Grrrr...My son rode in a lapbelt & no headrest position

ginny4

New member
this was for a scouting trip. Dh was one of the drivers meeting & well there happened to be more boys than what the real allowance of passengers were so DH felt he had no choice & had to have one boy in the middle of our 3rd row that has no headrest & only a lap belt. my son did a trip one way & another boy on the trip back in that lousy position. He figured the biggest/oldest kids in that position. while i thought that was at least somewhat good thinking as i believe it is "legal". i was :mad: that the leaders didn't make 100% sure how many drivers they really needed to fit all those boys. :mad::mad::mad:

i'm going to be writing an email to them to let them know that that was NOT acceptable & to make sure there are plenty of drivers for all the boys so everyone has a safe journey.

it makes me ill to think about it.....the what ifs are getting to me.:(
 
ADS

mayamac

New member
I feel your pain! my tiny 5 yo rode in child care provider's car with just a seatbelt on the interstate for 45 min both ways because DH forgot to leave her booster. Provider made me feel all crazy telling me over and over again that she drove slowly and carefully the whole way. grrrr
 

monica-m

CPST Instructor
I would be furious. Lap belt only seating is not safe for anyone and no head restraint is not safe either.

mayamac, I would be letting that child care provider know that I was seriously considering not longer using her services if she was that flippant about the importance of proper restraint. It is irrelevant how good of a driver she is, she has no control over the other drivers on the road.
 

Jillybeans5

Active member
My DD came home from a friends house recently(whose parents I trust) and she told me that she rode in their old firebird(or something like that). I asked about seatbelts and she said that she shared a lap belt :eek: with her friend because there were only 2 seatbelts and 3 girls in the back seat(probably no headrests either). We had a talk about refusing to ride in unsafe seating after that. I thought I had talked about it enough, but I guess not.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
I agree with you on both points... your dh did the safest and most sensible thing he could in a bad situation.

However, did anyone ride in the front passenger seat? if not, that would have been another option (and probably my preference over lap-only belt and no headrest)


Now to the rest of you, those situations sound HORRIBLY terrifying.
 

ginny4

New member
I agree with you on both points... your dh did the safest and most sensible thing he could in a bad situation.

However, did anyone ride in the front passenger seat? if not, that would have been another option (and probably my preference over lap-only belt and no headrest)


Now to the rest of you, those situations sound HORRIBLY terrifying.

Kat the front seat was being used too. it was filled to the max.

:eek: for the other situations too.
 

monica-m

CPST Instructor
what about people who have lots of kids and older vans aren't lap belts better than nothing?

There is a much greater risk of serious injury to a rider in a lap only belt. I would use an 86-Y harness if I was in a situation like that. I would not want my child riding in a lap only belt ever. I would not be comfortable myself riding in a lap only belt because I know what can happen.
 

urchin_grey

New member
what about people who have lots of kids and older vans aren't lap belts better than nothing?

Well, sure, its probably better than no seatbelt at all. But we're still looking at being ejected/thrown around the vehicle vs. severe head, neck, and abdominal injuries. Neither situation is desirable. I don't even allow adults to sit in the lap belt in my vehicle. If we need all 7 seats, then a harnessed carseat goes in that position.
 

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