Child safety
LATCH system (Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a s imp ler a nd more pract icable way to
attach the child res traint on the vehicle seat, Fed
e ra l regulations require specia l lower anchorages
in veh icles and devices on new child restra ints to
attach to the ve hicle anchorages.
The combination of the tet her anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally called the
LATCH system fo r "Lower Anchorages and
T ethers fo r Children ."
Forwa rd-facing child rest raints manufactured af
ter September 1 , 1999, are required by U .S. fed
era l reg ulations to comply w ith new child head
movement perfo rmance requiremen ts . These
new performance requirem ents make a tether
necessary on most new child seats.
I nstalling a child restraint that requ ires a top
tether w ithout one ca n serio usly impair the per
formance of the chi ld restra int and its ability to
protect the child in a col lision. Insta lling a ch ild
restraint that requires a top tether without the
t op tether may be a violation o f sta te law.
Chi ld restraint manufact urers offer LATCH lower
anchorages on the ir child seats with hook-on or
push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these
child restraint systems usua lly require the use of
tethe r straps to help keep the child res traint
f irm ly in place.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of in jury and death in a crash .
- Always fo llow the instructions p rov ided by
the manufacturer of the child restra int you
intend to install in your veh icle .
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top te ther st rap if the
164
.
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
req uire the top tether strap to be used.
- Improper use of child restraint LATC H lower
anchorage po ints can lead to injury in a co lli
sion. The LATCH lower anchorage p oints are
designed to withstand only those loads im
posed by corr ectly fitted child restraints .
- Never mount two child restra int systems on
one LATCH lower anchorage po int .
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
item to the LATCH lower anchorages.
@ Tips
In Canada, the terms "top tether" with " lowe r
universa l anchorages" (or "lower universa l an
chorage bars") are used to describe the sys
tem.
- In other countries, the term "ISOFIX" is used to describe the lower anc horages.
Location
Fi g. 147 Sc hem at ic ove rv iew : LATCH a nch orage poin t loca
tio ns
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipped with the lower
ancho rages system.
