Question The validity os crash protection ratings on Consumer Reports?

Question for the techs: what are your opinions on the ratings Consumer Reports gives on crash protection for seats? " Crash protection A rating of the potential for each seat to limit injury and movement of a child in a crash based on simulated frontal crash tests using child sized dummies."

I often read posts from techs that say something like "all seats are just as safe as another." I understand all must pass certain safety hurdles to sold, but isn't it true that so e do better than others in simulated crashes like the testing CR does?

Just curious- thanks for any thoughts!

You won't find much love for Consumer Reports around here--at least as far as car seats are concerned. A few years ago, they had to retract a report because of inconsistencies in their crash testing. Some tests were performed at higher speeds than others, and obviously that doesn't give a good comparison. More recently, they performed testing of a seat that they had not installed according to manufacturer instructions. I don't believe that one was ever retracted. They do have some CPSTs on staff--I think to eliminate these problems--although I believe some of them have happened while they have had the CPSTs.

The problem with any crash testing--government-run or privately conducted--is that it provides only a very tiny snapshot of a very specific (and unlikely) scenario. It shows how a seat is likely to perform in a completely frontal crash of an exact speed with a specifically sized child on one type of seat. We don't know how it performs in off-set crashes, side impacts, with children not the same size as crash-test dummies, in contoured seats with different belt geometries, etc. It's better than nothing, I suppose, but it's very limited in scope.

Also, we don't necessarily know how injury criteria data relate to actual injury prevention. We can measure head excursion, but at what point is a number a good thing vs a bad thing? Lower excursion means a lower chance of a kid hitting his head on something in the car, but what if that also leads to an increase in neck injuries because of strain on the neck? (Just hypothetical.) Does it matter if the child is 1 or 3 or 6 or 10?

I guess my bottom line is: Crash tests tell us something, but they don't tell us everything. They're necessary but very limited. And anything related to car seats from Consumer Reports should be taken with a huge grain of salt.

I trust them as much as I trust The National Enquirer with the truth. Now, if I want a vacuum, yes, I will go check them out.

In addition to viewing CR's carseat ratings with skepticism, I honestly don't trust CR on vacuums after their highest rated Sears canister model about a decade ago died on me mere months after purchase and its replacement identical model received in exchange from Sears lasted barely a year.

Well dang.

I think they're fantastic for lining litter boxes. Beyond that...

Wendy

Yup. Another CR Best Buy vacuum fail here. Never again. Cancelled out subscription.