SAFETY SQUAD: Empowing Your Family

A Unified Car Seat Message: Our Mission

One of the reasons we created Safety Squad was to create an independent voice for parents. We sit in a position to see all facets of the industry and form opinions free of influence. Our only loyalty is to parents. We give them a birds eye view, so that they can make informed decisions regarding safety for their family. This is the first in a series of comments on unifying the car seat message.

Before we talk about what is being said, we must first identify who is talking.
In no particular order:

• NHTSA (National Highway Traffic & Safety Administration)
• Safe Kids (Local, National, Worldwide)
• State legislators (Individual State law)
• Car Seat Manufacturers
• Retailers
• Vehicle Manufacturers
• Public Safety Agencies
• Watchdog Groups
• Non-Profits
• Individual CPS Techs
• JPMA (Juvenile Product Manufactures Association)
• Researchers (Consumer Reports, etc)
• Hospitals and Medical Associations (Specializing in Child Safety)
• Media
• Parents (Forums, Blogs, Websites)

Everyone has their own message. Some are similar, while others are quite different. Either way, the end product is a confusing and conflicted message about how parents should address car seats. It is our mission to create unified message, while allowing individual opinion and enterprise.

Three Crashes, Two Success Stories, One Lesson

When we talk with parents, we often talk about "What if it happens?".  But as firefighters, paramedics, cops and nurses, we know that crashes happen... all the time.

Usually, it takes a death for people to take action. So, we want to tell you about a very sad event. Last night, a volunteer firefighter in suburban Chicago lost his family in a roll-over crash caused by a drunk driver.  The crash was horrific and most likely criminal. While details are not complete, it has been reported that the two young children were thrown from their car seats into a field.

We don't know if the car seats failed, or if the children were secured properly, or if the crash was so violent that no measure of safety would have saved these children and their mom.

But we do know some things about parents and car seats.

We know that most children are riding in improperly installed car seats. We know that most parents don't secure their children correctly. We know that most parents believe that these facts don't apply to them.  And we also know that you can only take action BEFORE the crash, to give your children every chance to live. 

We can't change what happened here and we don't know what happened with the car seats, but we can take steps to prepare for the next crash.

Taking action saves two

Recently, we were informed of two crashes that could have been worse, but properly installed car seats saved the children inside.

Side-Impact: The wife of a Northwestern Memorial employee was driving with their daughter (25lbs and 15 months old).  The car was a 2004 Chevy Malibu LT.  Her seat was a Britax Boulevard and it was in the middle. These were the facts when they the crash happened.  While the mother was injured, the daughter was fine.

A recent report by the AAP stated that the middle position is 43% safer than the window seats. This isn't always possible to achieve, but it should be the first choice. The child was secured properly. The Britax Boulevard includes dedicated side impact protection which adds to the safety of the seat. All of these factors worked together to protect their daughter in this full side-impact crash.

Roll-Over: Last month, one of our clients was driving his 03 Range Rover with his son in the back. While the Range Rover is a quality vehicle, it like most SUVs, is more likely to roll-over in a crash... and his did. The truck was totaled, but the child was uninjured. Once again, this child was in the middle.  He was riding in a high-weight five-point harness (Britax Regent) and not a booster.

Our Lesson

Sometimes, you can only do so much to protect your kids and yourself in a crash. But most times, preparation will save lives and anguish.  Don't just get your car seat checked, know how to use it, know how to fit your child into the seat and know that as your child grows you may grow out of proper-use into mis-use. So get re-educated as baby grows into a toddler into adolescence.

Don't Gamble on Infant Seats, Safety Squad's Top Ten is Coming

Over the last few months, we have been really light on the commentary. You probably noticed. We've had a busy summer and have plenty to talk about in the coming months.

This past May, we partnered with one of the largest birthing hospitals in the nation to provide personalized car seat installation training for parents. This fee-based service has begun to fill a tremendous need in Chicago. While providing premier service to parents focused on car seat installation instruction, it has also freed-up limited space for other parents in existing free or donation based services.

This summer we worked with hundreds of Graco, Chicco, Peg Perego, Maxi-Cosi and Orbit infants seats. The result: We know what is good and what is not. Before we talk more about our experience, we are going on a little trip.

Tomorrow, we are going back to Las Vegas to attend the ABC Expo. Last year, we got an inside look at the industry. We are returning this year to speak with manufacturers about the issues we have found and the solutions best for parents.

When we return, we will be publishing our Top Ten List of Infant Seats. This list will be based on our experiences with the actual base installation and carrier ease of use. 

On the convertible seat front, we are currently reviewing new seats including the Britax Boulevard CS. Stay tuned.

Chicco Key Fit: You can tell a CPS tech designed it.

If you read this blog, then you know that we call companies out when something's wrong, but we also praise those that care to "get it right".

While we don't endorse seats or take sponsorship from any particular manufacturer, we do have our favorites. One of our favorite infant seats is the Chicco Key Fit 30. The Key Fit 30 is a top-rated seat, but ratings often don't translate to actual ease of use or convenience for parents. In this case, they do!

Everything about the seat is thoughtful. While no seat installs itself, and everyone should seek out a CPS tech for assistance, this seat gives parents a fighting chance. We'll break down this seat into areas that relate to misuse of seats, in general....

Clek Olli Review

The Clek Olli is a backless, belt-positioning booster, rated for children 40-100 pounds and 40-57” tall. The Olli is one of two booster seats with rigid lower LATCH attachments. It is also one of a handful that allows LATCH to be used at all as a booster.

As with all boosters, the Olli must always be used with both a lap AND shoulder belt. Children 12 and under should always be seated in the rear seat, even if there is no active airbag in the vehicle. Since the Olli is backless...

Using LATCH Boosters with Offset LATCH

A new breed of booster has emerged in the last year. Some belt positioning boosters may now come equipped with flexible or rigid LATCH lower anchor attachments. This may seem confusing. However, the lower anchors are designed to keep the booster seat secured when your child is NOT riding in it. It should be made clear that these booster seats still require the use of a lap/shoulder belt to properly restrain the child. Two examples include the Clek Olli and the Jane Indy.

The issue we’ve found is that in some vehicles, manufacturers have installed offset lower LATCH anchors. This means that the lower LATCH anchors are not centered in a seating position...

Why is installation so hard?

Before you bought your car seat, you checked with friends, family, searched the web and decided on a seat that had great reviews and even scored well on the "Ease of Use" charts. There were so many choices, but you picked a Graco or Britax or maybe a Peg Perego, to name a few. So why after all that research is your car seat so hard to use?

The same is true when you bought your car or SUV. Saab, BMW, Lexus, Honda, Mercedes, Toyota and others score well in crash ratings and come packed with dozens of safety features, but when you try to install that great car seat into your great car it doesn't feel or fit right.

First of all, it's not you. You are a parent that has cared...

Latch Error: Installing in the middle position

Parents usually know two things about car seat installation:
1. The middle position in the back seat is safer than the window seats.
2. LATCH installation is supposed to be easier than seat belt installation.

The first statement is true, the second can be true, but regardless most often parents naturally attempt to install their child's car seat using the LATCH anchors in the middle position. This is a logical decision, except that most vehicles don't provide middle position LATCH anchors. In fact, parents are using the inside anchors of the window seat LATCH anchors.

We know... it doesn't seem to make sense. If vehicle manufacturers are required to provide two sets of anchors, why not install one set in the middle?  One reason may be that installing two car seats side-by-side using LATCH can be difficult (one middle, one, window). Regardless, the issue remains.

We find that about 90% of vehicles don't have middle LATCH, but about 50% of parents who use LATCH attempt to use LATCH this way. How do you know if you have middle LATCH? Look in your vehicle owners manual. If you can't figure it out, please seek out a CPS Technician.  Good luck.

30 lb booster seats: It's time for a change

The booster issue is fraught with mixed & conflicting messages. Not only do different parties have different messages, but often one party will contradict itself (see our previous booster post). One inconsistency makes us cringe: Lower-weight booster seats. While most agencies and organizations are pushing for parents to keep their children in higher-weight 5-point harnesses, the manufacturers of booster seats are promoting booster seat use starting at thirty pounds.  This is not new, but it needed to be said. Why are parents still being given this message?

Recaro Como Announcement: Part Two, Commentary

Over the last year, we have become increasingly disturbed by the conduct of car seat manufacturers when faced with a possible recall. On the 20th of December, Recaro North America issued a "Consumer Advisory" for the Recaro Como child seat. We are amazed at how poorly they have addressed the issue.

Back Story: Recaro provides robust construction, side-impact protection and style. You pay for those features, but what you get when properly installed, is a safe seat. They have some downsides, but in general, they have a good product and good reputation. That they may have to issue a recall is not a shocker. Every manufacturer eventually has recalls. When handled well they improve the brand, not hurt it.

The following references seatbelt installations not LATCH installations. If you are using LATCH you should not be concerned about the "lock-off" issue being addressed. 

Safety Squad works with all types of seats and installations. It's not uncommon for us to install one seat four or more different ways in one vehicle to find the best position. We deal with lock-offs every day and often call manufacturers when something is unclear; if we don't understand...then parents definitely won't. Car seat makers installed lock-offs on seats as a supplement or alternative to locking devices built into vehicles (locking retractors, locking latch plates, etc). Many of the errors parents make when installing seats with seatbelts can be related to locking difficulties. So, car seat makers added lock-offs to make it easier. When a lock-off is used instead of a switchable retractor or latch plate and the lock-off fails the seat will loosen.