Car Seat Safety Ratings – The NHTSA Myth

April 21, 2014 By Kristian

Looking for the Safest Car Seat

When my wife was pregnant with my twins boys I spent hours and hours searching the internet trying to find out which of the many car seats would be the safest. This is obviously a perfectly natural thing for any first time parent to do. Even before you have ever met your baby, the desire to protect them is overwhelming and a few hours research seems a very small price to pay for finding “the” safest car seat.

Did I find “the” safest car seat? – No!

Have I found it since? – I’m afraid not!

Why? – there are NO independent and comprehensive safety tests that can be used to proclaim that any seat is objectively safer than another.

So, if you are reading this post because you are hoping to find a safety ratings list that will make the difficult task of finding “the” safest car seat, then I’m afraid that you are going to be disappointed.

You will very often read reviews claiming that “Seat A has a better safety test score than Seat B” or that “Seat A has an excellent NHTSA safety rating”. You should ignore anything that these people say because they are either ignorant of the truth or deliberately misleading you. If you think about it for a moment, if there was such an ordered “ratings list” you could be pretty sure that the company manufacturing the seat with the highest safety rating would be screaming this fact from the rooftop! Yet, there are no screams because there is no such ordered list of safety ratings.

The truth is that all car seats that are currently available to buy on the US market meet Federal Safety Standards & strict crash performance standards. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are all as safe as each other, but the problem is that there are no comprehensive independent standardised test scores to enable you to know which seat is the safest.

The NHTSA Myth

Whilst there may be some unscrupulous people on the internet that are deliberately misleading parents on this issue, I suspect that most people that perpetuate this myth do so innocently and because they have either heard other people saying it or misunderstand the nature of the car seat tests that do actually exist.

The most obvious source of confusion comes from the NHTSA “Ease of Use” Ratings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 and its function is to achieve the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety.

What are the NHTSA “Ease of Use” ratings?

The overall Ease of Use rating is NOT a safety rating per se. Instead, it is awarded to seats based upon an examination of the following factors:

The Content & Clarity of the Seat’s Instruction Booklet
How Easy it is to Install the Seat
The Content & Clarity of the Seat’s Labels
How Easy it is to Restrain the child in the Seat

Is the “Ease of Use” rating important?

Although the NHTSA make it very clear on their website and in their press releases that their “Ease of Use” ratings should NEVER be proclaimed as safety ratings, this does NOT mean that they are of no use to parents. They are useful if used correctly since safety can be compromised if a child car seat is difficult to use and installed incorrectly.

Research suggests that about 75% of all car seats are incorrectly installed – this is one of the biggest car seat safety risks to a child and there is little point in paying $300 for a top-of-the-range seat if you can’t work out how to fit is properly.

According to the NHTSA, the safest car seat is the one that:

is appropriate for your child’s age, height and weight
fits in your vehicle correctly
is easy to use

Once you have purchased a car seat for your child, you can take it to an NHTSA Child Car Seat Inspection Station for them to show you how to correctly install and use it. They will usually perform this check free of charge and you can find your nearest station here.

The NHTSA “Ease of Use” Ratings – 5 Star Seats

Again, just to be clear, I am not suggesting that these seats are inherently “safer” than others. They have, however, been assessed by the NHTSA as being easier to use correctly.

The following child car seats have been awarded the Highest Government “Ease of Use” rating:

Top Rated Infant Car Seats

#1 Britax B-Safe 35 / B-Safe 35 Elite

Suitable for use between 4 – 35 lbs or 32 inches
Seated shoulder height of 6.5 to 11 inches
Easy to install in a few seconds with SafeCenter LATCH
Built-in Lockouts
5 point harness system
Dual Level Indicators
Integrated Steel Bars
EPS energy absorbing foam for superior side impact protection
Infant Insert
Stroller compatible

Buy the B-Safe 35 Elite or Read User Reviews.

Read Comparison Review of B-Safe 35 and 35 Elite Seats.

#2 Combi Shuttle

Suitable for use from birth to 35 lbs
Adjustable head restraint
Adjustable harness shoulder height for a snug and secure fit
One-pull harness adjustment
Anti-rebound bar
Premium Push-button LATCH connectors
Four position height adjustment for proper seat angle and positioning
Can be used with Combi Cosmo, Cabria, Catalyst and Twin Cosmo strollers
Seat weighs 20.2 lbs

Check Price of the Combi Shuttle Infant Car Seat here.

Read User Reviews

#3 Cybex Aton Q

Suitable for babies weighing between 4 and 35 lbs (30 inches tall) – perfect for preemies
highest ease of use rating – true 5 star rating in all categories
Quick-adjust no re-thread harness
8-position integrated adjustable headrest and harness
XXL fold-away sun canopy with UVP50+ sun protection can be extended incrementally
Automatic seat height adjustment
Telescopic Linear Side-impact Protection (L.S.P. System) Energy absorbing flexible shell is lined from head to toe with EPS foam EPS lined head rest

Check Price of the Cybex Aton Q

Read User Reviews

See Full Range of Cybex Aton Infant Seats

Top Rated Convertible Car Seats

#1 First Years True Fit C680 SI

DISCONTINUED!

#2 First Years True Fit C650 Recline

DISCONTINUED!

#3 Britax ClickTight Convertible Seats

Rear-Facing from birth up to 35 lbs, forwards-facing up to 65 lbs
Steel Frame
SafeCell Impact Protection System
Top Tether
Easy-to-adjust no-rethread harness
7-position recline with indicator
Quick-adjust harness and headrest
LATCH Connectors
ClickTight Installation system
EZ Buckle system
Easy to remove cover

The Britax ClickTight convertible car seats were added to the NHTSA “5-star” list when in forwards-facing mode (4-stars for rear-facing).

These are my recommended seats in this category.

I have written lots of posts about these seats, which you can find here:

Check Price of Britax ClickTight seats here.

Read User Reviews.

Top Rated Combination Car Seats

#1 Britax Frontier 90

Tangle-Free, 5-Point Harness with 7 height positions
70 lb Weight Capacity in Harness Mode, 110 lb Weight Capacity in Booster Mode
Easy-Access Belt Paths for simple installation when using the adult seat belt
Energy Absorbing Tether anchors the top of the car seat to the vehicle
Comfort Foam provides an extra layer of padding to cushion your child
Quick-Adjust No Re-Thread for easy adjustments
Easy Transition from Harness to Booster Mode without removing harness straps
EZ-Buckle System and Harness Holders
HUGS Chest Pads
Premium Lower LATCH Connectors included

Check Price of the Britax Frontier 90 Car Seat.

Read my full review of the Britax Frontier 90.

#2 Britax Pinnacle 90

Tangle-Free, 5-Point Harness with 7 height positions
70 lb Weight Capacity in Harness Mode, 110 lb Weight Capacity in Booster Mode
Easy-Access Belt Paths for simple installation when using the adult seat belt
Energy Absorbing Tether anchors the top of the car seat to the vehicle
Comfort Foam provides an extra layer of padding to cushion your child
Quick-Adjust No Re-Thread for easy adjustments
Easy Transition from Harness to Booster Mode without removing harness straps
EZ-Buckle System and Harness Holders
HUGS Chest Pads & Side Impact Cushion Technology (SICT)
Premium Lower LATCH Connectors included

Check Price of the Britax Pinnacle 90 Car Seat.

The only extra feature that the Pinnacle 90 has that the Frontier 90 does not is the Side Impact Cushion Technology (SICT).

Read my full review of the Britax Pinnacle 90.

Top Rated Booster Car Seats

#1 Evenflo Big Kid AMP

Removable, washable, and wipe able seat pad
Soft touch armrests
Flexible grip elastic cup holders
Belt clip positions the seat belt for comfort and safety
Suitable for children weighing 40 to 100 lbs
Suitable for children up to 57 inches tall
Seat weighs 9 lbs

Check Price of the EvenfloBig Kid AMP Car Seat here.

Read User Reviews

Other Great Car Seat Reviews

If you don’t want to base you car seat purchasing decision solely upon the NHTSA Ease of Use ratings, you can read in-depth reviews of my recommended car seats by hovering over the “Car Seat” heading on the menu bar at the top of this page.

You might also find the following review posts helpful:

Safety Information

After purchasing any child car seat, you should always read the User Manual thoroughly before using it. It is also advisable to visit your local Fire Department or NHTSA Child Car Seat Inspection Centre to ensure that the seat is definitely suitable for your child’s specific requirements and that you have installed it correctly. These services are usually provided free of charge.

You can find your nearest NHTSA Centre here.

Do You Need More Help?

I know from personal experience that choosing the best car seat for your child can be a daunting and confusing process. If you need any further advice or assistance whatsoever, please feel free to contact me and I will do my very best to help.

If you have any other feedback about my “Car Seat Safety Ratings – The NHTSA Myth” post, please just leave a comment in the box below or send an email to kristian@kidsafetyfirst.com