Trust that the car seat manufacturer knows their seat best. Every single forward-facing car seat in the US has a tether strap. The tether strap comes from the top of the car seat and has a hook on the end that will connect to the tether anchor in the vehicle. EVERY forward-facing car seat is safer when used with the tether.
The less the head moves forward, the less likely it is to hit hard parts in your vehicle—like the door frame, the window, the back of the front seat, or even other passengers. The tether also reduces the amount of acceleration and how much force is applied to the neck during a crash. In action: This video shows the same car seat with the same dummy in the same crash test… the only difference is that the seat in the foreground is using the tether strap, while the seat in the background is not.
In a real car with a vehicle seat in front of you, you can easily imagine that the dummy in the background could hit his head on the back of the front seat or other hard structures because his head moves so much farther forward. Unfortunately, most vehicles don't equip their vehicles with lower anchors in the center seats. Chrysler Group and General Motors are good at providing three sets of attachments in their larger vehicles, and Ford owner's manuals often allow for child seats to be positioned in the middle using the inner anchors from the left and right side LATCH anchors.
Some vehicles have very firm seat cushions, making it difficult to fit your hand in to find and access the anchor. Other vehicles have soft cushions, but the anchor is recessed so far back that it's difficult to reach. Optimally located lower anchors provide enough space for an adult hand to easily access them.
Getting to the top tethers can also be a difficult and frustrating process. Many vehicles have well-positioned anchors that are readily accessible; parents can simply run the top tether under the head restraint and clip it into the top tether anchor. Never run the tether over a removable or adjustable head restraint because the soft material in the head restraint can compress and create slack in the tether strap. It is better to remove or raise the restraint and run the tether over the seatback.
Of all vehicle types, sedans generally have tether anchors that are easiest to reach, located on the rear deck behind the seats, typically set inside a small, covered recess. Wagons, SUVs, and hatchbacks with good tether anchors have them positioned midway up the back of the seats, sometimes with plastic covers that snap in place when they aren't being used.
Ideal setups provide one top tether anchor for each seat location, so the straps are anchored straight back without twisting. But many wagons and hatchbacks also have less-friendly tether anchor locations. Some place the anchors at the base of the seat where it folds. These can be a full arm's-length away, making them already difficult to reach. To access this anchor from within the cabin, it may be necessary to tilt the seatback forward--a challenging maneuver if a large child seat is already on the vehicle's seat.
Other models place the tether anchors beneath carpet or covers in the cargo floor. Hatchbacks and wagons also often have a cargo cover that protects luggage from the sun or the prying eyes of thieves. But the space between the cargo cover and the seatback is often very narrow, making it impossible to fit the tether strap through.
If you are unsure whether it is safe to use LATCH in the center position in your car, or you're not sure if you have that car seat installed correctly, get help from a trained and certified child passenger safety technician.
Get it free when you sign up for our newsletter. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. American Academy of Pediatrics. Updated February 28, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Greenwell NK. Report No. DOT HS National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Seating patterns and corresponding risk of injury among 0- to 3-year-old children in child safety seats.
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We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Car Seat Laws by State. Baby Car Seat Safety Tips. How to Secure a Baby in a Car Seat. Summer Car Seat Safety Guide. This is an important step because top tethers greatly reduce the amount of dangerous forward-head movement in a crash.
Pull to tighten. Check to see if the seat is installed tightly. You should not be able to move it more than an inch from side to side or forward when holding the seat where the LATCH strap goes through the seat.
Be sure to use both the top tether strap and the lower anchors on forward-facing seats. Only one seat can be attached to the same anchor. Check to be sure that your child's safety seat is attached to the LATCH anchor bars, not another part of the car seat or vehicle. Some LATCH anchors are visible and some are deeper into the space between the rear seat back and bottom cushion. Some rear-facing child safety seats allow you to use the top tether; refer to your child safety seat manual to see if this is allowed.
It is usually not possible to have lower anchors installed in your vehicle.
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