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What are the safety differences between the emergency locking retractor and the automatic locking retractor on passenger three point seatbelts? Is it safer to lock the belt?
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For an adult, there shouldn't be much difference at all. The emergency locking retractor will lock during a crash to keep the passenger safe. As long as the adult wears it properly and makes sure there isn't a lot of slack in the seatbelt, it will restrain them correctly. So, you could lock the belt for an adult, but it shouldn't be necessary. You could also lock the belt for a child in the booster, but again it shouldn't usually be necessary and you should consult the owner's manuals before doing this to make sure there are no restrictions.
On the other hand, an emergency locking retractor system will not hold a child seat in place tightly over time. Even vibration during a single trip could cause it to loosen. The belt will still lock in a crash, but the seat could already be so loose that the child is still likely to hit some part of the vehicle.
For a child restraint, some mechanism to hold the carseat in place is needed. An automatic locking retractor can do this, as can a switchable retractor, a cinching latchplate or a locking clip. These make sure the child seat remains tightly installed before a crash as well as during the crash. It is safer and highly recommended that one of these methods be used to hold a child seat in place.
You might also read Heather's great page on locking clips for reference:
http://home.earthlink.net/~carseatsite/lockingclips.htm
On the other hand, an emergency locking retractor system will not hold a child seat in place tightly over time. Even vibration during a single trip could cause it to loosen. The belt will still lock in a crash, but the seat could already be so loose that the child is still likely to hit some part of the vehicle.
For a child restraint, some mechanism to hold the carseat in place is needed. An automatic locking retractor can do this, as can a switchable retractor, a cinching latchplate or a locking clip. These make sure the child seat remains tightly installed before a crash as well as during the crash. It is safer and highly recommended that one of these methods be used to hold a child seat in place.
You might also read Heather's great page on locking clips for reference:
http://home.earthlink.net/~carseatsite/lockingclips.htm
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