Infant seat function question

[Unregistered]

I had heard somewhere that Infant seats with bases are not tethered or strapped down at the edge of the seat because they are designed to lift and "caccoon" against the back of the real car seat in the event of a crash. And give the baby a longer stopping time to reduce injuries from a quick stop.
Is this true? And if so ... can you direct me to any websites or means to get more info on this??

Also, I know that the handle are supposed to remain down while driving, but my SIL doesn't think it is necessary. I feel that if she were to get in an accident that her baby would be hurt because I just pictrure the carseat lifting to "caccoon" and then the handles getting in the way and breaking and hitting the baby. I remember seeing something like a car test crash where the handles looked like they went through the dummy's head ... I was wondering if you know anywhere to get more info and "proof" to send her.

Thanks!
Paris

ps- I posted this to the babycenter car safety board, too .. so sorry if you see it twice!

 

[Robert]

I would advise her to her read the child safety seat instructions. More than likely it will say the handle has to be in the down position. Doing anything against the instructions will void the warranty and could cause injury in a crash.

She could also contact the manufactor directly.

the following is from the FAQ section of this forum

Q59: Is it OK to leave the handle upright on my infant carrier?

No. You must put the handle down (in the horizontal position) while it is in the car. In a crash, infant seats can rebound into the vehicle seat. This can break the handle, injuring the infant or another passenger. Only the Britax Handle With Care infant seat may be in the car with the handle upright as it is reinforced.

 

[UlrikeDG]

There's information about it in the SafetyBeltSafe USA technical section.

Top Tether, rear-facing
Carry handle

 

[mamamia]

What do you make of this statement?

This is from the site you listed above. Is this something anyone worries about?

"Finally, tests conducted by a competitor a few years ago showed that dummy neck loads increased significantly when the restraint was tethered to the floor in both frontal and rear impacts. This would be more of a concern with the youngest infants than with children over 9 months to a year, but the competitor decided not to offer rear-facing tethers."

 

[SafeDad]

That depends-

Without a tether, there is also a risk of the child striking the vehicle seat or a harder part of the interior. Another study at a recent conference showed evidence of minor facial fractures, and they were attributed to this rebound effect.

Either way, keep in mind that with or without a tether, rear-facing is still far safer than front-facing.

 

[Unregistered]

Thank you all very much!

My SIL KNOWS her handles have to be down .. the seat says so, but she thinks that she is smarter than the company. So she leaves them up, with the baby too big for the seat already, and its about 8 years old, too ... the seat that is.

I'm going to forward her a bunch of stuff and hope she gets a new seat for her almost 10 month old, so I won't have to worry FOR her!

Thanks again!

Paris