Much has been written concerning the technical aspects of child car seat testing. Since the early 1970's there has been a steady increase in the amount and quality of the test data.

The purpose of this article is not to review the progress of child seat development from the purely technical viewpoint, but to describe the development of a philosophy concerning the “total performance” of a child seat for use in automobiles. In developing this philosophy it has been necessary to blend technical requirements with marketing needs and to satisfy the personal needs of both parent and infant.