SafeGuard seats from IMMI?

[willo]

Has anyone tried one of these SafeGuard seats that have been advertising themselves as the world's safest seats? The ads have been playing for at least a few months.

They have a forward facing seat that costs a whopping $450 (or so), but they say it exceeds the features of all other available seats. It is made of aluminum instead of plastic. It has RETRACTING straps for the child (like our adult seatbelts) to ensure a safe, snug fit every time you buckle the kid in. Etc.

I just wish there was more information from parents or consumer groups about whether this is all hype. I believe that a company could look at carseats from a "ground up" perspective and probably improve on what is currently available. These people also claim that, because they engineered for SAFETY and not with some pre-determined maximum price point in mind, that that is why their seat is so much more than others out there.

I've contacted Consumer Reports and asked them to add it to their next round of tests.

I just want to learn more!

Compared to the cost of the car, the seat is a trivial amount of money. I will spend this much money IF IT IS REALLY SAFER FOR MY CHILD.

--willo

	Forward Facing Car Seats A forward-facing car seat is one in which the child sits facing the front of the car. The seat should be installed in the back seat of your vehicle. Most forward-facing only seats are for children above 20 pounds.

	SafeGuard - Click for more info Indiana Mills and Manufacturing (IMMI) is SafeGuard’s parent company, and has been in the business of developing and manufacturing quality safety systems for every facet of the transportation industry for over 40 years, covering everything from the heavy truck and agricultural industries to child seating. IMMI has a world-renowned reputation for creating and promoting the highest rated safety harnesses and restraint systems available today, from integrated child seats in production vehicles to campaigning for increased use of safety harnesses on public transportation systems. Based in Westfield, Indiana, SafeGuard has been creating and testing essential components used across the child safety seat industry through their state of the art crash testing facilities since 1961. The SafeGuard and SafeGuard Go are IMMI’s first direct foray into the child safety seat market, and the results are simply outstanding. No other car seats or boosters are designed with as much attention to structural integrity, ease of installation, and total child safety. This seat has been subjected to the most thorough and extensive testing “ever conducted in the industry”: virtual prototyping with computer models; rigorous front, side, and rear impact crash testing; and environmental testing in a range of climates and road types.

[JoolsPlus3]

Well, the main aspect of a seat's safety is whether it is installed and used correctly on every trip. The Safeguard IS very easy to install, that's for sure. And from what I gather, quite easy to use the harness properly. And of course harnessing with a 5 pt harness is very beneficial in many types of crashes (holds children in better in side impacts and rollovers). IMMI is a renouned company, having made high quality restraints for buses for years, as well as most of the harnesses on most of the carseats on the market (last I looked, anyway, I know for sure they make Britax harnesses).
I don't think their side impact crash testing looks all that impressive, personally. www.safeguardseat.com. The dummy's head flies out of the confines of the seat headwings in a way I'd not expect to see in a seat with deeper headwings, like the Britax Boulevard. So, I haven't felt compelled to replace my Britax Huskies (older name for Regent) with Safeguard seats, personally, as I think any properly used 5-pt harness is very, very safe. I might consider it for my 3rd baby when she finally has to forward face (when she's at least three, I have skinny kids!), and I would certainly recommend it to people who are 'carseat challenged' and may not be able to take the time or effort needed to learn to properly use a seat with no special installation features (It took me years to learn to install the Huskies quickly and easily on the first try, most people can get the Safeguard right the first time).

Just my 2 cents!
Julie
CPST and mom to 3 in seats (9 and 7 mostly in Huskies or Parkways, 8 months in a Chicco Key Fit)

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Britax Boulevard - Click for more info It is all about the wings with the Britax Boulevard convertible car seat - head and torso safety wings help keep your child from harm in a side-impact crash. And this matters - side-impact crashes are the leading cause of death for 6 - 14 year-old children. Of course, the safety wings are only one of the many safety features that the Britax Boulevard offers: built-in lock-offs, 5-point harness with front adjuster, tangle-free webbing, a push button release LATCH system with Versa-Tether®, and a sculpted base, ensuring an easy installation with a secure fit.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

	Chicco - Click for more info Chicco makes car seats that are tested for safety and comfort. Italian-made Chicco is sold the world over to discerning parents everywhere, mainly because they are thorough with their design but each children’s product they sell is simple to use and stylish. All of Chicco’s car seats have certain universal elements: they’re lightweight, they are easy to install or use, each have the extra perks like canopies or liquid levelers for added convenience. Take a look and you’ll find an up-and-coming competitor for some of the best car seats on the market.

	Chicco Key Fit - Click for more info The new and improved Chicco KeyFit infant car seat (dubbed the Chicco KeyFit 30 thanks to its enhanced-to-30 lbs harness) has the same great features of the original KeyFit, but with a higher harness weight capacity. It is recommended that a child stay in a rear facing car seat for at least the first year of his or her life, and this infant seat from Chicco assures that your child will.

	SafeGuard - Click for more info Indiana Mills and Manufacturing (IMMI) is SafeGuard’s parent company, and has been in the business of developing and manufacturing quality safety systems for every facet of the transportation industry for over 40 years, covering everything from the heavy truck and agricultural industries to child seating. IMMI has a world-renowned reputation for creating and promoting the highest rated safety harnesses and restraint systems available today, from integrated child seats in production vehicles to campaigning for increased use of safety harnesses on public transportation systems. Based in Westfield, Indiana, SafeGuard has been creating and testing essential components used across the child safety seat industry through their state of the art crash testing facilities since 1961. The SafeGuard and SafeGuard Go are IMMI’s first direct foray into the child safety seat market, and the results are simply outstanding. No other car seats or boosters are designed with as much attention to structural integrity, ease of installation, and total child safety. This seat has been subjected to the most thorough and extensive testing “ever conducted in the industry”: virtual prototyping with computer models; rigorous front, side, and rear impact crash testing; and environmental testing in a range of climates and road types.