What are "car tethers"?

What are "car tethers"?

Stephanie Tombrello (Child Passenger Safety Educator & Executive Director, SafetyBeltSafe USA) gives expert video advice on: Where should a child safety seat be installed in a vehicle?; How do I install my rear-facing child safety seat using the LATCH system?; How do I install my child safety seat using a safety belt? and more...

Safety seats that are forward facing and have a full harness system now come with a strap on the back of the seat and this strap has a hook which is meant to attach to a tether anchor in the back of the vehicle. Generally tethers are used only forward facing although there are some models of safety seats for which a tether may be used in the rear facing position. Clearly as with any safety seat situation you must read the instructions for that particular product. What a top tether does is to hold the seat in position during a crash so that the top of the seat does not go as far forward. All forward facing safety seats must meet a particular standard without the use of the top tether. But, they also have to meet another standard where they may use the top tether to meet it and you want your child to be protected with a top tether. A top tether can actually reduce the distance forward your child's head goes in a crash, anywhere from two to eight inches. Tethers are better.