Car seats are an essential investment for parents. The CDC estimates that car seats reduce children’s injuries by 71 to 82 percent. However, car seats have come a long way since you were a child.
The newest innovation in car seat technology is the load leg. See below for more about load legs and how they improve infant safety.
Improved stability prevents injury
Load legs extend from the base of the car seat to the floor of your vehicle. Rear-facing infant car seats usually use them, but front-facing toddler car seats can also use them. The idea is that load legs stabilize the car seat better and transfer energy better during a car crash. Instead of shock traveling directly into the car seat and potentially harming the infant, the load legs take the initial crash energy and dissipate it.
Testing confirms their benefit
Consumer Reports conducted tests that estimated a 46 percent reduction in head injury risks compared to car seats without load legs. They caution that load legs are not a magical solution to safety. The safest results they found are car seats that combine load legs with lower anchors. You also need to check compatibility with your vehicle. Sometimes, owner’s manuals for new cars give specific instructions for where to install car seats with load legs.
Driving safely is the best way to prevent an injury to your infant. Car seats are an additional safety measure for when you cannot avoid an accident. Look into load legs and how they might benefit your infant’s safety while driving and give you peace of mind.