PDA

View Full Version : Is it required to tether every car seat?


peasprout
08-05-2003, 01:23 PM
We just installed a ComfortSport into our Isuzu Rodeo and DH couldn't find anywhere to tether it to (rear facing). Our other car had a bar under the front seats, but the Rodeo doesn't have anything. Should we still tether and if so, how? Thanks!
Momof3Labs
08-05-2003, 01:37 PM
Most car seats are not made to be tethered rear-facing (Britax is an exception). Does your manual talk about rear-facing tethering? If not, the seat probably isn't meant to be tethered unless it is forward-facing.

FYI - few cars have a tether attachment for rear-facing tethers. You improvise and use an immobile piece, usually near or under the front seats of the car.
murphydog77
08-05-2003, 02:35 PM
What Lori said :). You *cannot* tether the ComfortSport rear-facing. Only Britax seats may be tethered in that manner.

Heather, CPS Tech
http://www.carseatsite.com
peasprout
08-05-2003, 02:38 PM
Really? Wow, I didn't realize that most RF car seats aren't tethered. Our other one is a Britax and when we got it checked at the CHP, they told me that it was important to tether it tightly because during a crash, after the initial impact it will fly towards the rear of the car if it wasn't tethered.
Joolsplus2
08-05-2003, 03:30 PM
Here's the scoop, from http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/BraceTether.aspx "The first U.S. infant restraint, which is the model for subsequent ones, did not use a tether in either direction nor a shoulder belt, but it worked very well. During development, the engineers observed that it turned over toward the vehicle seatback after a crash test and, largely in order to justify what happened anyway, they called this the "cocoon effect." There was also some justifiable concern that the small infant's neck might be injured on rebound or rear-impact unless the restraint were allowed to freely rotate in this direction. Justified or not, this concept has remained and seems to make intuitive sense. The counter-argument that the infant's head will "slam" into the seatback and be injured on rebound has not been validated in nearly 30 years of accident experience."

:)