bulky clothing under harness/seat belt

Hi, I hope I'm in the right forum for this question. I'm looking for info that details in writing why it's important not to wear bulky clothing under your seatbelt. I found a couple of sentences, but it's not enough info for my needs. My son's hockey coach is telling him that he needs to wear his gear to practice, rather than dress out when he gets there. I won't allow him to wear his gear in the car, because it's excess bulk under the seat belt. KWIM? Can anyone help me with this?
Thanks,
Renee

I'm not a tech. Bulky clothing (think thick jackets) can make a seat belt/car seat harness seem snug. In a crash, the material will compress which will make the belt/harness lose. It's possible to slip out of a lose harness or seat belt.

Is the coach wanting him to wear the padding stuff too? (I'm thinking it's like football players pads) If that's the case, there could be pieces that could break off by the force of the crash & poke into your dear child.

I'd have a sweet talk with the coach on why it is dangerous. Maybe bring up the liability aspect...what if a child is injured riding to practice because he insists upon it-in our sue crazy society it could set him up for a lawsuit.

Good for you Renee! :thumbsup:

Melanie is indeed correct. What may seem like a tight fit with bulky jackets, sweaters, and the evil "Bundle Me's" will in fact turn into straps so loose that your child could be ejected out of the harness in the event of a crash. The bulky clothing items will indeed compress. For an easy example of this, go grab a great big bulky down jacket. Now fold it up and see how small of a ball you can make it. THAT'S compression!

It's the same principal behind those Space Saver Bags. As for the hockey gear itself, just think how it would feel to have that stuff rammed into your body with several hundred pounds, or more, of force. Ask the coach if he'd like to do a belly flop in full gear onto the ice from the top of the Zamboni. I doubt he's stupid enough to do it, but the force he'd feel would not be as much as a major car crash.

Tell the coach that as a parent, you will not allow your DS to travel in the car dressed out for hockey for safety reasons. If he persists, just tell him to get bent. My kids safety is a heck of a lot more important than his "feelings" if he just can't take "No" for an answer.
:twocents:

:yeahthat:

Hockey gear is designed to protect players WHILE ON THE ICE. In the car, it can cause serious injury in a crash because the seatbelt will NOT be properly positioned. Additionally, the gear itself can be the cause of injuries if the crash forces break it.

Gear goes in the bag and gets put on AFTER arriving.

i would tell the coach that he is not wearing it there, but that you would arrive 10 minutes early so that he is dressed by the time practice starts.