There have been several reported cases where children have become trapped in the shoulder portion of a vehicle's safety belt. In certain cases, once the safety belt is fully extended, it becomes locked. While this feature makes it easy to secure a child's safety seat in a vehicle, it may create a strangulation hazard for any child that can reach the safety belt and may wrap it around his or her neck. This risk applies not only to children riding on a booster seat or with an adult safety belt, but to any child sitting in a back seat with access to a safety belt.
Parents may choose to convert unused safety belts to the "locked" position by buckling them and then extending all the webbing from the retractor to switch the belt into a "locked" position. The retractor is the car part that rolls up excess webbing to keep the safety belt from dangling or hanging loose.
Parents should properly restrain their children in the child safety seat that is appropriate for their height and weight, and keep unused safety belt straps out of reach of children riding in a back seat.
Also, children should never be left alone in a vehicle, where they could play with the straps. Treat safety belts as you would any cord.
