Car Seat Safety Tip Video

This video shows a local seat check event and talks about car seat safety. Around 4:16, they show a little girl in a booster seat. I don't think that the shoulder belt is the best fit on her. Am I right? It looks like it's too close to her neck to me.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt6CMC5tbOA"]Car Seat Safety Tips - YouTube[/ame]

I think it was twisted a little. It doesn't look like it was it the guide. The 2nd shot from the side looks right.

I think there are actually a lot of issues with this video.

As someone who is not a tech, I thought the explanation of the belt shortening clip was more confusing rather than informative. I had never heard of a shortening clip and now I don't understand when it's needed versus a locking clip because she said a locking clip wouldn't be strong enough -- but didn't explain why so I got the impression that she's saying a locking clip is useless? Maybe I just didn't follow what was going in in that particular mom's vehicle and I thought it was odd that she'd highlight such a specific need in a generalist video. Seems like the time could have been better spent teaching how to put your car seat belt into locking mode and included a blurb about how some folks come to her with vehicle concerns that aren't covered in the manual and that if your car doesn't have automatically locking seat belts or has long belts (or whatever the issue was in that case) that they need to see a tech and get special parts rather than try to rig something up in their own.

I also noticed the issue with the seat belt and the booster and thought it looked wrong in the first scene and okay in the second.

And she showed how to do the pinch test but the when she moved the chest clip there was obvious slack at the collarbone.

She also gave the impression that infant seat handles must be in the down position -- which isn't allowed for many modern infant seats.

I have yet to come across having to use a belt shortening clip when I have worked seat check events. I learned how to use one in my certification class but that is the last time I ever had to!

This probably explains the use of a belt shortening clip better than I can explain it.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/childps/Add-On04/nissan.htm


I watched the video again and did see where the booster fit looked correct in the second clip. Also, the tech was explaining that the handle on the infant seat had to be up, not down.

msg221 said:

Also, the tech was explaining that the handle on the infant seat had to be up, not down.

Click to expand...

That's so weird. I have watched this video 3 times and the quote I hear at 2:38 is "We always make sure that the handle is back, so it's not over the child."

But either way, doesn't it depend on the specific seat?

Thank you for the belt shortening clip info!

I guess when I say "up" I meant what she was saying when she said "back." And now that I'm not trying to do something else while replying, I get what you mean. It used to be that the handle had to be back, but that has changed with some seats. I am guessing the video is several years old, going by the pattern of that infant seat. When I teach parents to install their infant seat, I tell them to double check the manual to see which handle positions are acceptable for their particular model since it can vary among manufacturers.

A belt shortening clip does something different than a locking clip.

A locking clip is just a place holder to keep the latchplate from sliding along the webbing during normal driving. Think of it like the pin in a belt buckle going through the hole in the belt. Pin doesn't have to be that strong really, because the whole belt is holding all around your body, even when you bend over and put pressure on the belt.

A belt shortening clip actually makes a loop in the webbing out of play. Like when you can't find a belt and use string to tie two of your belt loops together. Your pants still stay up, but it's because you are bypassing the too-big waistband altogether. The string has to be pretty strong though, or when you bend over it's going to snap and release all the extra material and leave you hanging in the wind.

The problem here in the CPS world is that locking clips and belt shortening clips look alike, so it's important to make sure that you use the right one for belt shortening. You can use the wrong one as a locking clip, no problem. Honestly, you could use a chip clip for a locking clip and it would be plenty strong enough because the seat belt is the weight bearing component of the system.

Locking clips are made out of a nickel cadmium alloy that is actually quite flexible. It will bend in a crash, possibly enough to pop off the belt. (I have a bent post-crash LC somewhere around here).

BSCs are made out of hardened steel. It doesn't bend unless molten and can withstand crash forces.

Here's a pictorial on how to use a BSC (Lots of older GM vehicles still running around my family, so I've had more than my share of practice)

http://www.car-seat.org/album.php?albumid=75

Sometimes vehicle belts are twisted and there's nothing you can do about it except tell them to take the car to a dealer and have it fixed. I often don't have time to sit there for a 1/2 hour to fix someone's twisty belt. :twocents: That woman being interviewed was also out of breath, so it could be bad footage--that they threw her into a car that just came in and told her to talk, so maybe she didn't have time to fix it.

As for the belt shortening clip, WTH even mention it? Typical media piece from someone who doesn't know carseats or vehicles.

I wanted to share a piece that was done in our community over the weekend. IMO, it was pretty good coverage for a short piece and hit most of the high points. This is the coalition I work with

ABC6 - Proper Child Car Seats