Seat Belt Basics: How Your Seat Belt Locks for Carseats

This is the parents’ guide to seat belts for installing their carseat. If you’ve ever wondered how your seat belts work, this is the video for you! Please share with your friends and family if you find this video helps you!

You will learn how to lock your seat belt at the retractor and at the latchplate, and some interesting tidbits about this very important safety device along the way.

0:00 Intro
0:30 Basic terminology
1:45 Switchable retractor
2:05 Emergency locking retractor (ELR)
2:39 Types of ELRs
4:00 Locking your switchable retractor
4:25 Automatic locking retractor (ALR)*
6:21 Installing a carseat with a locked seat belt
7:52 Cinching latchplates† | lightweight locking latchplates | locking latchplates
9:04 Locking latchplates | lap-only seat belt
10:13 Dynamic locking latchplates
13:37 Ceiling/roof seat belts with 2 latchplates
15:08 Seat belt pretensioner
15:49 Load limiter | force limiter

Heather shows seat belts in different vehicles to give you a variety of experiences, including an Acura MDX, Chevrolet Suburban, Chrysler Town and Country, Nissan Kicks, and a Tesla Model 3.

If you need locking clip help, watch these videos:
Rear-facing only infant seat:    • How to Install A Locking Clip on A Rear-Fa...  
Convertible seat:    • Installing a Locking Clip Convertible  

If you want complete information about seat belts, check out my web page: https://carseatsite.com/lockingclips.

*Owners' manuals use the term "automatic locking retractor" to specify when a switchable retractor is in locked mode. There is a true "automatic locking retractor" which locks when the seat belt is pulled out approximately 8-12"; I have a video showing this type of retractor at the end of this Seat Belt Basics video.

†Owners' manuals also use the term "cinching latchplates" instead of the term "locking latchplates." I use the term "cinching latchplates" here in the video since that is what's used in the owners' manual.