Rear-Face Tethering FAQs

Canadian G4 Infant-Child Seats

  1. How does the Australian method of rear-facing tethering prevent rebound?
  1. When the Australian method is used in rear-face tethering, the tether manages the crash energy as the car seat is rotating forward, which reduces the amount of energy and momentum the car seat experiences as it rebounds.
  1. Are the Britax G4 infant-child seats sled tested tethered with the Australian method, and if so,was it tested at the most upright allowable angle and passed?
  1. Britax tests and certifies all Britax car seats as instructed in the user guide. The angle of the car seat tested would depend entirely on the angle of the test bench, which may or may have not been at the upper most allowable angle of 30 degrees.
  1. What has changed from G3 infant-child seats to now require tethering rear-facing?
  1. The Britax G3 infant-child seatsare compliant with the Transport Canadatesting standards and provide outstandingsafety performance in the event of a motor vehicle crash. In order to further enhance the margin of safety performance beyond the regulatory, Britax is now requiring RF tethering with the G4 infant-child seats.
  1. Will retroactive rear-face tethering be required on the G3 Infant-Child seats?
  1. Retroactive tethering will NOT be required for any Britax G3 infant-child seats. The Britax G3 infant-child seats are compliant with Transport Canada testing standards and provide outstanding safety performance in the event of a motor vehicle crash.
  1. Is this mandatory on the U.S. G4 seats, or just Canadian seats?
  1. This is mandatory for Canadian G4 infant-child seats only, as the U.S. does not have a regulation for testing rebound limitations.
  1. Do we have to use a vehicle manufacturer's authorized anchor point?
  1. If a vehicle manufacturer does not support the Swedish method of rear facing tethering, the option to tether Australian method is available. Any difficulties getting the child in and out with the Australian method can be overcome by loosening and retightening the tether. Installation of the car seat on the passenger sideprovides the easiest access to the tether adjuster.
  1. Can my child be injuredif I do not use the rear facing tether?
  1. Car seats are designed to maximize protection in the event of a crash. The use of rear facing tether minimizes rebound, improving the chances of preventing injury.
  1. What's the performance difference between rear facing tethering and a rebound bar?
  1. The anti-rebound bar simply reduces the amount of rotation the car seat can make when rebounding. By rear-face tethering using either the Swedish or Australian method the rebound rotation is reduced while at the same time the tether webbing is managing crash energy and thus reducing the amount of energy the child experiences.
  1. When rear-face tethering using the Australian method, the designated vehicle tether anchor is too far away for the tether hook to reach it. What can be done?
  2. It has come to our attention that not all vehicles will have a tether anchor point that is compatible with the G4 Infant-child seats. Therefore, Britax is developing a tether extender which will be available as an accessory through Britax Consumer Services to limit any vehicle compatibility issues in regards to tether length challenges (Availability TBA). Until a tether extender can be obtained, install using the Swedish method or discontinue use of the car seat until it can be used in the Forward Facing position, i.e. the child weighs more than 10 kg (22 lbs) and can walk unassisted.
  1. When rear-face tethering using the Australian method, it is difficult to get my child in and out of the child seat. How can this be overcome?
  1. To assist with any difficulties in getting their child in and out of the car seat when tethered with the Australian method, the caregiver can loosen and retighten the tether. A demo video will be available soon on the Britax.ca website. Britax is also developing a tether extender which will be available as an accessory through Britax Consumer Services to limit any vehicle compatibility issues in regards to tether length challenges. Availability TBA.
  1. Are you aware of any vehicle manufacturer that allows, in writing, RF tethering using the Swedish method?
  1. We are currently unaware of any vehicle manufacturer that addresses rear face tethering in any of their manuals.
  1. Why has the 1-year minimum to forward-face been removed?
  1. Britax removed the 1-year minimum to forward face to reduce confusion and allow consistency the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation to stay rear-facing until at least 2 years of age. All Britax user guides state:

“American Academy of Pediatrics recommends: All infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear Facing Car Seat until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat manufacturer”.

  1. Will any of these changes apply, either as a running change or retroactively, to the Classic Marathon?
  1. None of these changes will apply to the Marathon Classic as a running change or retroactively.

Britax Child Safety, Inc. (Issued 08 January 2014) Page 1 of 2