Parents Struggle With Car Seats - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

We want our kids to be safe in the car, but it's not always easy to know if the car seat is buckled into the vehicle right. There's a new study out on the frustration parents face when it comes to some safety equipment that's supposed to protect their children.

A frustrating feat for any parent of a child that still requires restraint seats: Installing the restraint correctly. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a study on the latch restraint system that is required on every car and most other vehicles manufactured since 2002.

Anne McCartt with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety explains, "We looked at almost 100 passenger vehicles. Poor design by auto manufacturers is partly to blame."

McCartt is referring to seat belt buckles blocking access to the anchor that holds the restraint in place. "What we found is that automakers could be doing a better job, in many vehicles, at making it easier for parents to install child restraints."

But parents are being challenged, too, for not using the tether that extends from the top of the restraint seats.

"We think many parents may believe the tether is optional," McCat says. "But the tether isn't optional, it's absolutely essential to getting the best protection from a forward-facing child seat."

To drive home that point, the institute ran tests to demonstrate what happens if the top tether is not attached.  We've attached a link so you can watch that video. Click on the "Importance of Proper Installation" link to the right of this story to take a look.

Researchers identified three factors associated with correct child-seat anchor use:

1. Depth: The anchors should be no more than 3/4 of an inch below the surface of the seat cushion.
2. Clearance: they should be free from obstructions like safety belt buckles, foam or fabric, and have good clearance to hook in tethers from various angles.
3. Force: They shouldn't require the use of too much force to hook in the tethers.

Vehicles meeting the criteria were 19 times as likely to have lower anchors used correctly than those that didn't meet the criteria. Here are the 2011 models that meet the 3 easy-installation criteria:

• Audi A4 Quattro
• Cadillac Escalade
• Chevrolet Equinox LT
• Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab
• Chevrolet Suburban LT
• Chevrolet Tahoe LS
• Chrysler Town & Country (2010)
• Dodge Caliber Mainstreet
• Dodge Grand Caravan Crew
• Dodge Ram 1500 crew cab
• Ford Escape XLT
• Ford F-150 SuperCrew Cab
• GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab SLE
• Honda Pilot EX-L
• Kia Sedona LX
• Land Rover Range Rover Sport
• Mercedes-Benz C300
• Mercedes-Benz E350
• Mitsubishi Eclipse coupe GS
• Mitsubishi Lancer ES
• Toyota Tacoma extended cab

Here are the 2011 models that don't meet any easy-installation criteria:

• Buick Enclave CX
• Chevrolet Impala LT
• Dodge Avenger Express
• Ford Flex SEL
• Ford Taurus Limited
• Hyundai Sonata Limited
• Toyota Sienna XLE