GM Institutes Child Restraint Education - But Only In Cars

FOR RELEASE: August 26, 2002

General Motors to Conduct Comprehensive Education Outreach to Parents and Caregivers on New Child Seat Installation System

LATCH standard in new passenger vehicle lines for the first time

DETROIT, Mich. – General Motors today debuted an extensive effort to educate millions of parents and caregivers and its 8,000-dealer network on how a new child restraint attachment system works. The new system, called LATCH, is designed to help reduce errors in child seat installation.

GM also announced that LATCH – Lower Anchors and Top Tethers for Children – is now standard equipment on all new GM passenger vehicles. Previously, LATCH was only offered in select vehicles.

“The LATCH system is a convenience feature designed to help make the installation of add-on child seats easier, because it does not require use of the vehicle’s safety belt system,” said Robert C. Lange, GM executive director, Vehicle Structure and Safety Integration. “Because the system is easier to use, we believe it can help reduce the number of errors in installation. However, parents still must properly restrain children in the safety seat itself and carefully follow the weight and age guidelines for their particular seat.”

The LATCH anchorage system uses two rigid lower anchors and a top tether anchor to secure a LATCH-equipped child safety seat. The lower anchors, located between the seat back and seat cushion, are identified in GM vehicles by small dots on the seat back above each anchor. In many GM vehicles, the top tether anchor is located on or behind the rear seat. The GM Owner’s Manual identifies the location of each of these anchors, and provides instructions on their proper use.

Rear-facing child restraints equipped with LATCH typically use the lower anchors, while forward-facing seats equipped with LATCH use the lower anchors and the top tether anchor.

GM has created a printable brochure and an animated video, posted on www.gmability.com, that demonstrates the LATCH system to parents and caregivers. GM also will provide dealers with printed materials for distribution to customers. In addition, the GM Owner’s Manual contains extensive information about LATCH and how to properly install child restraints.

The materials were created with the guidance of GM Safety Center staff and engineers including Artie Martin, a staff project engineer and nationally recognized industry authority on child passenger safety.

Martin emphasized that, for vehicles or child restraints without the LATCH system, parents should continue to properly position and install the child restraint using the vehicle’s safety belt system. She reminded families that children must always be properly secured within the child restraint.

Children are safer when properly restrained in a vehicle’s back seat.

GM began implementing the top tether anchor in 1999 and had been phasing in the lower anchor LATCH components in subsequent model years.

General Motors the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide, and has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM employs about 355,000 people around the world. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com

Learn more about GM’s child passenger safety leadership at www.gmability.com and www.ourpreciouscargo.com.