Can You Add Anchors to a Car Seat
All child restraints in Australia that comply with the Australian Standard require the restraint to be fixed to the vehicle at two separate points – using the car seatbelt and a top tether which anchors to to a child restraint anchor point in the vehicle. You can install a car seat yourself, however research shows that a large proportion of restraints are incorrectly fitted, putting children at risk of serious injury and death.
A 2009 Monash study of almost 2000 car journeys involving children in restraint seats found that children had been incorrectly restrained up to 88 per cent of the time, depending on the restraint type; 88 per cent of forward-facing seats were wrongly installed, followed by infant seats (67 per cent) and booster seats (63 per cent).
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/wrong-use-of-car-seats-puts-lives-in-danger-20130823-2shbl.html#ixzz2wN7psRXE
Do all vehicles have child restraint anchor points?
The quick answer is No. It really depends on when your car was manufactured as to whether or not your vehicle has an anchor fitting point.
See below for a quick guide:
- Sedans manufactured after July 1976
- Station wagons manufactured after January 1977
- Hatchbacks manufactured after January 1977
- Light Passenger Vans (up to 12 seats) manufactured after January 1986
- 4WD passenger vehicles manufactured after July 1990
- Light commercial vehicles (utes etc) manufactured after July 1988
Where can you find anchor points in your vehicle?
Sometimes its very easy to find an anchor point as they will have the bolt already in place and many modern vehicles have a cover over the point with this symbol identifying it as such.
Where there is no anchor bolt present there will sometimes be just a threaded hole that needs to have the anchor bolt and fitting installed. They can be located in a variety of places and could be hidden by a plug or cover. Anchor points could be located in the parcel shelf, in the back of the rear seat, in the boot floor or even in the roof behind the rear seat. If in doubt check the location of the anchor points in the vehicle's handbook.
How do I know that I've actually located the anchor point?
The anchor bolts used for child restraints are of a particular size and incorporate a thread that will not be used anywhere else in the area of the anchor points. If the anchor bolt easily screws into the point you have located, it will be the anchor point.
How do I install the anchor bolt?
You will need: An anchor kit which includes the anchor bolt, washer, spacers, and anchor bracket that will be used to anchor the child restraint to the vehicle.
- Put the tether anchor bolt through the anchor bracket, add a washer, and put the bolt into the hole.
- Where necessary add one or more spacers under the anchor bracket if needed to raise the bracket to the level of the surrounding trim so that the bracket will be accessible.
- Use your ratchet or wrench to tighten the anchor bolt to very firm but do not overtighten or it could weaken the installation.
All the staff employed by Rockabye Baby Equipment Hire are accredited restraint fitters and we offer a professional restraint fitting service – just click here to make your booking or call us direct on 02 95994942 and we can discuss your requirements.
Can You Add Anchors to a Car Seat
Source: https://rockabyebabyhire.com.au/how-to/how-to-install-a-child-restraint-anchor-point-in-your-car/
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