Car seats get ease-of-use ratings
7:44 PM 6/11/03
Dee-Ann Durbin Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Stressing that child seats aren't safe unless properly installed in vehicles, the government issued its first ease-of-use ratings Wednesday.

Two different models of the Graco Comfort Sport were the only seats that scored an A in all five categories tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. None of the 68 seats tested got below a B for an overall rating.

NHTSA gave 107 total grades for overall performance because it tested reversible seats twice - once forward-facing and once rear-facing. The agency gave 39 A grades and 68 B grades for overall ease.

NHTSA chief Jeffrey Runge stressed that all the seats are safe but said ease of use is important because seats offer the most protection when they're properly installed. Runge said he expects the ratings to have an immediate impact.

"My expectation is that all manufacturers will make 'A' safety seats before long," he said.

Manufacturers tested included Safety First, Britax and Evenflo.

Seats got separate grades on ease of assembly, clarity of labeling, clarity of instructions, ease of securing a child in the seat and whether the seat has features that make it easier to install in a vehicle.

Seven seats earned C grades - the lowest grade given - in two categories, but none of the seats got a C in more than two categories. The Safeline Sit and Stroll got C grades for its labels and instructions, while two Graco youth booster seats - the Century Breverra Ascend and the Century Next Step - got C grades for ease of installation and ease of securing the child respectively.