2008 Child Safety Seat Ease of Use Ratings

 

Are All Seats Safe?
All car seats rated by NHTSA meet Federal Safety Standards & strict crash performance standards. While all rated seats are safe, they do differ in their ease of use in four basic catagories:

 

Evaluation of Instructions

Vehicle Installation Features

Evaluation of Labels

Securing the Child

 

« Back to Ease-of-Use Ratings

Britax Diplomat (FF)

 

Britax Diplomat (FF)

 

Manufacturer  /  Model NameBritax Diplomat (FF)
Model Number  /  Manufacture DateE9L6669  /  Sep 18, 2007
Harness Type5-pt
Weight  /  Height20-40lb/27"-40"
Evaluation of Labels1 stars
No picture of child properly restrained in seat. Tether is not labeled in illustrations. No indication of correct harness slot height is given. No illustration is given to show caregiver how to prepare LATCH. No instructions are given for the use of the tether. Height and weight information is not directly next to the illustration.
Evaluation of Instructions1 stars
Instruction manual storage is difficult to find and/or use. No full picture exists of a properly restrained child in the child restraint. All methods of installation are not labeled. Warning that the safest place is the rear seat is buried in a bulleted list. Instruction manual was hard to find when the seat was removed from the box. Caregiver must read text to route LATCH. Heights/weights in manual and on labels do not match.
Securing the Child3 stars
The harness clip is not labeled with placement instructions. Multiple actions are required to convert the seat to this mode of use; the caregiver must read the instructions. Loose parts are generated when disassembling for cleaning.
Installation Features4 stars
Lower attachments disconnect via push-button connectors. LATCH/Tether storage system is not sufficiently labeled.
Overall Ease of Use Rating3 stars

« Back to Ease-of-Use Ratings