I Know The Car Seat Issue Is A Can Of Worms, But...

[SilverSabre25]

This was shared on my FB this morning. It's a story that's a perfect, perfect, PERFECT example of why proper car seat usage (included longer rear-facing!!) is so very important--and it even goes beyond proper car seat usage to proper seat belt usage by adults and proper safety practices such as keeping the car clear of projectiles.

I do not know these people. I never even knew about this blog until this morning.

[dEHmom]

I thought they tell you to install the carseats and leave them? If she's such a fanatic about carseat safety, wouldn't she know changing the carseats everytime they take a trip during a sleep likely time isn't safe? Or does this woman go and have someone install it for her everytime she switches from one seat to another.


It certainly scares me though, because I know my kids always fall asleep in their car seats/boosters. But they don't fit in the 5 point harnesses. Can you buy much bigger straps for them? The straps don't adjust any more (at least in winter time with snowsuits on) to let them squeeze into it.

[AfterSchoolMom]

Wow. That is some very powerful and scary imagery and really makes you stop and think. We're ALWAYS getting onto our older child for slumping over/trying to lie down while in the car, telling him that if you're lying down, the seatbelt can't do it's job. I'm going to show this to him to drive the point home.

Thanks for posting, SilverSabre.

[dEHmom]

oh that reminded me....

My step dad was in a major car crash roll over on the highways doing 120 km/hr (not miles but km). They rolled 10 times. Rescuers/police ask "were you wearing a seatbelt?" SD replies yes (avoiding a ticket from the officer because he was not wearing it). Rescue/Police state "that is what saved your life today, you would have been throw from the vehicle back there" SD nods (laughing in his head).

SD knew that not wearing his seatbelt is what saved him. While seatbelts ARE important to wear in MANY car crashes, they are dangerous and can be fatal in others. It's a matter of liklihood, percent or factors. In a head on collision, seatbelts save lives. In other car crashes, seatbelts can cause fatalities, it's weighing the benefits. This is why I don't go running to my car and changing/checking carseats everytime someone says something.

Another truth is...

the more you drive, the more you improve your chances of an accident. I have a better driving record than my husband, more merits than him, but I do not drive NEARLY as much as him. On average I drive an hour a week. He drives 12+ hours a week.

[SilverSabre25]

I thought they tell you to install the carseats and leave them? If she's such a fanatic about carseat safety, wouldn't she know changing the carseats everytime they take a trip during a sleep likely time isn't safe? Or does this woman go and have someone install it for her everytime she switches from one seat to another.


It certainly scares me though, because I know my kids always fall asleep in their car seats/boosters. But they don't fit in the 5 point harnesses. Can you buy much bigger straps for them? The straps don't adjust any more (at least in winter time with snowsuits on) to let them squeeze into it.

If you know how to install your seats correctly, taking them out isn't such an issue. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to install seats correctly. I do get the impression from the story that it's not entirely common for them to be driving during sleep time--remember, this is a 6 year old! She doesn't likely fall asleep very often. I think they were going on a long drive (like a vacation or something)--that's my impression anyway.

No, you can't buy bigger straps--but you can buy seats with taller harness slots. And in winter, it's not safe to be wearing winter coats OR snowsuits while strapped into the car seat. Use fleece blankets until the car warms up, then they'll be toasty, and have them slip the coat on before they get out of the car. In a crash, if the child is wearing a winter coat, the coat WILL compress and leave the straps very slack. Even if they seem tight with the snowsuit on, they aren't.

[Meyou]

I'm always after my school aged kids to sit properly. Even in a booster my 7 year old has more wiggle room than I'd like.

[Meyou]

I actually have a car seat story. My girls and I were in an accident about 4 years ago where I had a brain bleed and head trauma and they only had seat belt strap bruises because the car seat and booster held them in place. It was a 4 car accident and I was hit from behind and hit the corner of the car in front of me. I spent 6 months off work and my girls went to school the next morning.

[jen]

Thanks for posting that...what a powerful reminder to use the right car seat for the situation and what an important safety factor rear facing car seats are.

[dEHmom]

I read the whole article twice! And she says they used the jaws of life to remove her???? They didn't use the jaws at all.

Edit: my bad, I was picturing her in the front seat.

[jen]

I read the whole article twice! And she says they used the jaws of life to remove her???? They didn't use the jaws at all.

Why do you think that they didn't?

[Unregistered]

I read the whole article twice! And she says they used the jaws of life to remove her???? They didn't use the jaws at all.

I noticed the very same thing.... maybe she wanted to add more drama to her story?

[dEHmom]

Sorry, I see the door is hanging there, and because it's a slider door, maybe they just cut the track part. I may be wrong.

And out of bad habit, I just assume passenger front seat, I missed the 2nd row part. My bad.

It's not obvious the jaws of life were used, but it is possible.

[Cat Herder]

Sorry, I see the door is hanging there, and because it's a slider door, maybe they just cut the track part. I may be wrong.

And out of bad habit, I just assume passenger front seat, I missed the 2nd row part. My bad.

It's not obvious the jaws of life were used, but it is possible.

The hydraulic tool not only cuts, it spreads. They used the spreader to pop the door at the B post....

[KEG123]

The lady who writes that blog is on another forum I am on. She is a very credible person, and I do not believe the story was fabricated at all to "add more drama"