You have a 4 year old who weighs 50 pounds. Maybe they are a bit too squirmy to sit correctly in a booster. Maybe you’d rather keep them in a 5-point harness, because your model has side impact protection and an extended weight limit of 50, 65 or even 80 pounds. The problem is that your auto manufacturer tells you that you can’t use LATCH beyond 40 pounds!
Well, you can use the seatbelt instead of the lower anchors, assuming you can get an acceptable installation with the seatbelt. Either method is just as safe if used correctly and if they result in a good fit. But what about the top tether? We’ve been told for years that top tethers make a big improvement in safety, but now we can’t use them on the older kids who need them the most?
Some guidance can be found at Safe Ride News on Page 8 and Pages 49-52 of their 2005 LATCH Manual. Ultimately, the parent has to choose between what is most likely the safest option and what is recommended by the auto manufacturer.
This is a real problem for parents that has no resolution in sight from auto makers or the NHTSA. For my kids, I’d use a top tether without hesitation. On the other hand, I have to officially tell other parents that they should not use a top tether above the limits set by the child restraint or auto manufacturer. It really should not be this way. This is a complete failing of the interaction among auto makers, child restraint makers and the government.
So, what would you do for your own child?
I tether.
I think saferide news made it nice and clear what they feel is the best option, so that’s what I do.
I defer to the safety experts and also consider the fact that these seats were TESTED this way and PASSED.
I was sooooo happy when we rented a Ford E350 to read in the manual (the rental people looked at me like I was crazy because I demanded a manual before installing carseats– five of them, lol) that they promote tether use beyond the lower LATCH limits and say that tethers are safest for ALL children in carseats! Woo-hoo! Now if they would just get back to me on why I can’t install a Radian in the back seat when I get an excellent fit… I e-mailed them months ago and the car is long returned but I still want to know if I can…
Well, I don’t know what the manufacturers would say. They don’t seem to think much beyond liability lol.
Experts would probably tell you that the tether would hold in many cases, even if used somewhat beyond the limits. In others, it may yield by bending or deforming. In extreme cases, it could break. In all these cases, it is likely that the tether has reduced head excursion before the anchor or hardware bends or breaks. So, it would still likely be a benefit, but it is impossible to say because there could be unusual cases where it could increase the risk of injury.
I know the benefits of tethering. What do the manufactureres think will happen if a child is tethered beyond the limits? Or has it just never been tested beyond those limits?
This issue has come up a few times for me at checkup events. I live in an area with newer vehicles and a preponderance of Britax seats. I always advise tethering, but mention vehicle tether weight limits. Pros and cons. Parents deserve to be informed and I wouldn’t be doing my duty if I didn’t tell them correctly (not to mention upping my and my coalition’s liability). They choose to tether every time. I can never tell, though, if it’s because of them making an educated decision or because of me, “The Authority” telling them about the virtues of tethering.
My vehicle is one of the few with 60 lb anchor limits, and I don’t expect my scrawny kid to reach that for many years. However, I would not hesitate to use tether anchors beyond stated limits should the situation arise. To me, the benefits of using the tether far outweigh the minimal risk that the anchor would fail (which is neglible, as in the Safe Ride News explanations linked above).
It’s especially frustrating with seats that require the tether to be used above a certain weight- such as the 50 and 65 lb requirements for the Britax Regent and Frontier, respectively. Few vehicles have stated limits that accomodate even those weights and none reach the 80 lb upper limits of those seats. I wish NHTSA and vehicle manufacturers would get on board and change their requirements/limits to what the data shows to be safer. Long shot, I know.
I would (and do) use the top tether beyond the limit stated by the manufacturer.
I don’t think this has come up with a seat check – I usually do checks in low-income areas where I see few cars with tether anchors and very, very few HWH seats – but I would advise the parents of the manufacturer’s rules as well as the potential benefits, and let them make the decision.