If you think child restraints have not improved over the last thirty years, just take a look at some of these photos. Doesn't it make you just cringe? At the time, it was all that was available and these seats probably saved a life or two, or many. Looking at them now, needless to say, it was better to use these than having a child unrestrained in a vehicle. Fortunately, the companies who made these seats have made a lot of progress over the years and newer companies go to great lengths to establish themselves as safety innovators. Who are the leaders in safety innovation? Are all car seat manufacturers equal? When searching for the "safest" car seat available, there are several things to consider: All car seats have to meet the same FMVSS213 standards. All car seat manufacturers self-certify their seats. All car seats are designed by highly trained...

Allana Pinkerton stays busy as Diono's Child Passenger Safety Advocate.  Her job not only includes keeping children safe, but encompasses many duties within our company. The main component of her job is to train retail staff. This is important to parents as they shop for a new car seat. As you know, there are hundreds of child restraints on the store shelves and it can be confusing when trying to choose one. It is reassuring to a parent when the retail staff can tell them about safety features, conveniences and guide them to resources within their community. Allana doesn't just go into our retail customers' store and try to sell them on a Diono seat. She actually teaches beyond the Radian and Monterey. Most retail employees are parents or grandparents too. With great passion, Allana explains the issues with Child Passenger Safety, teaches about crash dynamics, rattles off statistics, and talks...

All states have laws regarding child restraints. Some are very specific and some are vague. http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/childsafety_laws.html If you follow the laws in some states, you might be putting your child in jeopardy when transporting them in your car. For example, in Florida, once your child turns 4 years old, it is permissible to allow them to ride in the adult seat belt. It is highly doubtful that any four year old is tall enough to fit correctly in an adult seat belt. On the other hand, California, just improved their child restraint laws, which better protect children in motor vehicles.http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_19551093#.TuoB1kIh91Y.mailto Most states have room for improvement in their laws. If all of them followed the NHTSA guidelines and worded their laws accordingly, state occupant protection programs would qualify for federal grant money to educate communities about Child Passenger Safety. Education is the key to reducing death and injury to children...

Are you one of those parents who had to go back to the store 3-5 times to exchange the car seat you purchased because it did not install correctly in your car? Why is it so difficult for car seat manufacturers to make a car seat to fit every car? Let's take a look at some of the most popular vehicle manufacturers and their products. Chevrolet makes 16 different models in the categories of cars, SUVs, crossovers, trucks and vans. Ford has a total of 17. Toyota makes 18 different models. Mercedes Benz totals 13. Volkswagen makes 11 model vehicles. BMW rounds out with 10 and Volvo makes only 9. Within these 94 different makes and models there are differences in: Seat belt retractors: Emergency locking, switchable and automatic Latch plates: Light-weight locking, sliding or fixed Buckles: Placement of buckles in the seat bite, forward of the seat bite and...