I just watched an enlightening piece on the local news about car seat safety tests. Did you know that federal car seat tests are sone as a frontal crash at 30 mph? That's enough right there to concern me - does anyone know what these seats would do on an interstate crash at 70 mph????
Well, Consumer Reports tested infant seats at higher speeds ( I think only up to 38 mph) and did a side crash test. The results were not pretty. They even recommended that the Evenflo Discovery be taken off the market because it flew off its base even at the federally mandated speed. Several seats twisted or flew off their bases! I'm apalled. Does the average parent know this? I'm spreading the word.
According to Consumer Reports, "Of 12 infant seats we tested, only 2 performed well: the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS. " Their testing also found continued problems with the LATCH system. It appears that securing carsets with the regular seatbelts may be the safer approach.
And I still would like to know what happens at even 50 mph. Don't you think it might at least be prudent to record the effectiveness of various carseats as a required part of accident reports? This data could help identify particularly weak carseats.
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