Child Safety Seats Get Safer

For a new mom with just one infant, I take more than my share of child safety seats in and out of cars. That’s because I test drive at least one new car or truck every week, and little Cate almost always comes along for the ride.

So it stands to reason that I’m excited about the new child seating system known as “LATCH” (short for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children). LATCH has two components: a top-tether anchor for use with forward-facing seats and easy-lock lower anchor points for use with all child safety seats. LATCH is a blessing for anyone who’s ever struggled with car seat belts to install a child safety seat. (And if you’re really getting the child seat snug enough, you’re doing some wrestling.) This new system eliminates the need to even touch the car’s belts when you’re putting in a child seat. The lower anchor portion of the LATCH system will be required in all new cars, minivans, and light trucks beginning September 1, 2002. But it has already shown up in many 2001 cars and trucks, including the Ford Escape sport-utility vehicle, General Motors’ minivans, the Nissan Frontier pickup truck, the Infiniti G20 sedan, and Chrysler’s redesigned minivans.

How LATCH Works

In vehicles equipped with lower anchors, safety seat anchors are tucked away in the space where the seat back meets the seat bottom (where the seat belts come out). New child seats - currently available from Fisher-Price Cosco, and Britax - have special belts or hard attachment points with hooks that connect to the anchors. Once the seat is hooked in, you simply tighten the child-seat belts according to directions and you should be ready to roll with a seat that’s sure to be properly secured. If you have an older car, the new child seats can also be installed via the regular seat belts. By September 2002, all child safety seats will also have to have two lower attachments that connect to a vehicle’s LATCH anchorage points.

Even if your vehicle isn’t equipped with the lower anchor, car seat tether straps attached to anchor tether points in the vehicle can improve child-seat security. As of September 1, 2000, all new cars, minivans, and trucks were required to have anchors for use with child-seat tether straps. These anchors are often found on the shelf behind the back seat of a car, or on the seat back or floor of a van or SUV. When attached to the tether strap found on most new child seats, these anchors help reduce head injury to children by decreasing the distance your child’s head moves forward in a crash. Older-model cars can be retrofitted with tether anchor attachments, so contact your dealer. (Some older safety seats can also be fitted with the tether, so contact the manufacturer.)

Room for Improvement

Alas, nothing is ever truly easy when it comes to protecting kids in cars. I have two nits about the new LATCH system. First, because the government requires automakers to have the lower anchors in two rear seating positions, you usually get them in the seats next to the doors and not the safest center seat. Phil Haseltine, president of the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety and chairman of the advisory panel that recommended the system, says that’s because many rear seats aren’t big enough to accommodate two full-size child seats right next to each other. (In that case, maybe a third center-seat should be mandatory!) However, the top tether anchors are required in three positions.

Second complaint: On most cars I’ve tested with LATCH, it’s much easier to hook the seats in than to unhook them. This should be less of a problem when child-seat makers begin selling special LATCH seats with hard lower attachment points instead of standard seats with LATCH mini-belts. Then again, most people won’t be taking their child safety seats in and out of cars as often as I do.

ClubMom’s AutoPro, Jayne O’Donnell, is a Washington, D.C.-based reporter (and new mom!) whose automotive expertise and investigative reporting skills have helped break some of the biggest auto-safety stories of the past several years.

Copyright © 1999-2006 ClubMom, Inc. All rights reserved.

The newest breed of seating systems keeps kid passengers more secure and makes installation a snap

By Jayne O’Donnell
http://www.clubmom.com

Recall of RedMax Backpack Blowers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the manufacturers named below, today announced voluntary recalls of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: RedMax Gas-Powered Backpack Blowers

Units: About 170,000

Importer: Komatsu Zenoah America, doing business as RedMax, of Norcross, Ga.

Hazard: The muffler support bracket can break, creating an opening in the muffler body. Hot exhaust gases can then escape from the muffler and could melt the fuel tank or ignite grease, oil or debris around the fuel tank, posing a fire hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: RedMax has received five reports of units that have caught fire when hot exhaust gases from damaged mufflers ignited grease, oil or debris around the area of the fuel tank. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The RedMax gasoline-powered backpack blowers are red and black with a white fuel tank. Model numbers EB6200, EB7000, EB7001, and EB7001RH can be found on the body of the blowers along with “RedMax,” “Zenoah,” and “Komatsu.”

Sold by: RedMax dealers nationwide from December 1996 through December 2005 for about $530

Manufactured In: Japan and Georgia

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the backpack blowers immediately and contact RedMax for a dealer location nearest to them to schedule a free inspection and a free repair if necessary. Consumers who have registered their equipment will receive direct notification about this recall from RedMax.

Consumer Contact: For additional information consumers can contact RedMax at (866) 217-4152, anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.redmax.com

To view this recall online, please visit our website at: cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06147.html

7 Principles of Decor

Ready for a room redo? Use these pointers as a guide.

• Balance Is Everything. Use a mix of light and dark, big and small, patterned and plan for decorative harmony.
• Shop at Home. Gather up the things that you love now in your home and use them to create a favorite new space.
• Do a Quick Change. If the prospect of redoing a room seems overwhelming, start with a quick project. Success on a small scale like this will give you the confidence to tackle larger projects.
• Emphasize the Smart Choices. If you use a dramatic color, use texture and interesting furniture arrangements to make the room’s decor equal to its color.
• Correct for Color. Neutral walls and window coverings may be a room’s downfall. Warm up your space with a fresh soft wall color and dramatic window treatments.
• Details Make the Difference. Create a comfortable space using hand-me-downs and stray pieces from other rooms.
• Make It Your Own. Whatever you do, create a look that reflects your style and taste. From redoing a small entryway like this to moving every piece of furniture in a house, make sure you’re creating something personal and comfortable for you. And when you’re tired of a look, change it again!

Click here to shop BHG.com for accents, furniture and more to decorate your home!

© Copyright 2004 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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