dimsumdaddy
New member
My condolences to the Kyle Miller family.
I have a few questions about their incident. It may sound like I'm being a devil's advocate, but I'm really just trying to understand the situation and it affects my own decision making. I mean no disrespect at all to the Miller family and commend them for all their efforts.
- What kind of van and what year was the Miller van?
- The Miller family van seat belt failed. Judging from the website, the advocate against "inertial release" seat belts would seem to suggest that it was an older van with the "side button" seat belt clasps. Are top release clasps that much safer against inertial releases?
- Since this was a seat belt failure, it would seem that even a 5 point harness could fail in exactly the same way. 5 points are definitely safer than 3 points, but in the 5 point clasp would seem to also be susceptible to failure just like the regular belt?
- With a car seat, you also rely on the LATCH belts to secure the chair. Even if installed correctly, there is still a chance that the LATCH hooks or the belt itself could fail too
- Had an adult been sitting in Kyle's position, they would have perished because it was the belt that failed. Thus the issue is bad seat belt, not 5 point harness.
Comments?
I do not want to take away the excellent message from the Millers that 5 pt harnesses are safer and that children are safer in car seats for as long as possible.
It would seem that if you want make sure you and your passengers (of all ages) are safe, you need to keep up on manufacturer recalls, keep the pressure on manufacturers to maintain high safety and do testing, and run around in cars no older than 6 or so years.
- BTW, how is it that baby seats expire but car seat belts do not?
I have a few questions about their incident. It may sound like I'm being a devil's advocate, but I'm really just trying to understand the situation and it affects my own decision making. I mean no disrespect at all to the Miller family and commend them for all their efforts.
- What kind of van and what year was the Miller van?
- The Miller family van seat belt failed. Judging from the website, the advocate against "inertial release" seat belts would seem to suggest that it was an older van with the "side button" seat belt clasps. Are top release clasps that much safer against inertial releases?
- Since this was a seat belt failure, it would seem that even a 5 point harness could fail in exactly the same way. 5 points are definitely safer than 3 points, but in the 5 point clasp would seem to also be susceptible to failure just like the regular belt?
- With a car seat, you also rely on the LATCH belts to secure the chair. Even if installed correctly, there is still a chance that the LATCH hooks or the belt itself could fail too
- Had an adult been sitting in Kyle's position, they would have perished because it was the belt that failed. Thus the issue is bad seat belt, not 5 point harness.
Comments?
I do not want to take away the excellent message from the Millers that 5 pt harnesses are safer and that children are safer in car seats for as long as possible.
It would seem that if you want make sure you and your passengers (of all ages) are safe, you need to keep up on manufacturer recalls, keep the pressure on manufacturers to maintain high safety and do testing, and run around in cars no older than 6 or so years.
- BTW, how is it that baby seats expire but car seat belts do not?