Three Important Things to Know About LATCH Evaluations Before Choosing Your Next Car

To better understand how well-designed automobiles are for supporting the proper mounting of child safety seats, San Diego, CA shoppers can always refer to LATCH evaluations. These evaluations are thorough assessments of all lower anchors and tethers that are intended for car seat installation. At DCH Honda of Mission Valley, we want to share three important things that every driver should know about these assessments.

The first and most important thing to know about LATCH assessments is that they do not have an impact on the safety rating of automobiles. In fact, a vehicle can rate high in a LATCH assessment while performing poorly in general safety ratings. Conversely, vehicles that are determined to provide optimum levels of safety may fall short in their systems of anchors and tethers for mounting child safety seats. LATCH assessments are only meant to determine the accessibility, efficacy, and ease-of-use for all in-vehicle components that support the car seat installation process.

Installing modern car seats is far more involved than simply securing them in place with nearby seat belts. Lower anchors and tethers provide a far more secure installation so that safety seats are unlikely to move during impact. A high LATCH rating means that installing a safety seat while using the lower anchoring and tethering system as required will be easy. In fact, with a high LATCH rating, most parents should be able to both install and uninstall child car seats in minimal time and with relative ease.

While ease of use is a primary consideration during a LATCH assessment, accessibility is also reviewed. Evaluators determine how deeply anchors are lodged within the seat bights, and how quickly even new parents can find them. To know more about LATCH ratings and their meanings, or to take one of our autos out for a test drive, drop by DCH Honda of Mission Valley today.