What is at fault?

::er!ca:: · Apr 15, 2009

There is a lady on a parenting forum that I'm on, and everytime Britax is mentioned she starts yelling about how she'll never trust Britax because her best friend's daughter was ejected from a Britax car seat when the chest clip broke off in a crash.

This really peeves me. Isn't that what a chest clip is designed to do? Isn't it a pre-crash positioner, and meant to move down or break away in the event of an accident? Aren't there car seats, say in Europe, that don't even use chest clips? If the harness tightened properly, wouldn't that have kept the child from being ejected even if there was no chest clip?

I just think she's sending the wrong message to other mothers posting for car seat information and I'm trying to clear this up for all members, but this person is very persistant on it being the broken chest clips fault and not trusting Britax.

If I'm wrong, I can admit it

skylinphoto · Apr 15, 2009

Yep, the chest clip is designed to break with little force. It's job is positioning...not holding the child in. The harness needs to be tight enough and crotch strap buckled to hold a child in.

wendytthomas · Apr 15, 2009

No, you're right. The chest clip will break or move down. It's job is over by the time a collision happens. Sounds like this lady's friend had her daughter in too loose with the chest clip too low or something. I can't imagine it would break if it wasn't tight and where it should be, though. Or she had her daughter in a thick winter coat, even with the chest clip up and the harness snug.

Seats in Europe do not have have chest clips. They require a one click release to get kids out fast in an emergency.

Every time she goes off on her mistrust, just counter her with hard cold facts. Britax may not be the be all and end all it used to be, but they're still a solid company turning out quality products, and they're quite proactive with their testing. When you hear of tens or hundreds of kids injured in seats before a recall goes out it won't be Britax's name.

Wendy

keri1292 · Apr 15, 2009

Of course, you are correct. How would a flimsy piece of plastic ever hold a child in a seat during an impact?

The HARNESS is what restrains the child.

Pixels · Apr 15, 2009

You are correct, the chest clip is nothing more than a pre-crash positioner. Its job is to make sure that the harness is positioned properly at the moment of impact. They will often break or move down during the crash, and that's fine, because it has already done its job.

If the harness was tightened properly, chances are her daughter wouldn't have been ejected. It's either user error, or an extremely violent and unusual crash.

In Europe, they are not allowed to even use chest clips. The reasoning is that it needs to be a one-hand release in case they need to get the child out quickly in case of fire or water submersion. They do just fine without any clips at all, just a properly tightened harness.

Maedze · Apr 15, 2009

It sounds like the chest clip did its job and the parent failed to properly restrain her child. :twocents:

zeo2ski · Apr 15, 2009

Yup, now that you know for sure, go ahead and tell her every time it comes up. And tell the others that are reading.

What is at fault?

::er!ca::

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