The new program is the result of a comprehensive review ordered by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to improve child passenger safety and Federal child seat standards.
LaHood also ordered the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop a new side impact safety standard for car seats. Side impact crashes account for one-third of all highway deaths among children under 13 years old.
The internal review found that current standards, which require child seats to withstand forces that are more severe than 99.5 percent of real-world crashes, are effective.
However, LaHood urged NHTSA to do better.
"Infants and children are our most precious cargo," LaHood said. "We need to constantly improve our track record and help parents to choose a child seat that fits in their vehicle."
NHTSA will institute a new program beginning with the 2011 model year to make it easier for parents to choose child safety seats. Car manufacturers will recommend specific seats in various price ranges that fit for individual vehicles.
Some automakers, including Japan's Nissan and several European manufacturers, already provide similar recommendations.
The review also found that half of all children 7 years old and younger who were killed in motor vehicle crashes were not in child safety seats.
"A child safety seat cannot do its job if it's not used at all," LaHood said. "Parents and caregivers need to make sure their children are buckled up properly and child seats are installed correctly."
Source http://www.wpxi.com/automotive/19272548/detail.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment