Harness for a SN 14 yo?

Belle's Mamma

New member
My little sister has autism and is very low functioning. When she is in the car she will sometimes (I'd say about 30% of the time) spend the entire trip rocking back and forth. I'd say her head gets about 1.5-2 feet away from the head rest at the furthest point. I'm concerned that if she was in an accident the seat belt wouldn't restrain her. Is there a 5 point harness or other device that would keep her safer? Or am I wrong & this not really a safety issue?

She currently sitting in the middle row captain's chair of my mom's Dodge Caravan (2005 or 2006). My sister is 5'6" & about 155lbs.
 
ADS

ShumNum

Senior Community Member
Your concerns about your sister are definitely valid! The seatbelt can really only do its job when the passenger is positioned with her back against the back of the vehicle seat.
I can't recall exactly, but I think the Dodge Caravan has a locking mechanism that locks at the buckle (aka: "locking latchplate"). If it doesn't have that, it probably has another locking mechanism called a "switchable retractor."
Next time you're in the car, see what happens when you buckle in the seatbelt and then pull the shoulder belt portion ALLLLL the way out. When it retracts back in, it may make a fast 'clicking' noise which would mean you have a switchable retractor which you could activate when your sister rides in the car to literally keep her 'locked' with her back against the vehicle seat. HOWEVER, I think your Caravan doesn't have this feature.

If it doesn't have this feature, I would definitely look into an EZ-On vest that the previous poster mentioned. At your sister's weight, however, she will require a special heavy-duty tether (that you can get from EZ-On).
The vest can be used with passengers who weigh less than 168lbs so she does fall into the weight requirements.
I would suggest visiting the EZ-On website (and maybe even calling them), to talk about which vest would be best suited for your sister. There are many different types of vests, and there's even one that zips in the back which prevents the occupant from unbuckling themselves.
Good luck and don't hesitate to post more questions!:thumbsup:
 

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