Locking unused seatbelts

honeydew

Active member
So, I never gave much thought to locking or buckling any unused seatbelts that could be in reach of a RF child, until Thursday night.

I was driving Madeleine, her mom and myself home from dinner. Madi was RF in the Radian, passenger outboard, installed with superLATCH. Her mom was in the front passenger seat. We were talking and I heard an odd sound from Madi's direction. It took me a second to figure out what the heck it was. I glanced in the back seat and I saw the unused seatbelt for her seating position in her hand. The sound was the ratcheting of the switchable retractor. :eek: :jaw:

I freaked, she dropped it and then her mom told me that's her favorite game in her dad's car. :eek:

So, now all unused seatbelts near her are buckled and locked (for good measure I routed the shoulder belts behind the headrest, buckled and then locked).

:eek: :jaw: :eek: :sick: :( described me Thursday night.
 
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cupcakepirate11

Active member
maybe I am not understanding why this is such a serious thing? I have my son in the middle with the seat belt so he can't reach the other seat belts anyways.

why such a big deal? (honestly curious!)
 

honeydew

Active member
If she had wrapped it around her neck after it started retracting, she could have been strangled. If I'd had the radio loud or her mom and I were having a loud conversation, I wouldn't have heard the ratcheting. Since she's passenger outboard, she can reach the passenger seatbelt, as well as the center.
 

blueindigo

New member
maybe I am not understanding why this is such a serious thing? I have my son in the middle with the seat belt so he can't reach the other seat belts anyways.

why such a big deal? (honestly curious!)

I think the concern is a child wrapping the belt around their neck and then locking the seat belt and strangling themselves.
ETA: I am a slow poster, OP answered already :)
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Yep, they've added it to the checklist for techs to cover with parents. There have been a few instances -- at a minimum, a child, and a grandma, IIRC?

I think we had a member here whose child had a narrow escape, as well.
 

CrunchyMaineMama

Senior Community Member
That is something we have on our check lists at inspection stations as well. We used to only mention it for FFing children if their seat was installed with the lower anchors, but now do it for all since older RFing kids can manage to reach them too.

I'm so glad you heard the belt!
 
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honeydew

Active member
It's not on our check form - I should contact the coalition leader to have it added. It definitely gave me a good scare!
 

Baylor

New member
So we should give this warning to people with rfing children? I want to make sure I understand exactly.

auto-correct on the loose..
 

Dorothy

New member
Is there a checklist or flyer or something I could forward to my friends and family? When I way it, its like "Whatevs, crazy lady!" If its professional, so to speak, its more readily accepted, IYKWIM? TIA

Sent from my phone using the app :)
 

Baylor

New member
DorothyoutofOz said:
Is there a checklist or flyer or something I could forward to my friends and family? When I way it, its like "Whatevs, crazy lady!" If its professional, so to speak, its more readily accepted, IYKWIM? TIA

Sent from my phone using the app :)

This!

auto-correct on the loose..
 

Baylor

New member
So I was just discussing this with my cousin. Her sons seat is installed with latch but she just to me her son has. Even pulling the belt and playing with it.

So she need to uninstall and buckle seat belt lock it then install cs again with LATCH right?

auto-correct on the loose..
 

honeydew

Active member
So I was just discussing this with my cousin. Her sons seat is installed with latch but she just to me her son has. Even pulling the belt and playing with it.

For she need to uninstall and buckle seat belt lock it then install cs again with LATCH?

auto-correct on the loose..

I didn't even uninstall. I just routed the seatbelt around the headrest, buckled, switched the retractor and then fed the slack back in.
 

Baylor

New member
Let me make sure I am getting what you are saying. You pulled the seat belt around back of headrest and then buckled it down the side and locked it.

auto-correct on the loose..
 

honeydew

Active member
photo-1.jpg

Shoulder belt routed around head rest

photo2-1.jpg

Back view of shoulder belt

photo1-1.jpg

Lap belt is resting on the Radian. It's not interfering with the install.
 

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