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Real Simple Noob Question On Car Seat

1.5K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  johnnyzee  
#1 ·
Hi Mates:

on my 2005 camry, in the back seat the middle seat belt does not lock and click on the other seat belt receivers, yet the male entry metal slide looks just like the other ones in the back seat, reason i notice is now my 4 year old just turned 4 from 3 and i changed the car seat to a booster one, so now i am using the seat belt to keep her in place, anyway to make it short, the question is on the middle strap where is the bottom piece? i only notice just the strap? where do i click that one into? lol
 
#3 ·
thanks dude, that was i was thinking too, because there should be 3 receivers not just two. i got three straps but only see two lock clips. i will search under the middle area and see if it is there. lol.
 
#9 ·
This is going to start some controversy, but try to keep an open mind...

In their recent book SuperFreakonomics, the sequel to the best-selling Freakonomics, Drs. Levitt and Dubner examine the research on car seat safety. They find that, basically, car seats are either not any more safe, or, in most cases, less safe than simple seat belts for kids. They even set up their own tests in a crash test laboratory to prove their point.

A summary of the argument can be found in the author's NY Times Blog: http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.c.../27/what-the-secretary-of-transportation-has-to-say-about-my-car-seat-research/. It's a response of one of the authors to criticism of their study, but it includes links to all the pertinent information.

I'm not going to be as convincing as the authors, but think about it this way: car seats are manufactured by third parties and must universally fit cars that are not designed to contain them. Cars are specifically engineered to be as safe as possible - especially recently - and adding the square peg of the car seat into the round hole of the car, while adding the possibility of installer error, creates a dangerous situation.

Labs don't test cars seats vs. seatbelts, only car seats vs. nothing (no seat belt at all), because their business comes from the car seat manufacturers, and they don't want to jeopardize it. That's just an economic fact.

If you haven't heard of the books, they're not crackpot conspiracy theories, just studies done examining things in our world that we take for granted from a new angle. The authors - both respected economists - take economic theory and combine it with existing research data to reach their conclusions. I highly recommend both books, they're easy reads and absolutely fascinating.

Anyway, the last thing I'm trying to do is endanger anyone's children. I have nieces and nephews that I absolutely adore, and wouldn't even put kids at risk. I'm just putting the information out there, hopefully it makes for an interesting thread.