Amanda Drago
No Comments

NHTSA Is Urged to Make Car Seat Side-Impact Standards

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

Recently, the attorneys general representing 17 states and Washington, D.C. requested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration set side-impact standards for child car seats. Congress first asked for the NHTSA to create side-impact standards more than 20 years ago, but it still has not done so.


Keeping Your Family Safe on the Go: Mitsubishi’s safety technologies


Why do the states want side-impact standards set?                     

New York and Connecticut are leading the charge in asking the agency to make side-impact standards. In a letter, the state attorneys general wrote, “As a result of NHTSA’s inaction, there currently is no government standard for side-impact testing in the United States for any child restraint system.”

The letter also requested that the agency require car seat labels to recommend keeping children in car seats until they meet the agency’s maximum weight or height standards. The NHTSA has not yet made a comment on the letter.

Back in 2000, Congress instructed the NHTSA to write new rules in order to increase the safety of car seats. One purpose of this was to reduce the number of head injuries caused by side-impact collisions. However, the agency never put new rules in place.

Then in 2012, Congress requested that the NHTSA make a rule specifically to keep children safer in car seats during side-impact crashes. The agency was supposed to do this within two years, but they never did. Now, the Biden administration expects the agency to finalize side-impact standards before the year is up.

Last September, the auto safety regulator did propose a change to its recommendations on when children aged 1 year old and under should be in rear-facing car seats. It advised increasing the weight requirement for traveling in rear-facing car seats to increase from 20 pounds and under to 26.5 pounds and under.


Picking a Reliable Model: Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is a Top Safety Pick


Hopefully, the NHTSA will actually follow through on creating side-impact standards before 2022 and upping the age requirement for rear-facing car seats.