Seat belt strangulation

[jacqui276]

While my kids have never even shown an interest in playing with their seat belt, I still keep seat belt cutters in my car and on my key chain just in case as the result of playing with it can be absolutely devastating. It isn't a super common issue, but when it does happen it can be incredibly scary and deadly.

 

[emntheboys]

This happened to a friend of mine. One daughter's seat was accidentally unbuckled by a passenger. The younger daughter (they were side by side in Radians) got the seatbelt & wrapped it around her neck. Luckily the older daughter told mom & they were right by a firestation. It took 3 men to get the belt off of her neck. She was VERY lucky. Well, the older daughter was lucky as well, because mom didn't realize her seat had been unbuckled.

 

[christineka]

Just thought I'd mention- I started this thread over a year ago.

 

[babyherder]

Since you bumped the thread, christineka, I realize I have a question. I use my seatbelts to install car seats as my car has no latch. Only the lap portion of my belts lock. I'm not sure what to do about the shoulder part. The kids could get a hold of it and play with it. I can't lock it and I don't want to try to put it behind the head rests or out of the way because the belts are part of the car seat installation. What should I do?

 

[ketchupqueen]

If your belt locks at the latch plate, not the retractor, then this is not a major concern. The issue is kids wrapping it around their necks and then locking it, on which it tightens and tightens and has to be cut to get it off their neck. While it's still not good to play with belts and important to teach them not to play with them, a non-locking retractor belt is not as major a safety concern from them wrapping around the neck (unless there's absolutely no extra length, I suppose- but less likely to kill a kid since it won't tighten itself.) In addition when the belt is used to install the seat less of its length is accessible... If they DO play with the belts my first concern would actually be them loosening the install of the seat without anyone noticing.

 

[babyherder]

Thanks KQ! That makes me feel a lot better. They don't usually play with the belts.

 

[tiggercat]

If your belt locks at the latch plate, not the retractor, then this is not a major concern. The issue is kids wrapping it around their necks and then locking it, on which it tightens and tightens and has to be cut to get it off their neck. While it's still not good to play with belts and important to teach them not to play with them, a non-locking retractor belt is not as major a safety concern from them wrapping around the neck (unless there's absolutely no extra length, I suppose- but less likely to kill a kid since it won't tighten itself.) In addition when the belt is used to install the seat less of its length is accessible... If they DO play with the belts my first concern would actually be them loosening the install of the seat without anyone noticing.

Sam used to wrap the shoulder belt portion around his leg (RF 3rd row), and all I could think of was that in a crash the ELR would kick in and cause amputation.

 

[babyherder]

tiggercat, I've thought of the same thing with the belt locking in a crash. However, I can't drive while looking in the backseat all the time and my nanny kids have shown little interest in the belts so I'm going to try not to worry. Of course I correct them any time they do pull on the belts and glance back at them at redlights but I can't be freaking out the whole time I'm driving or we probably will get into a crash.

 

[Athena]

I hadn't thought of this in a long time. When I heard of this when mine were little, I did my best to hide the belts from them, but I had thought this was just a toddler problem and soon both seats were installed using the belts anyway. I'm all for prevention, but now that I have a boostered kid, she needs to be allowed to use her belt, so I guess I could talk to her about it, although I can't imagine her doing it...certainly not on purpose. I'm truly shocked this happened to teens or adults. I don't understand. It's very sad.