CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT!

CPS stand for Child Passenger Safety.

A CPST is a Child Passenger Safety Technician, sometimes referred to as a "car seat technician". A CPST's job is to help families safely transport their children, using the correct safety system for that child, whether that be an infant seat or the vehicle seatbelt.

    RF means rear facing, as in the child's safety seat faces the rear (or back) of the vehicle.

    FF means forward facing and is the opposite (or reverse) of rear facing. 

     A HWH is a higher-weight harness. Typically the means any child restraint that has a weight limit of greater than 40 pounds.

     EXH means "extended harnessing." EXH is harnessing past the minimum of four years old and forty pounds. 

     Both of these mean extended rear facing. The second is more common. Extended rear facing is rear facing past the minimum limit of 12 months and 20 pounds. However, it is slowly coming to mean RF past 2 years and 30 lbs as that becomes the new standard. 

     LC = locking clip 

     A LC is a metal piece (shaped like an I or an H, and sometimes incorrectly called an "I-clip" or "H-clip") used to hold the lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt tightly through a car seat belt path by securing the lap belt webbing to the shoulder belt webbing next to the seatbelt buckle. These are only used in very specific instances, and misuse is common. It is recommended that they not be used if they are not absolutely needed. 

    Locking clips should be placed within an inch of the latchplate and never on the side opposite the buckle. Locking clips should not be used on manually adjusted lap-only belts.

Locking clips should not be used with a belt-positioning booster or when a person is using only a safety belt.

       BSC = Belt-shortening clip 

       Sometimes incorrectly called a "heavy-duty locking clip", a BSC visually looks a lot like a LC, and can be used as a LC, however a BSC is designed to be used on vehicles that only have emergency locking retractors (see below), and the need for their use is so rare that many technicians will never need one.

If you do need one, consult a CPST in your area.

NOTE: While a belt-shortening clip can be used in place of a locking clip, the reverse is NOT true and can cause serious injury or death.

    ELR= Emergency-locking retractor 

These are commonly found only on very old vehicles (pre-1996 model years). This type of system requires the use of a locking clip.

   Only found on infant seats, a 3-point harness consists of a strap attached above each shoulder and connected between the infant's legs. These are not recommended. 

    A five-point harness differs from a 3-point harness in that the two extra attachment points provide a more secure fit for the child. the five points are: over each shoulder, one on each side of the pelvis, and one between the legs, with all five coming together at a common buckle.

   Sometimes referred to as an "aftermarket" product or accessory, these are items sold for use with a child restraint or seatbelt, but not provided with either from the factory.

These are not regulated in any way and may cause serious injury or death. They are not recommended. Common types of aftermaket products include (but are not limited to) infant head supports, belt tightening devices, strap covers, "custom" seat covers and winter bunting bags.

    BPB = belt positioning boosters.

    These lift up a child and position the adult seatbelt for optimum protection. They do not restrain a child in any way like a harnessed seat, so are ony recommended for children over both four years and forty pounds. 

LBB/BB = Low Back Booster/ Backless Booster

HBB= High Back booster

(see "Boosters: What do they do?" for more information)

Child Restraint, aka car seat 

   This is the date, generally 6 years from the date of manufacture, after which the CR manufacturer directs that the seat is not safe for use any longer and should be destroyed.

The expiration date is NOT related to the date of purchase, so that is something to be aware of when buying a seat.

    Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. This is where the regulations regarding how child seats are required to perform are found. 

Please note: "Aftermarket" products are NOT covered by ANY FMVSS, however they are not forbidden by law to claim they "pass all applicable standards" because they are not addressed in the FMVSS in any form.

    The FMVSS that govern child passenger safety are FMVSS 208, FMVSS 213, and FMVSS 225.

    These are the plastic clips that hold the child restraint harness on your child's shoulders. Generally, there are two kinds, the "envelope style" and the "two-piece" style. The two-piece clip is generally preferred as more difficult for the average child to escape, but there is no safety issue with using the envelope (one-piece) style.

    Sometimes called a "tray" or "bar", an overhead shield has shoulder straps attached to a curved plastic bolster, which is in turn attached with pivot arms to the sides of the CR shell and held down by a crotch strap and buckle. These are not recommended for a variety of reasons. See http://cpsafety.com/articles/fivepointshield.aspx for more details.

   A type of backless child restraint for use with a lap-only belt. No shield boosters are currently being produced for sale in the U.S. Use of older shield boosters with the shield is not recommended, however, if the shield can be removed, the base can be used alone as a belt-positioning booster for children over 40 lb, if a lap-shoulder belt is available.

 Valuable information about shield boosters can be found at:

 http://cpsafety.com/articles/shieldbooster.aspx

 The male end of the seatbelt buckle.

 The motion of an occupant when the hips slide under the lap belt, so that the belt applies crash forces to the soft abdominal area between the pelvis and ribs. In this case, the upper body will fold forward over the lap belt and the lower (lumbar) spine may break at the point where it is forced to bend. The injuries that result from submarining are called "seatbelt syndrome."
This is a common injury recieved from using a lap-only belt, incorrectly wearing a lap-shoulder belt, or sitting in a reclined vehicle seat during travel.

   Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children.

   The child restraint anchorage system specified in FMVSS 225 and corresponding top tethers and lower attachments identified in FMVSS 213, LATCH has been available in all passenger vehicles made from September 2002. The system includes lower anchorages in the form of rigid bars installed in the vehicle seat bight and a strap on the top of the child restraint (near the child's head) that is attached to an anchor designed for that purpose behind and/or above the vehicle seat.

    Most of the time when the term "LATCH" is used, it refers only to the lower anchors, however technically the acronym includes the top tether. When the top tether is being referenced, another term is used.

Generally speaking, the lower anchors cannot be retrofitted into a vehicle.

    A top tether is a length of webbing with a hook at the end that is attached to a factory-approved TA (tether anchor).

Top tethers have been required since September 1999, and TAs can be retrofitted into many older vehicles.

    The correct anchorage location for the top tether can be found either in the vehicle owner's manual or in the instructions provided by the vehicle manufacturer with the tether anchorage kit, available from dealerships.

An injury in which the spinal cord breaks causing death or serious injury, while the child often appears totally uninjured.  Generally this can be avoided by rear facing to at least 2 years and 30 lbs.

One of several methods of locking a seatbelt for use with a Child Restraint (car seat). With this method, the seatbelt webbbing is gently pulled all the way out of the retractor. The locking mechanism in the retractor is then engaged and the belt is locked. 

 One of several methods of locking a seatbelt for use with a Child Restraint (car seat). With this method, the lap belt webbing is held parallel to the rest of the seatbelt by the buckle (latchplate). On a lap/shoulder belt with locking latchplates, the shoulder belt will move freely until a sudden stop, but the lap belt will remain locked as long as the webbing pieces are parallel to each other.

This kind of belt is very common on domestic vehicles pre-1996 up to the present, but is gradually becoming less common. Locking latchplates are also found on lap-only belts.

Sunshine Kids Radian 65/80

The R65 is the 65 lbs limit seat; the R80 is the 8 lbs limit seat.