New LATCH limits?

I am not sure if this is right place. Please move it if it needs to be moved.

After seeing a post where Wendy referenced new rules,
Is there a way for the average joe to know how new limits or guidelines have changes for their car?

Thanks!

auto correct hates me

The only company I recal that changed old limits was dodge/Chrysler.

Yeah, other than Dodge/Chrysler, nothing has changed yet. Starting next year, carseats will be required to state (on the seat) a LATCH limit not to exceed 65 lbs seat+child. That will not affect the LATCH limit of individual cars, though I wouldn't be surprised if more companies change to come in line with everything else.

Average joes aren't going to be aware unless they are informed by CPSTs/advocates or get ahold of a LATCH manual somehow because LATCH limits in and of themselves aren't something with wide awareness, much less changes to them so far.

Speaking of changes, there's another vehicle manufacturer I noticed in the newly released 2013 LATCH manual who has implemented the new limit: All GM branded vehicles are now listed in the 2013 LATCH manual with the revised 65 lb. max. combined child's weight plus carseat weight limit for LATCH installs, with no distinction by model year, in advance of the 2014 change to the 65 lb. combined limit.

Thank you.


I can not understand why something so important is not more available to us as parents.

auto correct hates me

I think they need to go back to the drawing board. Keep the top tether, lose the lower anchors. I disliked LATCH before simply b/c of differing rules for different seats and vehicles and that it's so hard to even get to with the average seat's hook style anchors in many cars where it's buried in the crack of the seat. Now I think I hate LATCH. I'm pretty passionate about this stuff, remember lots of, to most parents, useless infomration about seats and cars and covers and weight limits and blah, blah, blah, and I have always had trouble remembering LATCH weight limits and tehre's no way in heck I'm going to be able to remember how much each seat weighs and then on top of there stand there and do the math at a check to see if it meets the criteria. Yeah, I know, next year will be labeling, but will they put on the label "and BTW, this seat weighs X"

I am so not LATCH's biggest fan.

As was stated, as techs and tech/instructors, we need to educate on the limits of LATCH. If congress had been aware of changes to FMVSS 208, namely the lockability standard of 1996, we would have had the top anchors and not had to suffer through lower anchors. LATCH, two or three anchor sets, if we want 3 across CRS's, we have to install one or two with seat belts to get then to fit, as we need to take advantage of the width of the vehicle seat. Seat belts are stronger, always have been. Even with the new 2014 labels & new limits, we will still be using seat belts for most CRS installation. Exception, Ford vehicles with air bag seat belts. Having LATCH has not improved the percentages of properly installed or used car seats, in fact, there is more misuse & too much overconfidence in a system that started life as a compromise, LATCH. I'll touch upon, but prefer to save for another time, the issue of CRS testing to 30 mph. We can do better, and many other countries do. Then there is side impact... Any long time tech finds passion and frustration in the confusion. If we can get parents to come to a class or fit station, we can educate them. The community here is small, and the number of parents smaller (when compared to the population as a whole). We've done a lot, but can do more if we can get parents to show up. Many of us are aware of the movement to do away with seat belt lockability in favor of LATCH. It might be better to loose lower anchors and design vehicle seats & seat belt systems to be be more car seat friendly. Almost rant over. -Bill

I remember a thread about the ford airbag seat belts and I remember it as saying it was okay to intsall car seat with seat belt.

I will go search for it. It did not make sense to me at the time, But that is what I remember.

Im not a CPST and so I can not comment broadly to LATCH installs. But I do know that the friends that I have that have installed with LATCH do find it much easier to get a good install. So I am glad it is available. I just wish it was less confusing and the limits were readily available to everyone.

CAn non cpsts get a manual?

So I Found this about boosters and the inflatable belts,,,

http://www.lower-allen.pa.us/forms/publicsafety/inflatableseatbelts.pdf

And this link to a discussion about car seat installs.

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=223384

The NHTSA is supposed to respond soon to petitions to the final rule for 2014.

I wonder if there will be a run on Diono Radians with SuperLatch if the new rule goes into effect as-is?

Stay tuned for some upcoming blogs on the topic at www.carseatblog.com