This report documents a study of how vehicle features contribute to CRS installation errors. Thirty-two subjects were recruited based on their education level (low or high) and experience with installing CRS (none or experienced). Each subject was asked to perform four child restraint installations in three vehicles. Each subject first performed a CRS installation with a seatbelt in one vehicle, followed by three CRS installations using LATCH, one in each of three vehicles.
One child restraint with a hook-on LATCH connector and one with a push-on LATCH connector were used. All installations were forward-facing, using an 18-month-old CRABI anthropomorphic test device (ATD). Six vehicles were used in testing, with half of subjects testing with each vehicle. Conditions were selected to provide a range of LATCH locations (visible, above seating surface, buried in bight), buckle stalk types (webbing vs. rigid), and tether locations (package shelf vs. seatback). After each installation, the experimenter evaluated 28 factors for each installation (such as tightness of installation, tether tightness, and LATCH belt attached correctly).
