News FYI - Inflatable Seat belts and Britax

Angela · Feb 24, 2011

Received this on a tech message board from Sarah Tilton at Britax. Thought others might want to know this:

"Britax has taken formal position regarding the use of inflatable seat belts and their use with Britax products. The following Frequently Asked Question has been posted on our website (www.BritaxUSA.com<http://www.BritaxUSA.com>) and added to the Advocate Extranet.

Can I use an inflatable seat belt to install my Britax car seat?
Currently Britax does not permit the use of inflatable seat belts with any Britax product - old and newly manufactured products. This has been added to the Incompatible Seat Belt section in current convertible user guides and it will be added to user guides of other models as they are revised and updated. Britax continues to review Inflatable Seat Belt Compatibility and may modify its position in the future dependent upon test results.
As well, the following statement will be added with upcoming revisions to all product user guides in the Aircraft Certification Section: WARNING! Inflatable lap belts are NOT compatible with this child seat."

That I know of: Only Ford vehicles will/do have these seat belts. Not sure if they will/are an option or standard, but they are debuting on their 2011 Ford Explorer. Maybe someone else can chime in on more info about them.

Judi · Feb 24, 2011

Inflatable seat belts and Britax

From the ListServ:

Good morning all-
Britax has taken formal position regarding the use of inflatable seat belts and their use with Britax products. The following Frequently Asked Question has been posted on our website (www.BritaxUSA.com<http://www.BritaxUSA.com>) and added to the Advocate Extranet.

Can I use an inflatable seat belt to install my Britax car seat?
Currently Britax does not permit the use of inflatable seat belts with any Britax product - old and newly manufactured products. This has been added to the Incompatible Seat Belt section in current convertible user guides and it will be added to user guides of other models as they are revised and updated. Britax continues to review Inflatable Seat Belt Compatibility and may modify its position in the future dependent upon test results.
As well, the following statement will be added with upcoming revisions to all product user guides in the Aircraft Certification Section: WARNING! Inflatable lap belts are NOT compatible with this child seat.

family5oregon · Feb 24, 2011

what are they? I haven't heard of that bbefore.

hrice · Feb 24, 2011

family5oregon said:
what are they? I haven't heard of that bbefore.

They are seatbelts that inflate like an air bag in an accident. Some manufacturers are coming out with these soon...or maybe they are already out?

family5oregon · Feb 24, 2011

hrice said:
They are seatbelts that inflate like an air bag in an accident. Some manufacturers are coming out with these soon...or maybe they are already out?

:thumbsup: got it.

sunnymw · Feb 24, 2011

So... manufacturers are making seat belts that aren't going to be compatible with car seats?

Angela · Feb 24, 2011

Here's an article about the seat belts on Ford's site. I didn't see any other car manufacturers listed on a quick google search.

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=31360

Angela · Feb 24, 2011

Looked up which models of the Explorer they're installed in. They are an option in both the XLT and Limited Editions of the 2011 Explorer. Not sure if they're actually out there yet though because it said they will be available 'with late availability'. They are installed on the outboard 2nd row seats (the only seats with available LATCH).

Melanie · Feb 24, 2011

Angela said:
Looked up which models of the Explorer they're installed in. They are an option in both the XLT and Limited Editions of the 2011 Explorer. Not sure if they're actually out there yet though because it said they will be available 'with late availability'. They are installed on the outboard 2nd row seats (the only seats with available LATCH).

So it sounds like their thinking is that car seats will only be used with LATCH in those seats. Ford has a 48lb latch limit so for the majority of real world users it would be sufficient.

Kat_Momof3 · Feb 24, 2011

yeah, but what about booster seats?? I wonder if Britax is including boosters in this... and how many other companies will do the same.

jess71903 · Feb 24, 2011

Kat_Momof3 said:
yeah, but what about booster seats?? I wonder if Britax is including boosters in this... and how many other companies will do the same.

It may be that after testing they say this, but it seems to me that these belts would be especially helpful for booster riders. At this point, I probably wouldn't buy a vehicle with them until I was sure I was done with harnessed seats, though.

Angela · Feb 24, 2011

jess71903 said:
It may be that after testing they say this, but it seems to me that these belts would be especially helpful for booster riders. At this point, I probably wouldn't buy a vehicle with them until I was sure I was done with harnessed seats, though.

My only concern with a booster rider would be with a high back booster. I'm curious if it would interfere with the shoulder belt 'holder'.

Pixels · Feb 24, 2011

Melanie said:
So it sounds like their thinking is that car seats will only be used with LATCH in those seats. Ford has a 48lb latch limit so for the majority of real world users it would be sufficient.

I believe Ford has said they are fine to use with child restraints. I think it's coincidence that they are on the same seats.

Angela · Feb 24, 2011

Pixels said:
I believe Ford has said they are fine to use with child restraints. I think it's coincidence that they are on the same seats.

Here's what they said in the article about car seats.

"In everyday use, the inflatable belts operate like conventional seat belts and are safe and compatible with infant and children safety car and booster seats."

I'm curious what the other car seats manufacturers will say about them.

Lenae · Feb 24, 2011

I would be curious to see what the seat belts were like with lockoffs. Say, the TF, where the lockoffs are mandatory, and at least for me, very tight, sometimes difficult to close over thicker seat belts. And, in the event of a collision, would the seat belt inflating break the lockoff? Or, because it doesn't deploy as forcefully as a regular airbag, would the lockoff actually stop the seat belt from inflating?

mrscompumike · Feb 24, 2011

Yes. It is Ford. They have videos all over youtube. Kind of cool though. There is a velcro pocket that they expand out of.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ5dFCveh2c"]YouTube - Ford Introduces First Inflatable Seat Belts[/ame]

DaniChildcare · Feb 24, 2011

Ok, am i the only one that got a visual of an actual "inflatable seat belt" (as in, you blow it up like a balloon?)

on a serious note: Airbags inflating from a seatbelt seems rather dangerous when using it with car seats though

jess71903 · Feb 24, 2011

Looks like they tested it with a Cosco HBB using the belt guide and it just pushed out of the belt guide. They inflate with much less force than a front airbag.

It looks to me like on a seat like the TF, the side closest to the buckle would be the lap portion of the belt and therefore not have a lockoff. IF it was ever approved for use with the TF, I would think you could install and close the closest lockoff over both lap/shoulder, and the furthest one over just the lap belt.

cso1997 · Feb 24, 2011

Angela said:
Looked up which models of the Explorer they're installed in. They are an option in both the XLT and Limited Editions of the 2011 Explorer. Not sure if they're actually out there yet though because it said they will be available 'with late availability'. They are installed on the outboard 2nd row seats (the only seats with available LATCH).

We have a 2011 Explorer. The inflatable belts are NOT out yet. Yes, the are only available as an option in the two outboard positions in the second row. However, there is a 3rd LATCH position in the 3rd row. The 11 X has 3 LATCH positions and 4 tether anchors.

Obviously, Ford has done quite a bit of testing and I look forward to seat manufacturers doing their own testing. I am hopeful that both will come up with the same result. That the belts are a safety bonus. We actually wanted to get them but the late availability made it impossible. I am excited for more research to be done. The car market has come a long way in the last 20 years but there is always room for additional safety features.

Angela · Feb 24, 2011

cso1997 said:
We have a 2011 Explorer. The inflatable belts are NOT out yet. Yes, the are only available as an option in the two outboard positions in the second row. However, there is a 3rd LATCH position in the 3rd row. The 11 X has 3 LATCH positions and 4 tether anchors.

Obviously, Ford has done quite a bit of testing and I look forward to seat manufacturers doing their own testing. I am hopeful that both will come up with the same result. That the belts are a safety bonus. We actually wanted to get them but the late availability made it impossible. I am excited for more research to be done. The car market has come a long way in the last 20 years but there is always room for additional safety features.

Thanks for the correction. I was meaning in the 2nd row for LATCH positions.

I'm excited to see what else comes out and hope the car and car seat manufacturers work hand in hand to make sure all passengers can safely ride.

News FYI - Inflatable Seat belts and Britax

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