C.S.
Hi M.
My father in law was the head of the safety department for GM and still testifies in their lawsuits on safety issues. I know he has told me all US vehicles all have to meet a certain level for crashes and are up to par on their saftey equipment, he said the next step is to make sure you have done all you can for yourself and your kids in the car, I mean lets face it, you can have the safetest SUV and it won't mean squat if your car seat isn't properly installed. The first thing is infant car seats, make sure you don't face them forward until 1 year old and 20 pounds since their body is still brittle. Also your car seat should be level and very snug with no more than an inch of moving room, Latches work best if you have a newer car. When it comes to toddle and forward facing seats the worst to use are the seats with the bar that goes in front of them and locks into place. kids are more likely to be injured in a frontal crash from that big plastic bar, a 5 point harness is best and once again should be very snug with the plastic clip lined up with their armpits.
As far as booster seats they shouldn't be used until at least 4ft tall and 40 pounds, my father in law told me they were a waste of time unless they attach to your latch system, in a frontal crash that booster will slide right out underneath them and will end up with a neck injury from the seat belt. Now there is another neat feature in GM vehicles for older kids, there is a clip attached the the side of the rear seats that you slide the seat belt into and it brings the seat belt down under their necks so the belt isnt too high.
If you can get your seats check by a police officer I recommend it, it is definatley our responsibility to do all we can to keep our kids safe. Good luck
