Date:         Fri, 12 Jul 2002 00:06:55 -0600
Reply-To:     Ben McCafferty <ben@KBMC.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ben McCafferty <ben@KBMC.NET>
Subject:      Baby seats and westies?
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

For you parents or experts out there, a couple of questions:

The front passenger swivel seat says it's "to be used in the forward facing
position only" when the van is underway.  I assume this is due to the lack
of a seatbelt and the lack of the seat locking in place when it's backwards.

Baby seats all say they have to be facing rearward (makes sense to me since
a head-on collision would be more injurious on average than a rear-ender).

So--what is the argument for or against turning the passenger seat
backwards, adding a groove to lock the seat backwards (like the one that is
in the front of the seat swivel base), and using 3" webbing to secure the
baby seat (facing rearward) to the backwards seat?  In other words, both the
baby seat and the front passenger seat would be facing backwards, with
webbing attaching the base and a tether holding the top of the seat.

Also, you always hear "the back seat is the safest place for children".  Is
this only due to airbags, or encroachment from the front in an accident, or
what?

Short of my above suggestion, how about putting the baby seat backwards in
the front seat with the passenger seat facing forwards?

With all of this, I am trying to get my kid closer to me, so they can be
part of the action instead of looking at The Rack, aka the back bench seat.

Thoughts?

tx,
bmc  :)
"Faith will move mountains, but you'd better bring a shovel...."