Child Safety -
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LATCH Lower anchorages and
tether for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simp ler and mo re practicable way to attach the child
restra int on t he vehicle seat , Feder al reg ulat ions requir e spe cial
lower anchorages in vehicles and devices on new ch ild restraints to
at ta ch to the veh icle an chor ages.
The combination of the tethe r anchorages and the lower anchorages
is now generally called t he LATCH system fo r "Lower Anchorages and
Tethe rs for Childre n."
Forward-facing child restraints manufactured after September 1,
1999, ar e req uired by U.S. feder al reg ulations t o comply with new
child head movement performance requirements. These new perfor-
mance requiremen t s make a t ether necessary on most new child
seats.
Installing a child restra int that req uires a top tethe r without one can
se rious ly impair t he pe rformance of t he chi ld rest ra int and its ab ility
to protect t he chi ld in a collision. Insta lling a child restraint that
req uires a top t et her withou t t he t op tethe r may be a viola tion of
state law.
Child restrain t manufacturers offe r LATCH lowe r anchorages on thei r
child seats with hook-on or push-on connectors attac hed to adjust-
able straps.
In add it io n t o the LATCH lowe r ancho rages, th ese child restr ain t
systems usually require the use of tether straps to he lp keep the ch ild
restra int firm ly in pla ce.
_& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury and death in a crash.
Controls and equip-
ment
Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING (cont inued)
• Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer
of the child restraint you intend to install in your vehicle.
• Never install a child restraint without a properly attached top
tether strap if the child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used.
• Improper use of child restraint LATCH lower anchorage points
can lead to inju ry in a collision. The LATCH lower anchorage point s
are designed to withstand only tho se loads imposed by correctly
fitted child restraints.
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchorage point .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other item to the LATCH
lowe r anchorages.
rn Tips
In Canada, the te rms "t op te t her" wit h "lower universa l a nchorages"
(or "lowe r universal anchorage bars") are used to descr ibe the
system.
• In other countries, the term "ISOFIX" is used to descr ibe the lower
anchora g es . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
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