The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has established a new test procedure to demonstrate that the front passenger airbag will be suppressed during deployment when a child safety seat is present. All vehicles manufactured after September 1, 2008, must comply with the rule. The tests apply to child seats attached with lower anchors and tethers (“LATCH”), a system that bypasses a vehicle’s seat belts.
Click on this link for a copy of the new test procedures: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-13565.pdf. Questions, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.