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Child safety seats have been responsible for saving countless children from injury or death. Thanks to ongoing public awareness programs, most people are aware of the benefits of using a safety seat. In addition, many states have made their use mandatory. However, if the safety seat is not properly installed, it is almost useless in the event of an accident.

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, half of all car seats may be installed incorrectly!
• To correct this problem, the Uniform Child Restraint Anchorage Systems legislation was passed. This mandates that all car seats have a top tether and a 2-point, lower attachment and that all new vehicles come equipped with corresponding anchors to which the car seats can be attached. This legislation will be fully implemented no later than September 1, 2002.

Beginning in September of 1999, new front-facing safety seats were put on the market that came equipped with top mounted tethers. Also, since September of 1999, all new passenger cars have come equipped with a preinstalled ring-like or bar attachment to which the top tether of the car seat is designed to be attached to. The mounting may be on the ceiling, floor, or back shelf, depending upon the type of vehicle.

• In September of 2000, the requirement for top tether anchors will extend to all light trucks, minivans and SUV's. The only exceptions will be convertibles.
• By 2002, a bottom tether or attachment will be standard on all new safety seats. As well, all new vehicles will come standard with a corresponding mounting to which the car seat can be secured. This mounting will be in the form of an anchor bar to which the bottom of the car seat will snap onto. This is in addition to the mounting for the top tether.

The new car anchorage system goes by the acronym LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. When the new Child Restraint legislation goes into full effect in September 2002, there will exist a unified car and car seat system. This will ensure that car safety seats can be easily and correctly installed.

• Even after the Child Restraint Anchorage Systems goes fully into effect, it will still be safe to uses older model car seats. That is as long as they are not subject to a safety recall, and as long as they are properly installed and used.
• Although full implementation of the LATCH system is not mandatory until September 2002, many cars and car safety seats are already in compliance. Be sure to check your car's owner manual to see if it already has the necessary mountings. In addition, when purchasing a new or used car seat, be sure to read the accompanying manufactures information to learn about installation requirements for the seat and to see if it complies with the LATCH system.
• If you have an older model safety seat, which does not have a top tether, contact the manufacture. It may be possible to have a top tether installed.

One of the main reasons that this legislation was enacted was so that there would be a universal installation procedure for all safety seats and that the installation process would be made as easy and fail proof as possible. The LATCH system also ensures that the seats can be securely anchored by mandating that all vehicles come standard with the equipment needed to install the seats.

• Another major advantage of the new system is that the top tether anchor will prevent the safety seat from tipping forward during an accident. This will help prevent neck and head injuries.
• Once both the top and bottom tethers and anchors are mandatory and in place, it will no longer be necessary to use the car's seat belts to hold the safety seat in place.

In addition to the new LATCH anchoring system, many new cars come with optional built-in car seats. With built-in models, you do not have to worry about whether or not the seat can be safely installed in your car. This can be a real concern as not all car seats fit in all cars. However, these seats only come as front-facing models and are therefore only suitable for children over the age of one, or who weigh over 20 pounds.