When you’re looking to buy a car, you know its crash test ratings are important. You may even know how well it did. But do you know your car’s “LATCH” rating?
It stands for lower anchors and tethers for children hardware. It has to deal with car seats. “It is a system that all cars are required to have on board. It was required to make it easier for parents to install child restraints,” says David Zuby, Chief Research Officer of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The institute tested the LATCH on several minivans. The Honda Odyssey scored the best rating. The Dodge Grand Caravan, Kia Sedona, and Toyota Sienna all got acceptable ratings. The Chrysler Pacifica got a marginal rating.
The institute also tested crash ratings. The Honda Odyssey not only got good ratings but got the Institute’s Top Safety Pick. The Pacifica was also able to net a Top Safety Pick honor. Things did not go as well for the Toyota Sienna during crash testing.
“The safety cage collapsed so much that we measured front parts of the vehicle structure moving back toward the passenger dummy as much as 20 inches,” said Zuby. Despite that, the researchers said that the seatbelts and airbags in all the 2018 minivans they tested performed well.
