Will you be changing your seat usage in response to TC's videos?

This also applies to techs who no longer use seats of their own, but are helping people with installs.

Basically, is anyone else out there planning on swapping out seats, stop using seats, buy new seats, or ????

I'm worried about using the Clek Oto after seeing the videos. My current thinking is that I'm fine with its current use, which is for occasional use as a carpooling seat within the city. I'm not sure about using it as a travel seat though, given that we do some driving on highways at higher speeds while on vacation. I might have to come up with something else for travel.

I'm not sure, but I do know I'm not comfortable with any seat now. My MA that my 4 year old sits in kinda freaks me out to be honest. As for my SS1 that my DD sits in, well I'm ok with that for now (she's not even close to ANY of the limits). I'm not sure if I should recommend the 1" height limit anymore though.....

Like I've said before, these tests didn't give me any answers only more questions....like I needed that. *sigh*

bubbaray said:

Basically, is anyone else out there planning on swapping out seats, stop using seats, buy new seats, or ????

Click to expand...

No change in seats, but I think I am changing my plans. DS is on the passenger side in both cars, for convenience at school drop-off/pick-up. I was thinking of moving him to the driver side in our Escort and putting DD1 RF on the passenger side (need the skinny Radians to fit 3-across, but the Radian will fit RF in my Escort only on the passenger side). Now I really think I want ot keep him on the passenger side so that I can keep the front seat all the way up and all the way upright (when there's no passenger, which there rarely is) to provide him with the most room for head excursion. I think that's more important to me than keeping 4YO DD RF, though I haven't decided 100% yet.

I already knew that more room for head excursion was better, but those videos really reinforced it.

I don't think I'm making any other changes at this point.

Sorry, but can someone link the video? I searched for a thread with it but I couldn't find it

Thanks!!

I will be using LATCH when possible.

I've loosened off the LATCH on DD1's Monteray, and I'll stick to my TF's for DD2 and DS (though I'll likely get a 45lb RN for DS when they come here...all the FF vids scarred me!). I won't use our MA FF, in fact, I've probably sold it. I don't think it's an unsafe seat per-say, but I know I would always be seeing those vids in the back of my mind. DD2 will probably go into a GN next spring, depending on how she's fitting the TF.

Tech wise, I'll be suggesting to parents that they switch from infant seat to convertable BEFORE there's less than 1" of shell. I was at an event yesterday, and fielded several questions from people wanting to know what seat to buy for their new babies. I gave them the standard "whichever one fits your child, fits your vehice....." answer, but when a couple who I know fairly well asked, I told them that as a parent, I wouldn't put my baby in an infant seat. I'm personally not comfortable with them anymore.

Personally, I'm somewhat less excited about the rigid LATCH boosters. I don't own one but was planning on getting the Cybex booster when it came out. I'm not so sure now.

Professionally, I am no longer going to advise parents to disregard the stated height limits on RFing seats in favor of the one-inch-of-shell rule, and I will put more emphasis on having enough space for head excursion. I have always preferred baseless seats for that reason, and I may give more voice to my preference.

This won't change my plans any, but will give me an excuse to go ahead and move DD to a convertible sooner rather than later. I am totally confy with her using the SS1, but I won't wait until she outgrows it to get DS a Radian and put her in the TF.

I voted "no", for my own personal use. I will advise parents differently, however.

For my own personal use, I have a BV, MA and Frontier for Abbi (40lbs, 4.5 years).. I was planning on moving her to a booster at/by the age of 6 regardless of weight. I expect she'll be around 50lbs at that time. I've never personally had a child hit the weight limit on the MA versus the height limit. My now 12 year old was around 6 when he became too tall for the Marathon, but was only 52lbs.

We're not seeing real life failures. Those failures were approaching unsurvivable crash speeds--the point at which injuries are quite severe. Once you exceed 30mph by 1mph, it's not a 3.3% increase along the curve.. Even 1 or 2mph puts you up at that level where only 1% of crash speeds exceed that speed (I don't know the exact number).. The more dangerous crashes are often even at lower speeds, but involve side impacts and compartment intrusions.

The approximate Newtons calculations came pretty close between the higher speed/lower weight combo in the in-vehicle tests versus the 6yo dummy in the 30mph sleds. An extra lb or two probably would've started to result in failures. Scary for the American public, but unless you've got an extremely bulky child here you're likely never going to come close to 55lbs, let alone 65lbs in that MA.

A few days ago, my ex-DH took our other car out with all of my boosters left in it from a fieldtrip. I had to get a booster from my parents' house--the Clek Oto. I did think twice..but I installed that seat, and used it with absolute confidence. The Oto still has it's place--it's a wonderful seat for three across.. and it will do what it needs to do in the vast majority of crashes. I bought an Oobr yesterday, still not knowing whether or not rigid LATCH is going to contribute to the loads my son will experience in an extreme crash.. but the seat fits him really well, fits the car wonderfully, and is really easy to use.

I may urge manufacturers--especially Michael@Clek--to release some crash test data on loading due to rigid LATCH use (since we don't YET have dynamic testing of boosters in Canada, but they should have this data for the US market) and some footage of the lapbelt on the Oto if they have it (it was discontinued, however, so maybe lapbelt placement and loading are why?) I think that for $320 for a booster, asking for some crash test data isn't really too unreasonable..?

Until we have more information, this footage doesn't impact me. If I had a rear-facing child, perhaps I'd feel differently..but I don't want to speculate. I'm good with our forward-facing choices/situations and our booster options at the moment.


-Nicole.

I did just think of something I've been doing, but prior to the videos--in the Volvo XC90, the centre seats flip to give access to the back row and they LOCK in that position.. so I leave them locked forwards if the centre seat isn't going to be occupied.

Volvo's good..real good. You can't do that in a minivan because the seats don't lock when tumbled.

-Nicole.

I still am really torn. The MAs I have in use are with DD#2, 32lbs FFg.

Sarah, that's a good point about loosening off the LATCH in the Monterey.

This whole thing couldn't have come at a worse time. I'm fighting (unsuccessfully) with ICBC over replacing my unoccupied seats from a rear-ender last Monday. To say I'm over (under) whelmed would be an understatement!

Wow, I looked at a few videos and didn't see much that freaked me out that bad. But maybe I better go watch the rest of them. Where bigger kids ramping out of the RF seats? And I know this was at much higher speeds than most crashes, so I'd take that into account with any decision making.

One thing I will do PERSONALLY is require my older RF'ers to keep their legs crossed, not hanging over the seat or straight up, etc. I'm sorry, but if your kid has their legs striaght up on teh seat back at the moment of impact, theyre going to pretty much be folded in half on top of themselves.. it IS going to be VIOLENT and instantaneous, it IS going to snap or tear ligaments and tendons, and probably break some bones, knees, etc. Those Rfing seats rebounding until they are literally flat up against teh back of the seatback.....while I do still know RFing is safer, I can uderstand the gut reaction that it seems like it migth not be as safe to have your child folded in half into a collapsible little turtle shell.
In fact, I'm pretty much convinced not to RF a very big older kid without RF tether or ARB.

Where are these videos?? I am very interested to see them. Anyone care to share??

I am slightly worried b/c my 3 year old is RF in the MR. He also likes to put his legs straight up on the seat back. However he does often bend them in half to, but rarely if ever crosses them. So....I want to see those videos everyone is talking about.

Mommy2Marcus said:

Where are these videos?? I am very interested to see them. Anyone care to share??

Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

Here is the link
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/...rograms-regulations-research-research-887.htm

Choose which seat you want to view (infant,ff or booster) then scroll down to What we measured & there is a link to the videos for that seat type.

This does not help with my driving anxiety.
I'm not in Canada, but IMO a car seat is a car seat regardless of borders.
My kids have Marathons, a TF and a Frontier. I wish they had tests showing the Frontier. I'm not excited about ANY ff seat's performance. The Radian did alright I guess...too bad I couldn't install it ff in any of our cars.
I wish that my almost 3 year old could stay rf forever.
ODS will definitely NOT be riding in my boss's Caravan integrated seats again!

Some of them. Greg is still in the Olli, unlatched because there is no UAS in the rear where he sits. I am switching the RN into the Caravan because I am having anxiety about my 40+lb kid in the MA in a Caravan. Sam is still in the SS1, and will stay in it for a while. Then maybe into the MA RF. I'll probably move him before he outgrows it now, since it will be to a RF and tethered seat.

rodentranger said:

I'm not excited about ANY ff seat's performance. The Radian did alright I guess...too bad I couldn't install it ff in any of our cars.
I!

Click to expand...

I was actually not completely unhappy with the nauti, to be honest. I'm GLAD dd is in one, and we might use it as a boosterwhen dd is a tad bigger...I was impressed it passed EVERY single booster test.