Is car seat tether necessary?

Is car seat tether necessary?

Some car seats and vehicles allow a seat to be tethered rear facing. In the United States it’s never required (all car seats pass stringent safety testing rear facing without a tether), and some car seats have the option of an anti-rebound bar rather than a rear facing tether.

Can you add car seat anchors to a car?

Tether anchors can be added to many vehicles manufactured between 1989-1999. Many of these vehicles have the holes pre-drilled in the vehicle, often with the nut in place, so that retrofitting the tether anchor is as simple as ordering the part and screwing in a bolt.

Are tether anchors safe?

Forward-facing car seats all come with a tether strap, which secures the top of the car seat to an anchor in the back of the car. Every forward-facing car seat is safer (and better able to protect your child’s brain and spinal cord) when you use the tether strap.

What is a harness and tether car seat?

Despite progress over the years, there is one aspect of car seat safety that has seen no progress: top tether use. Tethers are used with forward-facing car seats that have a harness. A third point of contact, the tether, secures the top of the car seat to the vehicle to keep it from pitching forward in a crash.

Does rear-facing car seat need tether?

But let’s be clear: rear-facing tethering is optional. No carseat requires its use; think of it as an added feature. Since the Swedish method uses an anchor point under the front seat, you’ll have to move the front seats forward.

What is a top tether in a car?

A top tether is a fabric strap that secures the child seat to a tether point behind the rear car seat, usually at the back of the rear seat, the bottom of the trunk or on the ceiling. Top tethers on rearward-facing car seats often have to be attached to the car’s front seat.

Do all car seats have a top tether?

Tether anchors are located behind the seat, either on the panel behind the seat (in sedans) or on the back of the seat, ceiling, or floor (in most minivans, SUVs, hatchbacks,​ and pickup trucks). All forward-facing car safety seats have tethers or tether connectors that fasten to these anchors.

Can you install a forward-facing car seat without tether?

As soon as you install a forward-facing car seat with a harness (or convert your rear-facing to forward), you must use a top tether. Top tethers are meant to secure forward-facing seats to keep them from tipping forward in the event of a crash. Without the tether attached, a seat can be thrown 4 – 6 inches forward.

Do all cars have tether anchors?

All forward-facing car safety seats have tethers or tether connectors that fasten to these anchors. Nearly all passenger vehicles and all car safety seats made on or after September 1, 2002, are equipped to use LATCH. See vehicle owner’s manual for highest weight of child allowed to use top tether.

What does a tether connector do?

Tethers are used IN ADDITION to the lower anchors OR the vehicle’s safety belt to secure a forward-facing (and some rear-facing) child safety seat to the vehicle.