Can anyone advise or recommend the best way to get a centre 3 point belt installed in a 1990 Nissan Primera?
Due to the imminent arrival of a baby - I am trying to fit 3 children in the back of my Primera. I have been told that it is not possible to fit a central inertia reel belt because of the lack of a decent fitting point. I am loathe to rely on just the lap belt (either for securing a car seat, or for my eldest child with only a booster seat), but am not sure of the safety of a fixed 3 point belt?
Any advice (estimated costs?) would be very gratefully received.
|
I reckon that a static lap belt plus a second set of straps from the mounting points of the static lap belt are the safest wasy to fit a centre child seat. It's then very rigidly secured to the car and doesn't flop around all over the place as is common with child seats held in place with 3 point intertial reel belts.
HJ
|
Rick,
HJ is right.
Most (all?) child seats have dual instructions for fitting to either three point or lap belts.
A seat can be fitted very tightly with just a lap belt. The fault is often more with excess slack than any inherrent problem with this method.
A seat fitted with a three point belt is still far from perfect, there is a tendancy for them to want to twist due to only being held at one side by the shoulder strap.
David
|
David, HJ
Thanks for the replys - the problem is that the seat is a booster seat - therefore it is not actually fixed to the car by the belt. The belt will be used as with an adult.
Alternatively, I may just transfer the new baby's seat to the middle!
|
Rick,
Yes that does make a difference!
I have been through these dilemmas over the recent years. Found leaving the baby seat in the middle a good option. Leaves maximum room either side to carry two more children on boosters or adults.
David
|
|
|
Make sure that the lap-belt is fitted beneath the protrusions of the pelvis - the illiac crests? And then pull the belt tightly. If the lap-belt is too high then, in a frontal impact, it may ride over the pelvis and cause damage to internal organs and the lumbar spine.
On a plane - or even with a three-point belt - make sure that all slack is taken up.
|
|