Seat Belts or LATCH System | Injury and Violence Prevention Program | UC Davis Health

It is not recommended to use both the LATCH system and the seat belt simultaneously when installing a car seat, unless the manufacturer explicitly permits it.

Seat Belts

Read your car seat’s instruction manual and your vehicle’s owner manual. Pay close attention to the information about your vehicle’s seat belt system and how to “lock” the seat belt. Every seat and vehicle is different, which affects the way you’ll install your particular seat.

• Place the car seat in the back seat of your vehicle.
• Carefully thread the seat belt through the rear-facing or forward-facing belt path. Check to make sure there are no twists in the seat belt.
• Buckle the seat belt.
• Lock the seat belt.
• Press down firmly on the car seat and tighten.
• You should not be able to move the car seat side-to-side or front-to-back more than 1 inch.
• Attach the tether anchor to the vehicle and tighten it when using a forward-facing car seat.

LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children)

The LATCH system was developed to facilitate the correct installation of child safety seats without the use of seatbelts. LATCH is found in late model vehicles as well as infant, convertible, and forward-facing child safety seats.

• LATCH is a system that makes child safety seat installation easier without the use of seatbelts. LATCH is required on most child safety seats and late-model vehicles.
• LATCH is not required for booster seats, car beds, and vests.
• Attachments on a LATCH-equipped child safety seat fasten to anchors in a LATCH-equipped vehicle.
• Most LATCH-equipped vehicles have anchors in the right and left rear seat positions. If the center seat does not have anchors, you can still install your child's safety seat using a seat belt.
• If your vehicle is not LATCH-equipped, use the seat belt and, if available, a top tether.
• If your child's safety seat is not LATCH-equipped, it is still safe if it has been correctly installed using a seatbelt, has not been recalled, and has not been damaged.
• For correct installation and use of all child safety seats, always follow your vehicle's owner's manual and the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions.