The Importance of Five Point Harnesses on carseats

Tori, i am not sure where you are from but I know here they offer FREE car
seats at the local W.I.C. office for free, just ask them for one they will
fit the child and put it in the correct way for you, they ask for NO money
because they understand that they are expensive, I have given them 4
carseats from my children, they send them back to the companies and they get
new ones...so check it out, it might be purdy valuable info Lol
Amanda
"Tori M" wrote in message
et...
That is verry moving but the only way this would help is if you 1. have a
car that has the latch system. 2. Have the money to buy the better car
seat.


If nothing else stories like this should prompt the government to make
saftey equipment like the better 5 point car seats to be offered to low
income people in a payment plan type deal.

Tori

Leanne wrote:

The only thing that confuses me here is that the seat belt unfastened...
would it not have unfastened even with a 5 point car seat???? Would not
the whole thing have been ejected?

Anni


i was kind of wondering the same thing??? those poor people beating
themselves up over that, and it might not have saved their child?


nope, because its tethered to the top of the car... a seatbelt is a second
anchor point for the seat.

I'm still wondering though if a seatbelt fails if the tether is going to
hold the up to 80 pound child and seat in place. Likely it will do
something more than a failed seatbelt would but it sounds more like the
van had a serious failure with seatbelts. I do not think seatbelts
should fail like that. Should it have been an over 80 pound person or
child then what?

Anni

"toto" wrote in message
...
This video is going around on various bulletin boards.

It's sad. Hopefully everyone here does use carseats with five point
harnesses even for children who are bigger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

It would depend on the "tested" max weight limit for LATCH and tether use.
The limit may not exceed 40-48 pounds depending on the car, and there are
car seats that are rated up to 80 pounds. Check the car and car seat manuals
for proper installation.

There was discussion elsewhere on this topic. The certified car seat techs
suspected that the seatbelt might not have been fully latched, or that he
did it himself, not the mother. The expert at the crash site determined that
the seatbelt did come unlatched, but it's not verified whether the seatbelt
came loose or was just not fully latched. One of the techs had been to the
memorial site and saw a still photo of him and his sister in the booster
seats. There was foam unusually added to the seats under their bottoms.
While it might not contribute to the seatbelt failing, the ejection could be
more likely due to foam addition. The girl's seat was not adjusted for her
height; her shoulders looked well above the belt guide. They think that the
way the seats were installed were due to user error, but they do acknowledge
the possibility of the complete seatbelt failure.

It's important to check the manuals or take the car to a certified tech and
have the car/booster seat checked. However, don't take the advice from a
video alone. That's what the techs are concerned about.

On Sun, 5 Nov 2006 22:14:58 -0600, "Tori M"
wrote:

That is verry moving but the only way this would help is if you 1. have a
car that has the latch system. 2. Have the money to buy the better car seat.

Our van is a 1992, so it's definitely pre-LATCH. We took it to a
dealership (Chrysler) and they installed the bolts for the tethers for
no charge. If anyone has a car without the bolts, call your
dealership and find out if they'll install for little to no cost.

If nothing else stories like this should prompt the government to make
saftey equipment like the better 5 point car seats to be offered to low
income people in a payment plan type deal.

We were able to get a 5-point convertible seat for DD1 through the
Health Dept. We had to pay a $10 donation and watch a safety video.

Nan

They actualy shut that program down in my county. I asked about it because
I wanted a safer seat for my kids and at the time I had to put Bonnie in a
booster because even though the seat I had said to 40 lbs we couldnt latch
it anymore.

Actualy I would LOVE to get a new seat still because we are running into the
same problem with Xavier with a new seat of the same style not latching
verry easily but I dont have 250$ for a new car seat plus all the
accessories.. and be the safest I would need 2 of those.. so 500$ for 2 car
seats PLUS all the parts needed to upgrade my 1996 Dodge Intrepid to use the
top latch thing.. It just isnt in the cards right now.Not that I dont love
my kids but that would be either a new seat OR food that month and thats if
I bought one 2 months in a row. I will probably buy a new seat in a few
months when our budget loosens up a tad but it wont be loose enough for a
$250 seat...

Tori
"Amanda" wrote in message
...
Tori, i am not sure where you are from but I know here they offer FREE car
seats at the local W.I.C. office for free, just ask them for one they will
fit the child and put it in the correct way for you, they ask for NO money
because they understand that they are expensive, I have given them 4
carseats from my children, they send them back to the companies and they
get new ones...so check it out, it might be purdy valuable info Lol
Amanda
"Tori M" wrote in message
et...
That is verry moving but the only way this would help is if you 1. have a
car that has the latch system. 2. Have the money to buy the better car
seat.


If nothing else stories like this should prompt the government to make
saftey equipment like the better 5 point car seats to be offered to low
income people in a payment plan type deal.

Tori

On Mon, 6 Nov 2006 09:47:51 -0600, "Tori M"
wrote:

They actualy shut that program down in my county. I asked about it because
I wanted a safer seat for my kids and at the time I had to put Bonnie in a
booster because even though the seat I had said to 40 lbs we couldnt latch
it anymore.

Actualy I would LOVE to get a new seat still because we are running into the
same problem with Xavier with a new seat of the same style not latching
verry easily but I dont have 250$ for a new car seat plus all the
accessories.. and be the safest I would need 2 of those.. so 500$ for 2 car
seats PLUS all the parts needed to upgrade my 1996 Dodge Intrepid to use the
top latch thing.. It just isnt in the cards right now.Not that I dont love
my kids but that would be either a new seat OR food that month and thats if
I bought one 2 months in a row. I will probably buy a new seat in a few
months when our budget loosens up a tad but it wont be loose enough for a
$250 seat...

$250?!
You can get a five point carseat for under $100. And since you own a
Dodge, you can take your car to a Chrysler dealership and they'll
install the bolts for the tethers for no charge.

Nan

It's important to check the manuals or take the car to a certified tech and
have the car/booster seat checked. However, don't take the advice from a
video alone. That's what the techs are concerned about.

I agree... my concern is an over 80 pound child (which my 10 year old is
now) or an adult... is the seatbelt failing being overlooked? 5 point
harnesses just won't solve all the problems if the seat belt issue isn't
taken care of.

Anni

"Nan" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Nov 2006 09:47:51 -0600, "Tori M"
wrote:

They actualy shut that program down in my county. I asked about it
because
I wanted a safer seat for my kids and at the time I had to put Bonnie in a
booster because even though the seat I had said to 40 lbs we couldnt latch
it anymore.

Actualy I would LOVE to get a new seat still because we are running into
the
same problem with Xavier with a new seat of the same style not latching
verry easily but I dont have 250$ for a new car seat plus all the
accessories.. and be the safest I would need 2 of those.. so 500$ for 2
car
seats PLUS all the parts needed to upgrade my 1996 Dodge Intrepid to use
the
top latch thing.. It just isnt in the cards right now.Not that I dont
love
my kids but that would be either a new seat OR food that month and thats
if
I bought one 2 months in a row. I will probably buy a new seat in a few
months when our budget loosens up a tad but it wont be loose enough for a
$250 seat...

$250?!
You can get a five point carseat for under $100. And since you own a
Dodge, you can take your car to a Chrysler dealership and they'll
install the bolts for the tethers for no charge.

The model that goes to 80 lbs is 250$ about according to what I found
online.. I will most likely try to get a 5 point car seat that turns to a
booster for Xavier but I doubt Bonnie will be going back to a 5 point
because she has a booster already and she is already 35 lbs.

Tori

On Mon, 6 Nov 2006 10:06:51 -0600, "Tori M"
wrote:


"Nan" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 6 Nov 2006 09:47:51 -0600, "Tori M"
wrote:

They actualy shut that program down in my county. I asked about it
because
I wanted a safer seat for my kids and at the time I had to put Bonnie in a
booster because even though the seat I had said to 40 lbs we couldnt latch
it anymore.

Actualy I would LOVE to get a new seat still because we are running into
the
same problem with Xavier with a new seat of the same style not latching
verry easily but I dont have 250$ for a new car seat plus all the
accessories.. and be the safest I would need 2 of those.. so 500$ for 2
car
seats PLUS all the parts needed to upgrade my 1996 Dodge Intrepid to use
the
top latch thing.. It just isnt in the cards right now.Not that I dont
love
my kids but that would be either a new seat OR food that month and thats
if
I bought one 2 months in a row. I will probably buy a new seat in a few
months when our budget loosens up a tad but it wont be loose enough for a
$250 seat...

$250?!
You can get a five point carseat for under $100. And since you own a
Dodge, you can take your car to a Chrysler dealership and they'll
install the bolts for the tethers for no charge.

The model that goes to 80 lbs is 250$ about according to what I found
online.. I will most likely try to get a 5 point car seat that turns to a
booster for Xavier but I doubt Bonnie will be going back to a 5 point
because she has a booster already and she is already 35 lbs.

http://www.safety1st.com/product.asp?productID=2569
Cost about $130, although it goes only to 65 pounds.

Nan

On Mon, 06 Nov 2006 11:02:54 -0500, Mermaid
wrote:



It's important to check the manuals or take the car to a certified tech and
have the car/booster seat checked. However, don't take the advice from a
video alone. That's what the techs are concerned about.

I agree... my concern is an over 80 pound child (which my 10 year old is
now) or an adult... is the seatbelt failing being overlooked? 5 point
harnesses just won't solve all the problems if the seat belt issue isn't
taken care of.

Exactly. It's important to make sure the seatbelt is properly latched
each and every time you're in the car.

Nan