Autosafe belt adjuster

Awesome! I've never seen these before. I might need one. I'm short.

I don't like it. It introduces slack into the shoulder belt. It's an unregulated aftermarket product. Nope, don't like it at all.

Pixels said:

I don't like it. It introduces slack into the shoulder belt. It's an unregulated aftermarket product. Nope, don't like it at all.

Click to expand...

please explain how it introduces slack? i don't understand. how would this be any different than say those belt guides on backless boosters?

ginny4 said:

please explain how it introduces slack? i don't understand. how would this be any different than say those belt guides on backless boosters?

Click to expand...

Most seatbelt adjuster straps/clips (such as those that come with many LBB) are really just made for comfort. The usual problem is that the belt rides up too high on the child's neck - which makes the child want to misuse the shoulder belt. With any luck, the adjuster places the belt more comfortably on the child. In a crash, once the retractor locks and the child loads the belt - the adjuster probably has no effect. The shoulder belt will revert back to its original (too high) geometry but that shouldn't increase the risk of injury to the child. Having the shoulder belt too high (touching the neck) isn't a documented safety issue - it's just a comfort concern that can lead to other more serious issues.

In your case, you have the opposite problem. Due to poor design, the belts in the 3rd row of your vehicle position the shoulder belt too low on your bigger kid - closer to the edge of his shoulder instead of centered over his collar bone.

The positioner does appear to "fix" the issue but when that shoulder belt is loaded under crash forces - is that clip really going to hold the shoulder belt in that position? Probably not. And when it gives - the shoulder belt will just revert back to its original, less-than-ideal geometry. For the record, I don't think the adjuster is a major detriment in this case. I just don't think it's going to make any difference in a moderate to severe crash.

I have a similar but different problem with the shoulder belt in the center of the 3rd row of my Freestar minivan. It originates in the ceiling but too far forward. It doesn't help that it latches onto a separate little buckle that is mounted on a stalk of webbing forward of the bight by a few inches. Anyhow, if I sit in that position and buckle - the shoulder belt barely makes contact with my chest (that's saying something! lol) and I certainly don't feel like it's going to hold my upper body back effectively in a crash.

Ford's "solution" to the problem is a little clip very similar to what you purchased - attached to a bit of elastic cord that is looped around one of the headrest posts on the neighboring headrest. It holds the center shoulder belt *back* several inches. But in a crash - that plastic clip attached to that bit of elastic cord isn't going to adequately restrain my upper body and I would probably experience some major head excursion.

This is different from your problem though. I don't think your shoulder belts are mounted too far forward. Yours are just too low. And while there might be a little bit of extra slack in your shoulder belt created by this clip pulling the shoulder belt back - I don't think it's anything more than what would be created by the adjuster clip on a LBB pulling the belt down.

Kecia said:

Having the shoulder belt too high (touching the neck) isn't a documented safety issue - it's just a comfort concern that can lead to other more serious issues.

Click to expand...

Really? I always thought it was dangerous. I read one shocking story of a child that was decapitated by the seat belt. She was sitting on a sideways seat in a limo and they were hit head on IIRC, so not a typical seating position in an accident, but I figure if a seat belt can decapitate a child, I don't want it leaning on my kid's neck!

Yeah, I remember that story. It happened on Long Island. I don't think it was the seatbelt that decapitated her but regardless that was a very unusual circumstance. Not something that would apply to most children riding restrained in motor vehicles, kwim?

I found this on Alisa Baer's website (last paragraph):
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/booster_seats/booster_seats_11.html

"Many parents worry that the shoulder belt rubbing the child’s neck
might be dangerous – thinking it could lead to spinal cord injury or
even decapitation in a crash. These fears are completely unfounded;
there is little, if any, evidence in the literature of cervical spine
(neck) injuries resulting from poor positioning of the shoulder belt
near the child’s neck (in situation’s where the child’s head does not
strike anything in the vehicle). A shoulder belt that touches the side
of the neck is not likely to cause injury unless the belt is very
loose. Cervical spine injuries may occur when no shoulder belt is used
– as the child’s head and upper body will travel forward, making the
head likely to strike the front vehicle seat or even the child’s
knees."

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. When you deviate from the straight line, it's going to be a longer distance. If the seatbelt had not been altered in any way, it would be the shortest it could be, and keep the passenger as far back as possible. When you use a product like this, the clip causes the seatbelt not to go in a straight line from the anchor point near the ceiling to the buckle. In a crash, if (when) it breaks, the seatbelt will be longer than it would have been, and the passenger will be less restrained.

Kecia said:

Yeah, I remember that story. It happened on Long Island. I don't think it was the seatbelt that decapitated her but regardless that was a very unusual circumstance. Not something that would apply to most children riding restrained in motor vehicles, kwim?

Click to expand...

I did some more Googling and a quote from her father says that it was the seat belt. I won't post the quote as this story is disturbing enough. But I agree, that this wasn't a typical circumstance, it just got me thinking, you know? I know that I've read reports of cuts on the neck from the seat belt, so it worries me nonetheless.

Thanks for the information from Baer's web site.

I perused their web site briefly and apparently they crash tested their product using the standards for ECE R44/03 and they show the videos on their web site http://www.autosafeproducts.co.nz/crashtest.html if anyone wants to take a look and give an opinion on what they see.

* I am not saying this product is safe or isn't safe due to these crash tests, I just wanted to give the url for the crash tests for others to look at

Here's the latest on ebay for US and Canada. It says it's over but he always comes back with more.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220561637981

I love mine! Just put two more in a F250 truck with ridiculously high non-adjustable shoulder belts in the back seat for a 9 yr old and 10 yr old whose parents absolutely won't put them in boosters, so this is the next best thing to make sure they don't put the belt under their arms or behind their backs!