AGs call for more federal standards on child car seats

(FOX 9) - Every parent wants his or her child to be safe while riding in the car. But with so many car seats on the market and conflicting guidelines, it can be really confusing to know which type and which positioning is best.

Now, attorneys general from Wisconsin and Minnesota are pushing for a change that they say would lessen the confusion and improve safety.

"It can definitely be overwhelming and I’ll have people specifically ask me, ‘What is a good resource,’" said Anne Schletty. "’I’ve been researching online, I can’t find any consistent data online.’"

Anne Schletty is a local go-to on everything car seats as a child passenger safety technician at Baby Grand in St. Louis Park. She says the manufacturers’ guidelines on height and weight restrictions often overlap and can leave parents unsure of when to move up to the next phase of seat.

"There is not one place to go, and you would you hope that the first place you could go and rely on would be those standards that you have to meet," said Schletty.

That is why Attorney General Keith Ellison and 17 other attorneys general are urging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require labels that would encourage parents to max out height and weight restrictions. In addition, they are pushing for federal side-impact crash test standards.

In a statement, Keith Ellison’s office said he’s calling for the consistent standards because, "Car seats are a safety issue for our children and a consumer-protection issue for their parents… all of us need our children to grow up safely."