snowbird25ca
Moderator - CPST Instructor
If I had a dollar for every time I've heard this as the reason for going against a car manual I'd be on my way to being rich.
This has become a pet peeve of mine, so I apologize for the rant...
People want their kids in the center because it's safest. But they want to use LATCH because it's safest. Don't even ask me how LATCH has come to be equated to being safer, but I often hear parents who think it is...
So in the end, you have a seat in the middle, using the outboard lower anchors, and tethered to an outboard tether anchor. (now that I think about it, most center positions do have top tether anchors now even if they don't have lower anchors... but you still see seats with seatbelt in the center tethered outboard on older vehicles. )
How is this safer? Why does so much public education focus on putting a car seat in the middle, instead of providing the additional information that outboard is actually safer if you can get a better installation there. And that if you don't have a tether anchor in the center position, you have to install a seat outboard. (I'm in Canada, it's mandatory to top tether front facing car seats.)
And why do people think LATCH is safer?
Sorry for the vent... it just frustrates me when I see people trying to do their best, and making mistakes because of the general info that's out there and just not knowing what's most important.
We need a public safety announcement: "The safest position for your car seat in your vehicle is in the back seat in which ever seating position you can get the best installation. Always follow both your car seat and vehicle manuals. Choosing either LATCH or seatbelt is fine, whichever gives you the best installation is the safest. If using LATCH, always make sure whatever seating position you select allows the use of it."
Yeah, too complicated for the average person to understand all that in a short period of time, but I wish it was out there anyways...
This has become a pet peeve of mine, so I apologize for the rant...
People want their kids in the center because it's safest. But they want to use LATCH because it's safest. Don't even ask me how LATCH has come to be equated to being safer, but I often hear parents who think it is...
So in the end, you have a seat in the middle, using the outboard lower anchors, and tethered to an outboard tether anchor. (now that I think about it, most center positions do have top tether anchors now even if they don't have lower anchors... but you still see seats with seatbelt in the center tethered outboard on older vehicles. )
How is this safer? Why does so much public education focus on putting a car seat in the middle, instead of providing the additional information that outboard is actually safer if you can get a better installation there. And that if you don't have a tether anchor in the center position, you have to install a seat outboard. (I'm in Canada, it's mandatory to top tether front facing car seats.)
And why do people think LATCH is safer?
Sorry for the vent... it just frustrates me when I see people trying to do their best, and making mistakes because of the general info that's out there and just not knowing what's most important.
We need a public safety announcement: "The safest position for your car seat in your vehicle is in the back seat in which ever seating position you can get the best installation. Always follow both your car seat and vehicle manuals. Choosing either LATCH or seatbelt is fine, whichever gives you the best installation is the safest. If using LATCH, always make sure whatever seating position you select allows the use of it."
Yeah, too complicated for the average person to understand all that in a short period of time, but I wish it was out there anyways...