Child Seat Fitting

[cosmin]

I have just purchased a chicco key 1 car seat.

I cannot fit it correctly on the middle back sit.

The chair get inclined on the side where the Seat belt has 2 anchoring point.

Should I use one of the other back side Seats? I heard that the middle one is safest But I am afraid that I do not fit it correctly.

Can you please advice?

[JAHill]

I have just purchased a chicco key 1 car seat.

I cannot fit it correctly on the middle back sit.

The chair get inclined on the side where the Seat belt has 2 anchoring point.

Should I use one of the other back side Seats? I heard that the middle one is safest But I am afraid that I do not fit it correctly.

Can you please advice?

Looks a similar fitment to my Mothercare one in my '55 Avensis. I use the driver side rear seat and it fits fine.

I can just use the middle seat but it isn't as secure as when using a side one.

I've just looked at the manual for the Chicco Key 1 and it attaches in basically the same way as mine does.

[cosmin]

Looks a similar fitment to my Mothercare one in my '55 Avensis. I use the driver side rear seat and it fits fine.

I can just use the middle seat but it isn't as secure as when using a side one.

I've just looked at the manual for the Chicco Key 1 and it attaches in basically the same way as mine does.

Thanks.

The side one is safer than middle? Why? I would like to read about this.

I always thought that middle is safer because the child will be safer on lateral impact.

My Avensis have the setabelt from the middle rear probably designed especially for fitiing child seat.(You cannot roll it once you stopped, you have to fully unroll it and then it's unblocked). Maybe I should ask for a change

regarding the rear seat belt.

PS:

Sorry to everybody for my english.

Especially the last phrase I am afraid that it's not english :(.

[JAHill]

By secure, I meant that it was held securely, not that it is actually safer. :)

The middle seat, if possible, is -always- the safest option.

I tried many seats and none were as secure in the middle as they were on the side. Most had too much lateral movement.

[JAHill]

Thought I would add some picture to see if that is of any help.

This is what my middle seat belt is like. It is a proper three point harness but even so, the seat is still not totally held securely enough.

The next two pictures show how the seat is placed behind the driver and how the straps fit.

Door Side

Centre Side

Also, when fitting, always get someone to kneel into the child seat, pushing it down into your car seat while you tighten the straps. This gives you the most secure fit.

I hope this is of use.

Cheers,

Jim

[cosmin]

Thank you very much.

It helped me.

The fittment for you child seat are indeed similar with mine.

Thanks for the pictures. They are better than the installation manual :-).

[CircularSaw]

I wouldn't speculate which seat is safer purely on the fact that a side impact would protect the child more if he/she were in the middle. Remember that the middle would expose the child to flying glass and/or debris coming from front to rear more. Considering also that frontal/rear impacts are much more common then actually being t-boned... Have you also considered how unlikely it is you'll be hit on your (drivers) side of the vehicle considering you'll see anything coming in your peripheral thus managing an evasive maneuver if necessary? So the thinking of putting the child seat behind the drivers seat isn't a flawed one, by any means.

Whatever you do...drive defensively.

[JAHill]

I wouldn't speculate which seat is safer purely on the fact that a side impact would protect the child more if he/she were in the middle. Remember that the middle would expose the child to flying glass and/or debris coming from front to rear more. Considering also that frontal/rear impacts are much more common then actually being t-boned... Have you also considered how unlikely it is you'll be hit on your (drivers) side of the vehicle considering you'll see anything coming in your peripheral thus managing an evasive maneuver if necessary? So the thinking of putting the child seat behind the drivers seat isn't a flawed one, by any means.

Whatever you do...drive defensively.

I stuck the little guys seat behind the drivers seat for essentially those reasons (that and the middle wasn't secure enough - didn't think about the glass though. Good point!) I thought that collisions to the driver side tend to be side to side impacts, like someone serving into the side with the side of their vehicle, whereas the passenger side will take all the idiots pulling out of junctions into you with their front end and it is easier to react to events in front and to your side than to the passenger side.

A lot of people stick the seat on the passenger side as it is safer and easier to unload and load your child into the seat when parked on a road.

I think a lot is neither here nor there but as you say, driving defensively is the best way.