Have you taught your child how to unbuckle themselves from their car seat in case of emergency?

Question

What would be your reasons to do it or to Not do it?

Answer 1

Doing it would be a good idea in case there really is an emergency. However, if they learn how to do it and do it while you are driving or another time when it's unsafe then you have a problem. If they are old enough to be taught how to get themselves out, they should be old enough to be taught when and why they should only unbuckle themselves when Mommy says so or in case of emergency.

Answer 2

If the child is under 4-5 years old, I definitely would not show them. They do not have the capacity yet to differentiate when they can/can't unbuckle the seat. By showing them, they'll think that its ok. An emergency to a 2 year old is wanting to stick his head out the window to see that neat motorcycle that just flew by on the highway. Lots of kids 4 years and up can buckle/unbuckle themselves, it makes it easier for the parent to get everyone in car seats if they just have to do a quick once over. This is especially true if you choose to keep your child safest by keeping them in a 5 point harness as long as possible.

Answer 3

It depends on how old your child is. If they are over 7, it may be a good idea, in case the car is stolen or someone dangerous enters the car.

If there is an accident, you don't want your child to know how because they may remove the seat belt when it is inappropriate, such as in a roll over accident, where they may be able to see the danger, but not assess whether they should keep their seat belt on. Some kids may think it is better to jump out of the vehicle, while being ejected from a vehicle is the most likely way to not survive an accident.

You can always keep a safety cutter (which is a razor-like blade that has a protected blade, it may look like an envelope opener.) most box cutters have a small exposure of the razor for just such things, cutting straps or seat belts in the case of emergency, but not enough blade exposed to cut even the tiniest of fingers. They should not be used by children, only adults.

Answer 4

The question and answers are all moot in my life. I don't know the first child who has not figured this out all on their own by the age of 3! It is just a matter of teaching them when NOT to unbuckle! Even the car seat with the button under a bar so the child cannot reach it could not keep my kids (or others who I know) in. They just learned how to loosen the belt part and climb out! Or maybe I just know all the next Houdinis!

Answer 5

No, I haven't. I have taught my five year old [cousin who has lived with us for 2.5 years] how to unbuckle my son from his car seat. I can't teach my son how to unbuckle himself because there is a bar across his car seat and the button to unbuckle it is under that bar. It's impossible for him to get himself out. My cousin does know how to unbuckle himself from his booster seat [it's just the normal seat belt] and how to press the button to unbuckle my son.

I think it could be a bad thing and it could be a good thing. In case of an emergency though I highly doubt a two or three year old would even be able to remember what exactly to do. In the case of just pure fun I think they could remember how to and that would be a pain. Even if my son was able to unbuckle himself from his car seat I probably wouldn't teach him. Simply because it wouldn't be practical and he probably wouldn't remember how in an emergency, therefore, it would just be more harm then good.

Answer 6

I have not taught my daughter to unbuckle the car seat. It is for her own day to day safety that she doesn't know how - she would play with it and unbuckle while driving. I think she'd be in more danger having the knowledge to unbuckle than the chance we'd be in an emergency.

Answer 7

No, I haven't. My 4 year old son is in a booster seat and he knows how to unbuckle the seat belt just because he figured it out. But he knows to NEVER undo it unless we are parked. The problem is that children any younger than that won't understand emergency situations and will just start doing it while you are driving down the highway. Plus, even if they can be taught to undo the seatbelt, they more than likely won't be able to open the door (due to child safety locks).

Answer 8

Yes my boys know how to get out of the car in case of an emergency. one of the reasons we taught them is we have been in a car accident with them when they were so young and i couldn't get to them so we taught them how to unbuckle and rebuckle their seat belts. also we have tons of deer that cross our highways especially in the fall and during deer season so it is essential for them to unbuckle their seat belts if we should get hit by a deer. they can move to the front seat or out their windows if necessary...

Answer 9

I never did that, you can't protect them from everything and statistically they are safer buckled in. The odds of them being trapped by the seat belt are not as high as the odds of them being injured if they are not buckled in. I had to change the type of booster seat I used because my son unbuckled his seat belt and fell out of the booster seat. I guess he just figured out on his own how to undo the belt.

Answer 10

No because he is 16 months old.

Once a child is old enough to be able to know better than to unbuckle their seatbelt then you can teach them. But I wouldn't think that would be before age 5 at least.

You might consider getting a seatbelt slicer to keep in your glovebox that way you can get the seatbelt off in an emergency even if you can't get to the buckle. The knife is protected and safe... I don't know how to describe it to an American in Canada we get milk in bags and they look like giant milk bag openers *lol*

Here is a pic:
http://www.spservices.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/41

This one has a standard blade as well as the protected blade in the hook bit at the end:
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kanumesse.de/05_report/images/aecoltellerie2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kanumesse.de/05_report/exhibitors/aecoltellerie.htm&h=430&w=280&sz=16&hl=en&start=12&tbnid=0efbfBaYrdmy2M:&tbnh=126&tbnw=82&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dseatbelt%2Bknife%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

My aunt was telling me about them because she drives a school bus with special needs kids who use seat belts. Don't assume a regular box cutter will be able to get through the seat belt they are a lot tougher than you think.