Rear-Facing Car Seats: A Mandatory Safety Law For Children

The history of car seats is a long and winding road. In the early days, car seats were designed to help children see out of car windows, rather than to keep them safe. The first car seats designed with safety in mind were released in 1962, with British mother and journalist Jean Helen Ames credited as the first to suggest safety seats for children. However, it wasn't until 1971 that the first federal standards for car seat safety were introduced, and even then, these standards did not include crash tests. It wasn't until the 1980s that crash testing for car seats became mandatory. In 1978, Tennessee passed the first child passenger safety law, requiring parents to put their infants and young children in safety seats. By 1985, all US states had passed laws requiring the use of car seats, but it still took time for car seat usage to become widespread. Even in 1987, only 80% of children used a car seat. Today, car seats must meet strict federal crash test regulations, and parents can be arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide if they do not provide their children with properly fitted car seats.

The first child car seats were designed to help children see out of the window, not for safety

The early car seats were not considered safety devices and it took about 30 years for people to start thinking of them as such. In the 1960s, seat belts started to become mandatory in motor vehicles, but it wasn't until 1959 that a 3-point seat belt was even available in cars. The motor vehicle death rate started to decrease in the early 1970s after safety equipment regulations, laws, and increased enforcement took effect.

In 1962, two inventors, Jean Helen Ames and Leonard Rivkin, independently designed car seats with safety in mind. Ames, a British mother and journalist, is credited for being the first to suggest safety seats for children. She wanted to keep her son as safe as possible in the car and initially designed a seat that had the child rear-facing with a Y-belt to restrain the child in the event of a crash. Rivkin, a retired civil engineer, designed a seat with an iron-framed booster seat that utilized a five-point harness system after his son was injured in a car accident.

In 1964, a Swedish professor named Bertil Aldman recognized the protective effects of rear-facing car seats. With Aldman's research and the work of researcher Thomas Turbell, Sweden set the "T-standard" for child car seats, which was so stringent that forward-facing seats struggled to pass. This began the tradition of Swedish children riding in rear-facing car seats until the age of four, which continues today.

By 1968, auto manufacturers were developing the first car seats designed for crash protection. Ford developed the Tot-Guard and General Motors developed the Love Seat for Toddlers, followed by the first rear-facing only restraint, the GM Infant Love Seat. Then came the Bobby Mac convertible seat. In 1971, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration adopted the first federal standards for child seating systems, which required the use of a safety belt to hold the car seat into the vehicle and a harness to hold the child in the car seat. However, these requirements did not include crash tests.

It wasn't until the 1970s that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began issuing child safety seat standards and regulations, such as requiring all seats to be anchored by the vehicle's seat belts and include a harness to restrain the child. Today, child car seats must meet strict federal crash test regulations and come with expiration dates. Parents also take safety recalls seriously and often get their car seats checked for proper installation by a Child Passenger Safety Technician.

The first car seat designed with safety in mind was created in 1962

In 1962, two inventors designed car seats with safety in mind. Jean Helen Ames, a British journalist and mother, is credited with being the first to suggest safety seats for children. She wanted to keep her son as safe as possible in the car, initially designing a seat that had the child rear-facing with a Y-belt to restrain the child in the event of a crash. Ames filed two patents in London in 1965 for a 5-strap safety harness made of "British Nylon to restrain without harm" and a "tamper-proof, parachute-style centre pin with quick release" buckle. The Jeenay car seat, named for Jean Ames, offered these two features. Leonard Rivkin, a retired civil engineer and Denver businessman, designed a seat with an iron-framed booster seat and a revolutionary 5-point harness system. The idea came to him after his son was thrown from the back seat to the front of the car in a collision.

In the same year, Ford and General Motors began developing the first car seats designed for crash protection. However, it would be another nine years before the first federal standards for car seats were adopted, and 17 years before the first state law was passed.

The first federal standards for car seat safety were introduced in 1971

In 1971, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) adopted the first federal standards for car seat safety, known as FMVSS213. While these requirements did not include crash tests, they did mandate the use of a safety belt to hold the car seat in place, as well as a harness to secure the child within the seat. This marked a significant step forward in prioritising the safety of children in vehicles and set a precedent for future advancements in car seat technology and regulations.

The introduction of these standards was a direct response to growing concerns about child safety in automobiles. Early car seats, such as those produced by the Bunny Bear Company in 1933 and other manufacturers in the 1940s, often served the primary purpose of boosting a child's height so they could see out the window. It wasn't until the 1960s that the focus shifted towards safety, with the first safety-oriented car seats designed by Jean Helen Ames in England and Leonard Rivkin in the United States. Ames' design included a rear-facing seat with a Y-belt restraint system, while Rivkin's incorporated an iron-framed booster seat with a five-point harness.

Following the implementation of the NHTSA standards, car seat safety continued to evolve. In 1978, Tennessee passed the first child passenger safety law, which became the federal standard in 1979. This law, along with growing public awareness about the high rates of child morbidity and mortality in car crashes, spurred all 50 states to adopt at least one law related to child restraint devices by 1985. However, it wasn't until 1986 that all states mandated the use of child restraints.

Over time, car seat standards and regulations became more stringent and comprehensive. In 1981, the federal government updated the standards to include rear-facing infant restraints, car beds, and forward-facing restraints for children under 50 lbs. This update also introduced mandatory crash tests and special labelling and instruction criteria.

The 1990s saw the introduction of the ISOfix anchors, later known as the LATCH (Lower Anchors & Tethers for Children) system, which improved the stability and ease of installation of car seats. By the 2000s, car seat technology had advanced significantly, with the introduction of infant car seats, 3-in-1 car seats, and travel system car seats.

Today, car seat safety continues to be a priority, with ongoing efforts to improve standards and technologies to better protect children in vehicles.

All US states had car seat safety laws by 1985

The history of car seat safety laws in the US is a long and complex one, with many different factors influencing their development and implementation. By 1985, all US states had passed laws requiring the use of car seats for children, marking a significant step forward in child road safety. However, the journey towards this milestone was a lengthy one, and it is important to understand the context and motivations behind these laws to appreciate their significance fully.

The idea of car seats for children emerged in the 1930s, with the first mass-produced model released by the Bunny Bear Company in 1933. However, these early designs focused primarily on elevating children to improve their visibility rather than enhancing their safety. It was not until the 1960s that safety began to take centre stage, with the development of the first car seats designed with crash protection in mind. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also played a pivotal role by adopting the first federal standards for car seats in 1971, though these did not initially include crash tests.

The turning point for car seat safety laws came in 1978 when Tennessee passed the first child passenger safety law, requiring parents to use safety seats for infants and young children. This law set a precedent, and by 1985, all 50 states had followed suit, passing their own laws mandating the use of car seats. This marked a significant achievement, but it is worth noting that even in 1987, only 80% of children used a car seat, indicating that further education and enforcement were necessary.

While the passage of car seat safety laws in all US states by 1985 was a landmark achievement, it is important to acknowledge that the journey towards ensuring child road safety did not end there. Over time, these laws have continued to evolve and be refined as new research and technologies have emerged. For instance, in the 1990s, organisations like the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) began to emphasise the importance of not just using car seats but also ensuring they were properly installed and used correctly.

Furthermore, as understanding of child road safety has advanced, states have also updated their laws to address specific aspects such as seating position and the use of seat belts for older children who have outgrown car seats. While great strides have been made, there is still room for improvement, with recent statistics indicating that more than 57% of deaths among children aged 0-15 in car crashes are due to a lack of restraints.

The LATCH system, which made installing car seats easier, was introduced in 2002

The LATCH system, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, was introduced in 2002 to make installing car seats easier. It consists of built-in straps and hooks on the car seat that connect to dedicated metal anchors in the vehicle. This system is known as ISOFIX in Europe and LUAS (Lower Universal Anchorage System) in Canada.

The LATCH system is designed to be used instead of seat belts to secure the car seat. It is important to note that the LATCH system has weight limits, and once a child reaches a certain weight, the car seat should be reinstalled using the seat belt method. The LATCH system is not typically used for booster seats, although some booster seats have LATCH to secure the booster to the vehicle, and then the vehicle's seat belt goes across the child's body.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that using the LATCH system correctly will reduce the number of improperly installed child seats by half. When installing a car seat using LATCH, it is crucial to follow the instructions in both the vehicle's owner's manual and the car seat's instruction manual to ensure a proper and safe installation.

The introduction of the LATCH system was a significant advancement in car seat safety, making it easier for parents and caregivers to correctly install car seats and providing an additional layer of protection for children in the event of a crash.

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