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Where To Install?

Where is the best place to install a child safety seat? In the middle? The side? Which side and why? Read our feature article and learn about the Best Location for Child Car Seats

Child Safety Seat Ratings

What Are the Child Safety Seat Ratings?

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is the force behind our child safety seat ratings. They grade child safety seats and booster seats on how easy they are to use and install. The things that are graded are the labels, instructions, ease of assembly, ease of securing child, and any extra features that may make them easier to use, such as the LATCH system.

The seats are inspected, tried out, and graded with A, B, and C, just like a report card. After grading each category, the grades are averaged into an overall grade for that seat. These are the ratings that you see when you check a seat's child safety seat rating.

The purpose of the child safety seat ratings is to help consumers make educated decisions when buying safety seats, and to help manufacturers know where to make improvements. Finding the best child safety seat for you, that is the easiest for you to use properly, is important to ensuring your seat is installed in the most safe way possible.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has tested about ninety-five percent of all the car seats available to consumers for the child safety seat ratings, and hopes to be able to get all tested in the future.

You can find a list of child safety seat ratings online at the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website, or by searching for "child safety seat ratings".

Want to Know More?

	Don't know about LATCH? To learn about it, click here for LATCH information.
	Wondering about your state's child safety seat laws? Click here for child safety seat law information.
	Would you like to see the NHTSA ratings? Check our Useful Links page for the location of child safety seat rating information. But before you do make sure you understand what you are reading.

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If you base your decision on the NHTSA Child Safety Seat Ratings make sure you

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