Alisa Baer - Comments

As a pediatrician and as an expert in child passenger safety, lockable seat belts are ESSENTIAL to enabling caregivers to safely transport their children in all vehicles. (1) There are more kids than ever before needing safety seats with harnesses that go beyond 48 pounds (the limit for most lower anchors) - both due to a larger population of children with special needs and the growing obesity epidemic. (2) Many children riding in boosters do not gain the full benefit of the booster as they are unable to sit still and take advantage of the looseness of the seat belt - allowing them to sit on their knees, lean forward to pick up a toy, etc. Locking the seat belt on these children significantly reduces the chance that they will be out of position should a crash occur. (3) Working in a poor, urban environment I can tell you that many caregivers of young children do not have their own cars - and instead rely on friends and family to drive them to appointments, errands, etc. Caregivers like the convenience of the infant carrier without its base - but without a lockable seat belt they will be forced to use a locking clip to properly secure the carrier without its base - something that is not possible to do without 2 people and a significant amount of time. This means that many more kids will be riding in improperly installed car seats - as the LATCH system is only on the base, not on the carrier (unless the carrier is sold without a base). (4) Lockable belts enable caregivers to lock unused belts, which some children have wrapped around their necks, coming close to strangulation. Thank you for listening, Alisa J Baer, MD Pediatrician www.thecarseatlady.com