Child seat installation

I hope I'm answering everyone. The Trooper works with a group that specializes in big rigs and with NASCAR coming twice a year and other tourist he has probably seen his share of accidents. Also he is an avid RVer himself and spoke from experience. The dinette in my coach has not seatbelt and can't be modified either. As far as flying objects go I was in the Navy and even at 45 ft seas I never had anything flying around. There is always the unforeseen but as the driver I will do my best to keep everyone safe. I've driven on three continents and more than a dozen countries, I got rear ended once in nearly 30 years of driving. Also while the coach is much heavier than a car it will tip over much easier as well. We just Ana case of a school bus getting hit by a car in MA. The end result were 20 kids got hurt. I wanted to show others some options on how to secure a toddler and while I'm not happy with the solution I feel my son stands a chance now. The only thing we are missing now is warmer weather. I picked the coach up in single digits but it's just not ideal camping weather.

With grandkids in carseats our coach only had seat belts in the front two seats the couch and the recliner so no forward facing except the 2 front. Nothing suited for carseats so I added seat belts to the dinette, not as easy as it sounds. All of the available attachment point we just wood not suitable for an anchor point. So I ran angle Iron from steel slide brace to inside slide frame and used that to anchor cables that I fastened the seat belt to, the cables can also be used to fasten the car seat directly without the use of the belts. I installed the cable because the seat belts I had we not long enough to bolt directly to the angel iron. I added them to both seats of the dinette for use as the boys get older.

What we did was anything that was a carrier car seat or for 2 & under we use any available seat belt. I remember distinctly having a 4 year old who just sat in the seat back when we had an old tiffin.... Just at the dinette while driving. What ya gonna do when there are no seat belts?

Pirate wrote:
...DO NOT let your child face the rear. DO NOT seat them sideways, side impact is not the same as sideways in a front end collision. Make sure the belts are anchored good. I had our granddaughter in the front passenger seat. It was the only good seat, anchor wise, and the seat back protected her from flying missile hazards from the rear.

Don't let anyone face the rear or face sideways? LOL, you just eliminated nearly EVERY place for anyone to sit in a motorhome but the driver and passenger up front!

Haha, now, a 35-40' 20,000 lb+ RV can only carry two people in it. Really? If that was the case, NOBODY should ever own these things but couples with no guests, children or grandchildren ever riding with them.

If everyone truly followed that approach...Wellll, pretty soon there wouldn't BE hardly any Motorhomes, because there'd be soooo few people buying them, many companies would just quit making them. A towable RV becomes a much, much better choice, then, if we all must go by these ridiculous rules.

Rick's previous post is a much more realistic approach to this issue, and I agree with it 100%. The fact you are in something so massive, where you sit up so much higher than most other vehicles, really gives you a level of safety that kinda changes things.

I do agree, that you should not let your passengers run wild in the RV while you are on the road. That is asking for trouble. Everyone should be seat belted, if a seatbelted seat is available for them. And, you should do what you can to insure you have seat-belted places for everyone to sit thats going to be riding with you regularly. Even if that means installing extra seat belts (I've done that, too). Getting up occasionally to get a drink, snack, or to use the facilities is OK, and I do allow that, but other than that, everyone needs to stay seated, and in a seatbelt.

Yes, facing sideways or backwards is not as safe as facing forward. However, IMO that is just one of the risks you have to accept when you move up to a Motorhome. Its one of the things you trade off for the added luxury, comfort of a motorized RV. It is mitigated well, I think, by the fact the RV is sooo much heavier than most other vehicles, and you are above where most vehicles will be.

I don't think the Trooper ever saw how much loose junk (missle hazards) are in an RV. DO NOT let your child face the rear. DO NOT seat them sideways, side impact is not the same as sideways in a front end collision. Make sure the belts are anchored good. I had our granddaughter in the front passenger seat. It was the only good seat, anchor wise, and the seat back protected her from flying missile hazards from the rear.

FromNH,

There are some here that will use the front seat for the child seat. I was never a fan of that, but that is an option. Remember, not only is your rig heavier than most other vehicles on the road, it's also quite a bit higher. So in a frontal collision with a passenger vehicle, all of the "action" will be at your feet level and below.

Just out of curiosity, why isn't the dinette an option? It it because you don't have one (table & chairs instead) or because there are no seatbelts installed at the dinette? Either is fixable, though the latter is easier and cheaper.

~Rick

I wish the dinette was an option but unfortunately it is not. I asked the Trooper if I should place the child seat in the front passenger seat and use the 3 point belt there. He strongly advised against it as my son would be too close to the action and flying glass. I will do my part in keeping everyone safe but felt I should post about my experience to hopefully help others. I found it very disheartening when I read in other forums that parents just let their kids run around during travel.

I agree with Ricks Post all the way. We are putting a child seat in our C this year for out grand daughter. Using the dinette seats we will be able to face the car seat front or rear using the lap belts that are in the motor home.
Brian

There is NO safety cage structure in any motorhome, other than over the driver and passenger. There is NO protection for any passenger behind those 2 seats. The child seat should be the least of your worries, as it would be totally useless in any type of impact.

FromNH,

Welcome to the forums.

When our kids were small enough to use car seats, we dropped the dinette table (into sleeping position) and put the car seats on the back bench facing forward. Our belts adjusted fine, but if yours are long you could probably wrap the extra around something to take up the slack, or just replace them with shorter belts.

We also were able to put them on either of our two couches facing forward by resting the back of the car seat against the rear arm rest of the sofa, and then creatively running the seatbelt through the back of the child seat.

All of that said, and without starting another forum discussion about how one type of RV is "safer" than another, I view seatbelts in a motorhome the same as seatbelts in an airplane. They are there to keep your butt in place for normal bumps and evasive maneuvers and, should we be unlucky enough to require them, minor to medium impact collisions. Should we be involved in a collision so severe that the very structure of the motorhome fails, than I don't think seatbelts are going to make much difference when a 300 lb. refrigerator and 50 pound microwave are coming at us at 50+ mph.

Also remember, in your motorhome, you are statistically in one of the largest and heaviest vehicles on the road. In a collision, mass is your friend. Put another way, I've always felt our kids are safer in our 22,000 lb. motorhome than in our 4,500 lb. minivan.

Drive defensively, make sure your vehicle is operating within it's specified chassis limits (proper tire pressure, weight limits, etc.) and enjoy the trip! :)

Safe travels,

~Rick