The new federal safety standards will go into effect for all car seats sold in the United States. These new regulations go into effect June 30, 2025. The standards are meant to reestablish stronger protection for young passengers in the event of a side-impact crash. These crashes are increasingly frequent and dangerous, as evidenced by the risks to child safety. The new regulations, FMVSS 213a, state that child seats for children weighing 40 pounds or less shall be tested under extreme conditions. This testing ensures that dangerous chemicals affecting the development of our children won’t be allowed to be used.
To study these impacts, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) developed a specialized sled test. This test replicates a side-impact crash between two vehicles at 30 mph. This impact test is one of the most significant provisions of the revised Rule. It further underscores the need for side-impact protection in child restraint systems. As part of this initiative, many car seat manufacturers have already begun implementing changes to meet the new standards ahead of the deadline.
New Testing Procedures
The implementation of FMVSS 213a is a big deal when it comes to car seat testing. The NHTSA has proposed a wholly new sled test. Compared to the other evaluations, this test focuses solely on child seats’ ability to properly protect children during a side-impact crash. Determine whether the seat prevents dangerous impacts with vehicle occupant side doors and seat backs. In addition, see if it reduces crash forces that may affect a child’s chest region.
“NHTSA’s new standard ensures that child seats can restrain the child, prevent harmful head contact with a vehicle door or seat structure and reduce crash forces to the chest,” – NHTSA
These tests will be indexed under numbers 6634 through 6637 in the NHTSA’s research citation database. The agency’s taxpayer-funded research has helped to expose the real-world dangers of side-impact crashes. It provides manufacturers with helpful data that can help them build better products. Parents seeking to purchase a new car seat should ensure that the model they choose complies with these updated standards.
Manufacturer Compliance and Consumer Awareness
The good news is that countless brands are already reformulating their products. Much of car seat packaging does not explicitly mention compliance with FMVSS 213a. Therefore, consumers are encouraged to ask retailers or directly contact manufacturers to confirm that a specific model meets the new requirements.
The NHTSA suggests that consumers ask about compliance when purchasing consumer car seats. This forward thinking approach is going to allow parents to make better decisions and ultimately better protect their children in vehicles.
“These new standards are a major step forward in protecting children during one of the most serious types of crashes,” – NHTSA
The agency emphasizes that current child seats are effective in reducing the likelihood of death or serious injury in vehicle crashes. Even in this major drawback, the adoption of new standards indicates a long overdue commitment to address the dangers automobiles pose to children.
Background and Future Implications
The need to adopt more stringent safety standards is the result of decades of research and investigation work conducted by the NHTSA. Initially, the agency focused on enhancing frontal crash protection due to its prevalence in causing injuries and fatalities among children using car seats. The federal government is finally taking the side-impact safety crisis seriously. They are energetic and effective advocates to improve child passenger safety, driven by strong data.
“We focused on frontal crash protection first because those are the most frequent crashes and lead to the most injuries and deaths in child car seats,” – NHTSA
