[SusanMae]

Not sure on the year of the van, but I *believe* that it was a Chrysler model.

They had what were referred to as Generation 3 belts. I'm not exactly sure what that means. New tech still.

At this time, I'm unaware of any failures of carseat harnesses at the buckle.

As far as the LATCH hooks or the LATCH strap---NEVER NEVER use LATCH and the cars belt to install at the same time---yes it could fail, especially when used incorrectly. The chance of it failing goes down significantly when it and the carseat are used correctly. I've yet to find anything in this life that was a garuntee....well except death--as far as I can tell, we all have to die someday.

If it was in fact that the seatbelt released--then yes, an adult could have been thrown from the car---or they could have stayed in the car and caused brain damage or death to the other passengers by simply being unrestrained.

General comments---in life there are no garentees. We do the best we can with what we have and know. Kyle's parents did the best with the knowlege that they had. Unfortunately, the message about HWH, extended rear facing has been slow to get out and it's been information that has not necessarily easy to get your hands on unless you really seek it out and many parents don't. Now they are getting the message out that we can do more---and that's GREAT. I will say that I noticed in the video that it appears that they added padding to the boosters...and that's a no-no. I have no idea how or even if that played a role in the seatbelt release.

Carseats expire because of the amount of plastic used in them, safety changes, stickers come off...so you don't know how to properly use the seat, manufacturers can't keep parts around for 15 yr old seats and continue to redesign and improve new models. And some of those 20 yr old + seats look more like contraptions compared to what we have now.

Seatbelts are made from webbing and metal...very little if any plastic.

Plastic degrades over time...ever leave a plastic toy out...like a bucket in the sand box. After a while the bucket will be brittle and break.

I hope I answered some of your questions. Please excuse my spelling--it's late.

Susan

	Rear Facing Car Seats A rear-facing seat is one in which the infant faces the back of the car. Always install a rear-facing seat in the back seat of your car. This is the safest position for an infant. NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags.

	Higher Weight Harnessing Higher weight harnessing seat. A convertible or combination seat that harnesses past 40lbs.

	LATCH LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. It is a system mandated by the Federal government in an effort to standardize and simplify the installation of child restraints without using the vehicle's seat belt system. New vehicles and child safety seats manufactured on and after September 1, 2002 will be equipped with the LATCH system. Cars, minivans, and light trucks will be required to have anchor points between the vehicle's seat cushion and the seat back in at least two rear seating positions, and a top tether anchor (with the exception of convertibles). Child safety seats will have a lower set of attachments that fasten to the vehicle anchors. Most forward-facing child safety seats will also have a top strap (tether) that attaches to the top anchor in the vehicle.