because all
of those seats have height and weight limits that
go along with them as well.
What are you looking for when it comes to testing child seats?
So we're really looking at three key aspects.
How easy they are to use, how easy they are to install,
and ultimately how much crash protection they provide.
So Jack, I'm going to show you some
of our actual simulated crash footage from our test.
Take a look.
That's hard to watch, Jen.
Yeah, and keep in mind, these are simulated crash tests
where everything is put in correctly,
and they only simulate a 35 mile an hour crash.
And they still look rather violent.
But those stills from some of those images from those videos
can help us demonstrate five key important things.
Here are Jen's tips to install a car seat correctly,
whether they face forward or backward.
Getting that seat tight to the car
is critical to allow the child seat
to take advantage of all the energy absorbing aspects
of the car, all those crumple zones
that you hear people talk about.
So the rule is you don't want the seat
to move more than one inch side to side or forward and back.
Once that seat's tight, next get that harness tight.
Now we're talking about the child
to the child seat as tight as possible.
You don't want to be able to pinch any of that harness
when you're checking at the shoulder.
You need that harness tight, but you also
need it to be at the ride height.
You want the harness height correct.
For forward facing kids, at or above the shoulders.
You could see this was a tight harness.
Look how much forward movement even this child has.
And you want to keep it tight, but you
don't want to put downward pressure on their shoulders
and neck.
For a rear facing child, you want
that harness to be at or below their shoulders.
Even in our simulated crash where everything's tight,
the tendency is for the child to want
to ride up out of the shell.
You want to keep them down in the seat,
limiting the exposure of their head.
And Jen's fourth tip applies to forward facing car seats.
The other thing to note on forward facing seats
is the top tether.
This is the piece that kind of goes from the back of the child
restraint over the seat back.
It can go to the ceiling.
It can go down in the cargo area.
That top tether limits the forward motion of the seat
itself, and consequently the child.
Make sure, whether you install it
with a latch or the vehicle seat belt,
make sure that top tether is connected.
Finally, Jen's last tip applies to car seats
that face backward.
And for rear facing seats, recline angle
is also important.
Little babies have disproportionately heavy heads.
If they're too far upright in their seats,
their head can actually fall forward,
obstructing their airway.
So they need to be reclined sufficiently
so they have clear breathing, but not
so much that you make this situation worse where they're
riding out of the seat.
And these are tips that, not just for parents,
but for anybody who's riding in the back seat.
A sibling, a babysitter, you can be the eyes and ears
of your parents in rear seat.
All right, Jack.
I know I threw a lot of information at you.
Were you paying attention?
I was.
All right.
Good.
Because you and I, we're going to install a child seat.
OK, Jack.
So before you start, two things you absolutely want to read.
That's the owner's manual to the vehicle
and the owner's manual to the child's seat.
This is what they call a rear facing only or infant seat.
Separate base with a carrier fits newborns well,
offers the convenience of the carrier
for carrying tiny babies.
So what you're actually installing is the base.
Give it a shot.
OK.
So I, from everything I've learned from you,
try and lock these in tightly.
Right.
And what you're using, those little bars
that you're clicking to is called the LATCH system.
The LATCH system.
You can use LATCH or the vehicle seat belt.
You're using the LATCH system.
Put some weight into this.
Right.
There you go.
That's your seat tight.
All right.
And the recliner level is good.
You have bubbles in between.
What do you think?
Nice job.
Not only do I have less than an inch,
I can barely move that base.
You've really integrated it to the vehicle.
So you would put that carrier on.
You would have your baby in.
Seat tight.
Recline right.
Nice job.
Looks good.
Jen, I've never installed a car seat before, so thank you.
Really?
You did a really good job.
The truth is, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 46% of child seats
have some critical error in how they're installed
or how they're used that could make that child less safe.
Very sobering and very informative.
Thank you, Jen.
You're welcome.