SuperLATCH™

Most unsafe child seat installations result from a seatbelt not properly securing the seat.1  In 2002, NHTSA mandated Lower Anchor/ LATCH to simplify and improve child seat installations. But limits in child seat design and hardware prevent Lower Anchor use with children over 48 lbs. Sunshine Kids developed SuperLATCH™ to compliment its steel frame reinforced, Radian car seats. Radian with SuperLATCH™ allows installation using vehicle lower anchors for a child up to 80 lbs.  Seat belt installation is never required, top tether is never required – even at 80 lbs.2

Radian was NCAP tested at 80 lbs using just the SuperLATCH™ lower anchor strap and no top tether.

Steelweave™ and Easy-Tite™

Webbing is webbing and hardware is hardware … or is it? SuperLATCH™ combines high-strength, wrinkle-free webbing with an ergonomic Easy-Tite™ adjuster.  SuperLATCH™ is the strongest child seat attachment system and the smoothest, easiest to tighten.


Top Tether Use

Car seats for children up to 22 lbs RF and 50 lbs FF must be able to pass FMVSS213 crash test standards without using top tether. Above these weights, tether use can be ‘required’ by the manufacturer.  Sunshine Kids always recommends correct top tether use, but a child seat must be able to perform safely without relying on top tether due to limits of its potential capacity and for its use in all situations.

• Not all seating positions in vehicles have tether anchor points at all or in suitable locations.
• Even with growing awareness, top tether use is still less than 30%.
• There are limitations in the load capacity of top tethers in some vehicles.

Requiring top tether for the safe performance of a child restraint creates a significant risk that should not be ignored, especially with larger children.  Radian and SuperLATCH™ are designed with exceptional strength so that top tether use is never required – even at 80 lbs.


NCAP Crash Testing

NCAP is 35 mph, ‘severe-accident’ crash testing that is required for all cars, but not car seats.
NCAP is almost double the impact force (47g) of a FMVSS213 crash test: 30 mph, 25g impact force.
NCAP testing is well established in the child safety industry in Europe, Canada and US.
NCAP has been used by NHTSA in assessing certain child seats, but is not yet a requirement.
Especially for high-capacity child seats, the security of NCAP testing is a necessity.

Radian seats successfully NCAP crash test at their maximum capacities (45 lbs rear-facing, 80 lbs forward-facing), installed using just SuperLATCH™ lower anchor strap, and no top tether.  NCAP testing assures that RadianSL is strong enough to withstand a severe accident regardless of child weight or installation method.


FMVSS213 Testing

Child seats are regulated by U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 213 (FMVSS213).  Biomechanical performance refers to the impact forces affecting a test dummy’s head and chest. FMVSS213 has strict biomechanical performance standards only for RF seats to 22 lbs and FF seats to 50 lbs.  Above these weights, seats can be rated to any capacity without meeting any such standards at all.

With and without tether, Radian seats crash test at their maximum capacities (45 lbs RF and 80 lbs FF) and meet the same biomechanical standards required for child seats up to 22 lbs RF and 50 lbs FF.3  This crash test performance assures that Radian seats consistently provide the proper level of safety for every size child, in every situation.


SafeStop® Load-Limiter

SafeStop is a unique, energy-absorbing component within Radian’s harness system.  SafeStop will stretch at a very precise rate and distance under crash forces.  This elongation absorbs energy and allows a softer deceleration (like a ‘bungee’ cord does), significantly reducing forces on a child’s neck and chest.

Radian is the only car seat in the world with a true, energy-absorbing harness system.


Side Impact Safety

Only 25% of accidents are side impact events, but they account for many of the worst injuries.  Side impact safety requires a rigid, reinforced head support that will not flex outward under lateral forces. Sides must be deep and lined with firm, dense foam to absorb impact energy (like a bike helmet).  Currently, there is no side-impact testing standard or requirement.  Any product can claim ‘side-impact safety’ without meeting any standard or even conducting any tests.


RadianXT features 7” deep head supports and sidewalls, all metal-reinforced and lined with energy-absorbing EPS foam to protect against side impact forces.  Side impact testing was done in Germany to a standard established by ADAC, the most recognized automotive testing organization in Europe. ADAC utilizes a ‘fixed-barrier’ side impact crash test that simulates the entire vehicle being struck from the side, requiring the structure of the child seat sidewalls to fully contain and protect the child.  Structural side-impact performance of a child seat can be seen clearly in a crash test video.

1  http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=2530&folder_id=680
2  80 lb lower anchor limit only for vehicles manufactured after September 1, 2005
3  10 yr old forward excursion not applicable, dummy exceeds allowable seat height.