When it comes to car safety, you can focus on driving safely and you can focus on choosing a safe car. However, if you have children, you also need to focus on choosing a safe car seat. This is one of a series of reviews and guides I’ll write on how well some of the best car seats currently available in the United States fit (or don’t fit) particular cars. I will also include information on puzzling combinations I’ve seen, in terms of which seats fit nicely (or not so nicely) with others in particular vehicles when installed with LATCH systems or seat belts. You know the basics of best practices in car seat safety: rear-face as long as possible (ideally until 4!), and then forward-face as long as possible (ideally until 8!), and then booster until a regular belt fits your child (which typically happens between 10 and 12). These are my suggestions for keeping kids restrained as well as possible during their most vulnerable years of physical development. However, for this information to be helpful, you need to know if a particular car seat will fit in your particular vehicle.

Here are my experiences fitting a range of seats inside various years of every car, minivan, pickup, and SUV I’ve had the chance to explore, big and small. My focus is on 3 across compatibility, but I’ll also include tips and tricks I’ve found helpful with difficult installations. I’ll periodically update each page as I try more seats in more positions. I have also begun to review vehicles that are no longer in production; their 3 across guides are located beneath the applicable section (e.g., cars no longer in production are after the car section). You can find reviews of the seats that I consider the best infant seats, convertibles, combinations, and boosters here. The list of recommended car seats is here. If you’re in a hurry, here are the narrowest car seats that will fit 3 across in (almost) any vehicle. Chevrolet Sonic / Aveo. Subaru Crosstrek / Impreza. Volkswagen Golf / GTI. Acura TLX, TL, TSX. Infiniti Q70 / M. Cars No Longer In Production

Infiniti QX60 / JX35. Mercedes-Benz GLK / GLC-Class. Mercedes-Benz M / ML / GLC-Class. Crossovers and SUVs No Longer In Production Ford Freestyle / Taurus X. Chrysler Town & Country. If you’d like more information on many of the individual seats mentioned in the articles above, you can read reviews of car seats I recommend here. The truth is that there are safe car seats available at every budget and to fit every vehicle; I’ll continue to review vehicles and seats in effort to make this the most detailed list of 3 across installations available on the Internet. If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link  for anything you buy. Canadians can bookmark and shop through this link. View All 2017 Audi Q7 Car Care Accessories View All 2017 Audi Q7 Communication Accessories View All 2017 Audi Q7 Sport and Design AccessoriesDETROIT –  New rankings from the insurance industry show that the Audi Q7, Lexus RX and Toyota Prius have the easiest-to-use anchors for child seats.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety evaluated LATCH systems in 170 vehicles. LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. The U.S. has required LATCH in rear seats since 2002. But the institute says many systems are hard to use, which makes it more likely that child seats will be incorrectly installed.Tiger Cubs For Sale In Minnesota The institute evaluated both seat-level anchors and seat-mounted tethers.Natural Stone Flooring Advantages The best performers had anchors that were easy to maneuver and didn't require much force to snap in a car seat. Best Compact Washer And Dryer StackableThey also had more than the required minimum number of anchors. The Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Silverado and Infiniti Q70 were among the worst performers.

LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) was phased in between 1999-2002 with the goal of giving parents a standard, foolproof method of installing their children’s seats.   However, the advent of larger seats, and older children being restrained in those seats, has led to a concern that never occurred to the experts of 20 years ago; how much weight can those anchors actually bear in a crash?LATCH includes lower anchors (the metal bar in the crevice, or bight, of the vehicle seat) and a tether (the hook above or behind the seating position to which the tether strap attaches). Passenger vehicles made after September 2002 are required to have two sets of LATCH and one additional tether.What you might not know about LATCH is that it has a weight limit. A decade ago, most car seats had a 40 lb weight limit on the harness and the seat itself only weighed around 10 lbs. In contrast, today’s seats weigh 25 lbs or more and harness to 65 lbs or beyond. Child passenger safety technology is ever-evolving, and the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards must evolve as well to make sure the installation methods can support heavier seats that are capable of harnessing larger children.

Here are the recent developments:Using a tether has significant benefit for reducing a child’s head excursion and potential for injury in a crash. The specific labeling requirements set forth by NHTSA only extend to the lower anchors, not the tether. Many vehicles allow the tether to be used up to the weight limit specified by the car seat when the seat is installed with the seat belt, however, it’s important that you read both your car seat manual and your vehicle manual. Of course, we always recommend visiting a CPST to evaluate your individual situation.Many belt positioning booster seats now come with lower anchor connectors, and several combination seats allow lower anchors, or the tether, or both,  to be used when the seat is in booster mode. This is purely a convenience feature that keeps the booster from flying into other occupants if the vehicle is in a crash when the child is not in the seat. The seat belt does the heavy-duty work of restraining the child.  Lower anchors only hold in the weight of the booster alone, so weight limits don’t apply.

What’s the bottom line? How do I find out the limit for my car and my car seats?First, check your car seat manual and labeling. If your car seat was made around February 2014 or later, it will have a sticker that clearly defines which installation method you may use depending on the weight of your child. It’s also important to note that if your car seat was made around February 2015 or later, it may state a different limit than the same car seat made a year earlier.If your car seat was made before February 2014, you may not have this label and things are a bit more complicated. Most vehicle manufacturers state a limit of 65 lbs when the car seat and the child’s weight are combined, some simply defer to the car seat manufacturer’s instructions, and some specify a 48 lb limit based solely on the child’s weight. CPSTs have a 200+ page manual detailing what each of the vehicle and car seat manufacturers say, and it’s not easy to consolidate that information into an easy answer.