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Installing Car Seats & Correct use |
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Installing car seats - seat belt type
Please note: This section is to assist car seat installation and should not be used to replace information and physical checks that are carried out by technicians and other trained professionals. Always have your car seat installation checked by a trained professional. Click here to contact a safe2go member in your area. Where possible try the seat for fit before you purchase or ask about the stores exchange policy.
- ALR Seat Belts
- ELR Seat Belts
- Locking Clips
Firstly before installing your child restraint it is important to know what type of seat belt you have installed in your car (or cars) that the child seat will be being used in.
Seat belts that are joined to the door frame cannot be used along with child restraints.
There are two most common types of seat belts installed in cars sold in New Zealand these are the:
ALR seat belt - Automatic Locking Retractor
ELR seat belt - Emergency locking Retractor
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) belts
ALR are belts also referred to as "restraint belts". These belts are deigned to function as both a normal seat belt, that locks when pulled down hard on and they can also hold a car seat tightly without the need for a locking clip.
Place the car seat in the desired place and thread the belt through the correct belt path, (dependent on if the seat is rear or forward facing) buckle the belt up and pull back any slack from the lap portion.
Now pull out the shoulder portion of the seat belt fully not allowing any to retract back. Once fully extended gently tug it to make sure there is not any more still inside the retractor. Gently let the seat belt feed back. Once the belt it tight lean into your child's car seat (making sure your child is not in the seat during this step) and guide any slack towards the retractor. This should mean the seat is now a rock-solid install.
This video shows the above steps (installing an Evenflo Discovery infant capsule base).
If the seat moves and you can freely pull the belt out is is unlikely that your seat belt is an ALR therefore the use of a locking clip is essential to get a rock-solid install.
To get the belt out of locked mode you need to release the vehicle seat belt buckle and let the belt fully retract, it will now function normally as an ELR belt.
If your car has ALR seat belts, always use them in lock mode with a child restraint. If you find that the seat tilts when locked, switch the belts back to ELR mode and use a locking clip as shown below.
| To know if your belts are ALR belts you can fully extend the belt, listen for the clicks and tug on it, or you can look for the white label attached to the bolted end of the belt (opposite the buckle). |  |
Emergency Locking retractor (ELR)
ELR seat belts will only lock when force is applied to the webbing such as in sudden stop.
These seat belts do not stay locked when fully extended. A locking clip (built in or separate) works by clamping the lap and sash portion of the seat belt together by the buckle to stop excess slack and movement.
Whilst they may be fiddly to fit, they do a great job and do not need to be removed until the seat is removed.
Lock-offs
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Built in restraint lock-offs Rear facing lock off (left) and forward facing lock off (right) fitted on Safe-n-Sound car seats* *not all models. |
Built in lock-offs are easy to use and do not need to be threaded around the seat belt. Simply open the clip, pull the seat belt tight, being sure to reduce any slack from the lap portion, thread the belt through the lock-off and close the clip. Much the same way you would sandwich a label into a snack box lid.
Some car seats have a lock-off attached to a string that works in the same way. These need to be placed within 1cm of the latch plate (the same as locking clips below).
Locking Clips
Exactus locking clip | Safe-n-Sound 3-bar grated clip | Classic locking clip
The above locking clips are available for use along with ELR seat belts. The Exactus clip is easy to use, much like a bread clip.
Check before closing that the seat belt rests inside the edges of the clip so it does not catch when closing the clip. To release pull back on the tab at the front of the closed clip the same way you would open a bread clip. A "snap" will be heard when the clip is correctly closed.
The clip may come apart when opening, this is normal, if however it happens while you are closing the clip, with the seat belt inside, the belt is outside of the guide, place the clip back together and check guides before closing.
The Classic and 3-bar grated clip must be placed on the seat belt correctly otherwise they will not hold and will not prevent slack.
The easy way to remember this is "Belly under and wings up". Much like a flying bird. The hooks or wings sit on the seat belt, and the belly bar goes underneath the seat belt. It is often easiest to feed the clip on one wing at a time and kind of pinch the belt as you go to guide it onto the slots.
To use a locking clip place your child's seat in the correct seat location. Buckle up the vehicle belt. Grab the lap/sash portion of the seat belt by the buckle and release the buckle being sure to keep hold of the portion. Gently slide the locking clip onto the seat belt, making sure the "belly" is underneath and feed one wing at a time onto the seat belt. The wings should be all that is seen on the seat belt.
Once all 4 wings are on the seat belt, 1cm from the latch plate, return the tongue to the buckle and engage the seat belt. The car seat is now installed.
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Classic locking clip attached to latch end of lap/sash belt |
When using a locking clip to convert a lap/sash seat belt to a lap only belt (when using the seat belt with a Child Safety Harness) the locking clip must sit at the opposite end to the latch plate.
Correct child restraint use offers the best protection.
Shortcuts save time, not lives.
Don't be in a rush.