OMG - I think I'm totally traumatized now !!

Lea_Ontario · Jan 11, 2007

I gave a friend of mine one of my "spare" seats for her daughter today, and even went and installed it for her (I know, I know - I'm not a tech)

Well - the seat that was being replaced had a manufacture date of 1994 !! It looked like an Evenflo Champion.

I gave her our Regal Ride (it expired December of this year).

Now - a WWYD

You know that the current seat (13 years old) is being used for a child who is much too big for it (about 35lbs), and is installed FF, in a vehicle with no tether anchors (older van). Top tethers are required in Canada.

Replacing the seat is a MUST.

The parents won't get a tether bolt installed (mom is working on dad to get it done, but it hasn't been yet, in over a year of nagging them

).

Do you leave the replacement seat untethered ? Or do you wing it (and if so - how ?)

I'll tell you all what I did if you promise not to boot me off the board

scatterbunny · Jan 11, 2007

It's a van...is the carseat in the middle row? I'd put it there and tether it to a seatbelt in the third row. Perfectly acceptable, and covered in the LATCH manual.

Your Regal Ride is way newer and better than what they have been using, so that's good for now...but I'd tell them to get an Evenflo or Graco combo seat...whichever is cheapest if finances are tight.

mominabigtruck · Jan 11, 2007

Hmmm, well if you weren't in canada I would say it wasn't such a big deal because I thought you only had to use tethers above a certain weight. Could you tether it to something on the floor, like the bolts for the back seat. Yeah I know that's not what they're they for but sometimes you have to work with what you have.

scatterbunny · Jan 11, 2007

I would never tether to a point like seat bolts or a random point...but tethering to a seatbelt is very safe.

Lea_Ontario · Jan 11, 2007

Oh no - complete refusal to buy a new seat. I've been trying for a LONG time to convince them it was 100% necessary - and I didn't know just HOW old their seat was.

scatterbunny · Jan 11, 2007

Ugh.

It totally sucks dealing with people like that. I'm sure you talked their ears off about how he needs to be harnesed to a full 40 pounds, etc. etc.

I would feel that a (recently) expired Regal Ride tethered to a seatbelt is much safer than what he was in before. And sometimes that's all we can hope for--that people will make a safER choice when given the means and info.

Lea_Ontario · Jan 11, 2007

I took the D-ring from our Britax (since it's not in use) and basically created a tether point from the seat bolts on the floor and used that.

She'd had the tether just hooked to the bottom of the seat with the older seat.

I *know* that isn't right - but it has taken MONTHS to get her to accept the new seat from me as is, I wasn't going to get into much else or I felt I'd be risking losing a friend.

scatterbunny · Jan 11, 2007

I have heard that the D-ring is not strong enough to do that; it is only meant for a RF seat.

Can they not use a third row seatbelt? That's how my seat is tethered and it's so easy to do, and so strong. I feel it's better than even a factory-installed anchor. We know seatbelts are designed to hold back a 300+ pound person's weight in a crash.

Lea_Ontario · Jan 11, 2007

I don't know - I didn't think of it while I was there. I'll mention it next time I see her though I'm sure it will be a no-go as that would take out use of the third-row seat.

scatterbunny · Jan 11, 2007

Only one spot of the backseat will be unuseable.

Lea_Ontario · Jan 11, 2007

scatterbunny said:
Only one spot of the backseat will be unuseable.

YOU know that, and I know that, but ...

I'll suggest that as a safer option though.

skaterbabs · Jan 11, 2007

use the lap-only belt - it's not safe for passengers anyway.

carseatmom · Jan 11, 2007

Would showing them a video of a seat failing in a crash help?

cantech · Jan 11, 2007

Kashi,

Have you played the "It's illegal card" yet? According to Ontario legislation she's required to be harnessed in a tethered seat to 40 lbs. Fine: $90 + $20 victim surcharge + 2 demerits. Sometimes you just can't talk sense

into people but when you tell them it's illegal they just might pay attention.

And as the other posters have mentioned tethering to the seatbelt is an acceptable temporary fix.

Belinda

Wineaux · Jan 11, 2007

Do you have a friend in the Police Department? If so, have them stop your friends on purpose, read them the riot act, and then write them a warning telling them to replace the seat ASAP or face a fine. Sometimes fear is a great motivator. Besides, they'll never know you set them up...

Lea_Ontario · Jan 12, 2007

carseatmom said:
Would showing them a video of a seat failing in a crash help?

It hasn't yet. I've sent them the Kyle video, and the 10-yr old Britax seat video.

cantech said:
Kashi,

Have you played the "It's illegal card" yet? According to Ontario legislation she's required to be harnessed in a tethered seat to 40 lbs. Fine: $90 + $20 victim surcharge + 2 demerits. Sometimes you just can't talk sense into people but when you tell them it's illegal they just might pay attention.

And as the other posters have mentioned tethering to the seatbelt is an acceptable temporary fix.

Belinda

Hasn't helped yet either. I didn't know about the $20 surcharge and for some reason thought it was 3 points. It's been mentioned many times.

Wineaux said:
Do you have a friend in the Police Department? If so, have them stop your friends on purpose, read them the riot act, and then write them a warning telling them to replace the seat ASAP or face a fine. Sometimes fear is a great motivator. Besides, they'll never know you set them up...

I don't know any of the local officers, in my city or in hers.

Victorious4 · Jan 12, 2007

Honestly, at this point, the next time you see them in person with the child in carseat, I would secretly/anonymously call the police.... It just seems you've done everything YOU can & their child needs SOMEONE to drill some sense into them

Lea_Ontario · Jan 12, 2007

papooses said:
Honestly, at this point, the next time you see them in person with the child in carseat, I would secretly/anonymously call the police.... It just seems you've done everything YOU can & their child needs SOMEONE to drill some sense into them

Actually, I have NEVER seen her kids in this van - not once in the 3-ish years I've known them. I know that they *do* use it on occasion, but mostly they walk or take the bus, as her hubby uses the van to go to and from work and it's their only vehicle.

cantech · Jan 12, 2007

Kashi,

Seems you've done all you can to help them! You've given them the info it's up to them what they choose to do with it! Now it' time to pray that they're never in a serious crash.

HTH

Belinda

Lea_Ontario · Jan 12, 2007

cantech said:
Kashi,

Seems you've done all you can to help them! You've given them the info it's up to them what they choose to do with it! Now it' time to pray that they're never in a serious crash.

HTH

Belinda

I've been doing that since I realized that her youngest child's seat HAD to be expired *sigh*

Hard to see someone you care about take such a preventable risk though.

I'm just glad that she finally took the other seat. At least it's not expired, right ?

OMG - I think I'm totally traumatized now !!

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