USDOT Requires Improved Child Restraint Labels |
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
October 2, 2002
NHTSA 63-02
Wednesday, October 2, 2002
Contact: Tim Hurd
Tel. No. (202) 366-9550
In response to a mandate in the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act of 2000, the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today issued a final rule to require clearer and simpler labels and instructions for child restraints.
"The safest place for a child is secured in an appropriate child restraint that is properly installed in a vehicle," said Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D., NHTSA Administrator. "These changes will help Americans keep their children safe when traveling in automobiles."
The final rule amends the current requirements for child restraint labels, and the written instructions that accompany child restraints. It is the third in a series of rulemakings to make safety information more easily understood by consumers. The rule requires warning information to be on a label similar in design to the improved vehicle labels required by previous rulemakings regarding air bag and sport utility vehicle rollover warnings.
Specifically, the label must now contain the statement "WARNING! DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY can occur!" This statement must be in black on a yellow background and accompanied by the alert symbol, similar to the headings on the air bag and utility vehicle warning labels. It replaces the existing required statement "Warning! Failure to follow each of the following instructions can result in your child striking the vehicle's interior during a sudden stop or crash."
Below the new heading, the rule requires a list of conditions that, if not followed, could lead to a likelihood of serious harm. These include information about the correct height and weight of children who can use the restraint, how to correctly orient the restraint, how to secure the child, and how to install the restraint in a vehicle. These statements must use black text on a white background.
The agency is also requiring additional labels containing installation and use information to be visible when the child restraint is installed in a vehicle. A new diagram is required showing the child restraint with the new child restraint anchorage system (LATCH), and material is required defining the term "snugly."
"All children age 12 and under should ride properly restrained in the back seat," Dr. Runge said. "Infants, from birth to age one, and until they weigh at least 20 pounds, should ride in the back seat in a rear-facing safety seat. Children over one year old and weighing between 20 and 40 pounds should ride facing forward in the rear seat in an appropriate child restraint. All children who have outgrown traditional child safety seats should be properly restrained in the back seat in booster seats from about age 4 until they are at least 8 years old, unless they are 4 feet 9 inches tall."
Dr. Runge said the changes made in this final rule are just the first stage of NHTSA efforts to improve child restraint labels and written instructions. NHTSA will be conducting additional research and expects to propose further changes in 2003. Child restraints are required to have the new labels within one year.
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