Car Seats/Child Restraints
Car seats perform an incredibly important role in protecting children in vehicles. Because of this important role and the complicated nature of being able to install them in every vehicle and protect children in the event of a crash, they are also a uniquely challenging product category.
Compliance
The U.S. and Canada are self-certification marketplaces, meaning that manufacturers are responsible for establishing compliance of their products before putting them on the market. Government agencies then test them to verify compliance after they are already on sale. DECA works with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Transport Canada on a regular basis and can help your company understand their requirements as they apply to your product as well as how they apply to your company and information submission requirements.
Note: Car seats that can be used outside of a vehicle, infant car seats for example, are also subject to the requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada like other children’s products. We are also well-versed and experienced in those requirements and work often with these agencies, see children’s products.
Safety
We are deeply involved in the child restraint industry and have been for decades. We can help you to understand and implement best practices, accommodate consumer expectations, and establish a design that will not just be compliant but also safe.
Child Passenger Safety Technicians
Child passenger safety technicians (CPSTs) are a large group of wonderful people who are trained to help consumers get their car seats installed correctly. They are an important group to understand and actively interact in the child restraint industry as they can be a great resource and help with communication with consumers. The majority of our staff have undergone the training to become child passenger safety technicians.
We maintain an open exchange with CPSTs on emerging use issues in the field and opportunities for the improvement of car seat design.
