Child Passenger Safety Glossary of Terms
This area is designed to provide consumers with a generalized view of important child passenger safety terms.
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- Air Bags
A passive restraint system that automatically deploys during a crash to act as a cushion for the occupant. It creates a broad surface on which to spread the forces of the crash, in order to reduce head and chest injury. It is considered a "supplementary" system to the lap/shoulder belt because it enhances their protective action in frontal collisions.
- Armrest
A U-shaped bar encircling the child on older models of child restraints. Not a shield. Not connected to the harness system. Not part of the system intended to restrain the child.
- Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)-
A safety belt retractor that locks maintaining fixed length during use.
- Automatic Restraint
A type of passive restraint system that requires no action by the user. Includes lap/shoulder or shoulder belts that wrap "automatically" around the occupant; air bags.
- Belt Anchor Points
The fixed location where the safety belt is anchored to the vehicle structure.
- Belt Path or Route
The place where the safety belt passes around or through the child restraint.
- Belt Positioning Booster Seat (BPB)-
A platform that raises the child so that the required lap and shoulder belts fit correctly. All BPBs act as pre-crash positioning devices and must be used with lap/shoulder belts. BPB models may have high backs, or be backless.
- Belt-Shortening Clip
A heavy duty locking clip intended for use to shorten lap belts around a child restraint. Not to be confused with the standard locking clip that comes with a car seat. Must be purchased or ordered from vehicle manufacturer.
- Best Practice
Recommendations that provide the safest way to travel for a child of certain age, size, and physical tolerances. Best practice recommendations may conflict with real world situations.
- CPS
A child passenger safety.
- Car Seat
A common term for a specially designed device that secures a child in a motor vehicle, meets federal safety standards, and increases child safety in a crash.
- Child Restraint (CR) or Child Restraint Device (CRD)-
A device that is specially designed to provide infant/child crash protection. A general term for all sorts of devices including those that are vests or car beds rather than seats.
- Child Safety Seat (CSS
Another commonly used term for a child restraint.
- Children With Special Transportation Needs
Children whose physical or behavioral conditions makes the use of particular, often specially designed, restraint systems necessary.
- Compliance Tests
Rigorous crash tests done to assure that manufacturers meet required minimum federal standards (in this case, FVMSS 213). Established by NHTSA.
- Continuous Loop Lap/Shoulder Belt
A three point belt that uses one continuous strip of webbing that slides through the latch plate. It is connected at one end to the vehicle at the anchor point and the other to a retractor system.
- Convertible Child Restraint
A child restraint that "converts" from rear-facing for infants to forward-facing for children up to 40 pounds.
- Combination Child Seat/Booster
A type of forward facing child restraint that is used with an internal harness system to secure a child up to 40 pounds and then, with removal of the internal harness, is used as a high back belt positioning booster seat.
Supplimental information provided by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For further information, go to http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/.
