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Home › Articles › Checklists and Printable Resources › Family Car Safety Checklist

Family Car Safety Checklist

Keeping Families Safe on the Road

By National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Pages:  1  

Take this checklist with you when you go shopping for a vehicle.

Safety Belt System

  • Are there enough safety belts for everyone?
  • Can the vehicle's lap/shoulder belt system accommodate children who have outgrown safety seats and booster seats?
  • Is there enough room – preferably in the back seat – to install a child safety seat correctly?
  • If the vehicle has a bench seat design, will it interfere with safety seat installation? (Check slope, humps, contours, breaks and safety belt anchorages.)
  • Do safety belts have locking features for safety seats (locking or switchable retractor)?
  • Availability of tether anchorages. (Some vehicle manufacturers can provide retrofit anchorage kits.)

    Other Important Safety Features

  • Head restraint protection.
  • Safety door locks (so children cannot open doors from inside vehicle).
  • Override window controls.

    To learn more
    This text is from a brochure that is a companion piece to Buying a Safer Car, which contains a full range of safety-feature information and crash-test results on cars, light trucks, sport-utility vehicles and vans. Safety features include air bags (front and side), advanced safety belts, anti-lock brakes and traction control. Crash-test ratings from the U.S. Department of Transportation's New Car Assessment Program are included. To order a copy, stop by your local AAA office or write to:

    National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
    400 Seventh Street, SW
    NTS-21
    Washington, DC 20590
    Fax: (202) 439-2062
    Or call:
    NHTSA Auto Safety Hotline
    1-888-DASH-2-DOT
    (1-888-327-4236)


    Pages:  1  


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