The Chicago Tribune, which last year won a Pulitzer Prize for its exposure of faulty governmental regulation of toys, car seats and cribs, this week published an investigation of car seat tests that calls into question the rigor of safety standards for child restraints. Of the 66 infant seats tested in frontal crashes, nearly half of the seats either separated from their bases or exceeded injury limits.

The series of frontal crashes was conducted by federal researchers using 2008 model year vehicles. The Tribune found the results buried in thousands of pages of test reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "What you've uncovered totally reveals the flaws in the current safety standard and also NHTSA's negligence in not reporting this to the public," Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator and president emeritus of the advocacy group Public Citizen, told the Tribune. In response, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that he had ordered a "complete top to bottom review of child safety seat regulations."

Written by Patricia Callahan, a member of the Pulitzer Prize winning team, the article goes on to detail how the crash tests were conducted and how the results for two seats were so troubling the seats had to be recalled. The investigation is worth a read, especially for parents of young children who can also find videos of how some popular car seats performed in crash tests.

Car seat recall
Today, NHTSA announced the recall of 5,444 Recaro Signo child restraints because the central front adjuster strap on some seats may slip within the metal adjuster (A-lock) that controls the tightness of the harness, thus endangering the safety of the passenger. The seats were manufactured from February through September 2008. Recaro is in the process of notifying owners of the recall and will replace any defective seat. Owners can contact Recaro customer service at 1-888-473-2290 or visit NHTSA's Safer Car Web site.