Thread: 1996 D1 - (baby seats) locking rear retractable belts and tether points

Originally Posted by Young Angus

Also middle position for rear facing baby seat...is this actually the safest position??

I went back and forward over this for quite a while.
On one hand you have the potential for a belt failure in a head-on. On the other hand you're further from either door and window in any side impact.
We ended up behind the passenger seat, not because it was safer but because it was incredibly difficult getting the eating, screaming **** machine in and out when the seat was in the center position.

I had no issues with baby seats in my D1, rear facing on the passenger side.
Seat belt retracted and held fine, maybe your belts need replacing.

Hi Angus,
When our kids were in baby seats, our car didn't have locking belts, we used these,

https://www.target.com.au/p/mother-s...-clip/57063836

The middle of the rear seat will be the safest spot, but as Brad pointed out, you need to be able to get the little tacker in and out without doing yourself an injury.

Tony

The centre of the rear seat is safest place in a car, which is why in Australia it's the default for child seats.

30 years ago most European cars were too small to have room in the centre seat for a baby seat or capsule, so they stipulated that the new Isofix mounts be on the left and right outside seats and that there not be any in the middle. The Australians lobbied against this - since we usually had room in the centre rear seat for a child seat or capsule and pointed out that it was the safest place in the car - but were ignored. As a result you weren't allowed under the Euro standard to have a child restraint in the middle of the rear seat. This is why you never see an ISOFIX mount in the middle rear position. The Australians walked out and stayed with top-tether, which meant we had 3 top-tether mounts in the rear of a car. When Australia permitted ISOFIX about 15 years ago you ended up with the situation where you had 3 top-tether mounts but only 2 ISOFIX. Our car in Japan had both ISOFIX and top-tether, so our kids' child seats used both, and the seat belt went in too.

Thanks for replies...can anyone actually confirm whether the rear side seat belts are meant to be locking retractable ones that will hold when put into "locking" mode (usually by pulling the belt all the way out and letting it in slowly so it starts the ratcheting noise as it retracts)...?

Hi Angus, yes the outer seatbelts are the retracting types.
Cheers,
Woolly.

Originally Posted by Woolly

Hi Angus, yes the outer seatbelts are the retracting types.
Cheers,
Woolly.

Thank you for this...mine retract, but are they the "locking" type?

Yes, mine certainly lock when you give them a swift pull. Don't think there would be much point if they didn't.
Cheers,
Woolly.