Britax Diplomat a Compact Child Seat With True Side Impact Protection(TM)

New Child Seat Meets Demand for Side Impact Protection

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 18 -- Britax Child Safety, Inc., the leading child seat manufacturer, has announced the addition of the Diplomat(TM), a compact child seat with True Side Impact Protection(TM).

"A growing number of people are driving compact cars," said Jeanna Rimmer, of Britax Child Safety Inc. "The Diplomat has been created to meet the demand of those parents and caregivers with automotive space constraints, while maintaining our dedication to safety and side impact protection - all trademarks of the Britax brand."

Research has shown that 23 percent of vehicle crashes are side impact crashes in which the most common injuries are to the head and face. Britax has continued its dedication to safety by creating True Side Impact Protection(TM) with deep expanded polystyrene foam lined side walls and deep side wings. This protection barrier is designed to distribute vehicle crash forces, minimize side-to-side head movement, contain the head and body and shield the child from vehicle intrusion.

The Britax Diplomat(TM) is a convertible child seat that can accommodate child up to 35 lbs. in a rear facing installation and up to 40 lbs forward facing. This compact child seat has a quick-adjust head support and harness feature that allows for easy and accurate adjustment without removing the child seat from the vehicle. Watch a product demonstration here.

"The Britax Diplomat(TM) provides the greatest level of side impact protection and is our safest seat within the global Britax family of compact convertibles," Rimmer said. "The Diplomat(TM) includes the same features that make all of our child seats safe and easy to install, but goes the extra step by letting moms know that their child is going to receive the maximum protection the seat is designed to provide each and every time they ride in the car."

The Diplomat(TM) is the latest in a long line of product introductions that have made the Britax name synonymous with quality and innovation in the field of child passenger safety. Among the many safety innovations to its credit are True Side Impact Protection(TM); the Versa-Tether(TM) tether system designed to reduce movement of the seat in the event of impact; the HUGS(TM) Harness Ultra Guard System to reduce the child passenger's forward movement in the event of impact, and higher weight limits with the introduction of the first convertible seat for children up to 65 pounds and forward facing seat up to 80 pounds. Britax also pioneered development of the original LATCH system providing built-in child-seat anchors attached to automobile frames.

The Diplomat(TM) is now available nationwide at independent retail shops and mass retailers. For more information, visit www.BritaxUSA.com.

Britax Child Safety, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Britax Childcare, a global leader in the child seat and travel-system markets. Founded in 1996, Britax Child Safety, Inc. is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. The company produces and distributes quality child-safety restraints ranging from rear-facing infant seats to seat-belt-positioning boosters for older, larger children. Britax is the only child-restraint manufacturer with five state-of-the-art crash-test labs that can certify restraints to global government requirements. For more information, visit www.BritaxUSA.com.