Long story short, I'm interested in installing a center rear lap belt. Ideally, this would be a new belt that would be about 3' long, with a "normal" size tab on the right (passenger) side, to go into the female socket, and a small tab on the left (driver) side to go into the tab meant for the center shoulder belt. It would have a cinching buckle on it so it could be adjusted and function like a good old fashion lab belt (and when removed, the shoulder belt would function as normal).

How easy or available would such a thing be?

One idea would be to order the Honda replacement center seat belt, remove the two buckle/tabs that come with it, and send them to a custom seat belt maker to add the webbing and cinch. But that would probably run $200.

Is there another way? Or would this be the way to go and I just need to find a decent outfit to sew it all up.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Frank

 

there is one..? im lost are you plugging the seat belt into the left side first?

 

I had a typo up there, which i just corrected. Sitting in the center rear seat, the "normal" seat belt socket is on the right (passenger) side and the other belt socket which is meant to receive the shoulder belt tab is on the left (driver) side. I'm looking for a new adjustable belt to connect the two, as a lap belt.

 

o im sorry ..
i bet you can make one up, just sew 2 buckles together

 

I would not suggest you do anything that would result in the center passenger NOT using a shoulder belt.

Lap belts on their own have been known to cause death -- not because of impact injuries, but rather through the rupture of internal organs. All the force of the restraint goes across an area that is almost entirely soft tissue with no boney protection. And then there's the additional risk of back & neck injury as the force of the crash and the lap belt conspire to make you bow at the waist.

 

o man..
come on and sing with me..

"every party has a pooper, and the pooper at this party is YOU!"

 

seatbelts w/ shoulder restraint > lap belt

 

(you = gar)

im all about using seatbelts dont worry, but his question was about a lap belt in the back middle seat, not about if he used it or if we should all tell our opinions about them... besides we all knew that gar was gonna come in here with some mary poppins comment

 

The cheapest thing to do would probably just get a rear lap belt out of another Honda and just bolt it in with the same bolt as the smaller buckle. You could probably score one cheap out of a 96+ Civic in a junkyard somewhere, I would imagine it fits.

 

Grow up.

Look, if someone's looking to do a mod that could potentially injure or kill someone, it's probably a good idea to let them know that it's dangerous. That way, they can make an informed decision as opposed to posting later on about how dangerous the Fit is because their rear passenger died.

Hell, I'd even warn you if you were about to do something that would cause injury or death. Why? Because it's the right thing to do, even if someone behaves a petulant child who gets upset when a dissenting viewpoint is presented. You act as if there's nothing more to life than your car and trying to make it look like you're 3 Fast 3 Furious.

 

alright.... here we go
...
how do you know.. that say he doesnt work for a landscaping company and moves potted plants in the back seat and wants to make it easier?
nothing was stated about: say his child who sits in the back and doesnt like the shoulder belt, ..
im sure he knows what a seatbelt does and doesnt need to be reminded


and whats 3 fast 3 furious?

and you are almost correct. - my car is a major part in my life - not the only thing,

on a serious side: maybe theres a person who is incapable of wearing any 3 point seatbelt becuase of a personal problem or something serious and=- and a lap belt is all they can wear? rather than having them be un-belted this was the solution to the problem? (i know a 3 point is best, and more point the better [race cars have 5]) im sure there are better equipped vehicles than a fit, but its just an example

 

I'd like to refer you to Occam's Razor. Occam's razor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

so you were jumping to a conclusion bc it gave you a chance to speak your advice even though it wasnt needed?... im confused by that post

 

O....Kay. Lot of action here -- and I like that. And I appreciate that. ;7) Of course I know about lap v. shoulder belts and I was hoping to spare you all the preamble (which is why I said "long story short"). Here's the deal -- the short story long, if you will:

I'm wanting to use the center lap belt to anchor a rear facing infant car seat. And, Gar, you'll be happy to know that I'm thinking safety first: the middle position does not have the LATCH anchors. The two side seats do but everyone and their grandmother -- and my wife -- says that if there's a side impact, the center seat is best. I could use the whole shoulder belt for mounting in the center but the specific car seat and the angle of the shoulder belt going up to the ceiling in this car is such that it tilts the base of the car seat. I've considered the side seat mounting using the LATCH system (which I don't like b/c it's too close to the doors), the shoulder belt in the center (bad install with this seat), and I've also looked at "borrowing" the inside LATCH connections from each of the side seats (this, I think, is actually safer than the above but it is not an approved install and therefore keeps me up at night). Frankly, I think that as long as there are not adult passengers in the back also, and I can get a tight install that doesn't move side to side, this borrowing in the center should be fine but....the right way to do this, I think, would be to get a lap belt to do the job. It would be as strong as anything (actually stronger than LATCH and able to do duty after the kid gets bigger), a bona fide mom and manufacturer approved install, and would enable use of the shoulder belt for an adult if needed.

So, where to find or fashion such a belt? That is the question.

Frank

p.s. I don't sew and I don't know anyone that could do stitching and vouch for it handling 4,000 lbs of pressure in an accident so I'm looking for an officlal seat belt sewn by an official seat belt sewer. I'm got feelers out to Honda, and a perf seat belt company on the west coast.

 

Guess you didn't like my suggestion?

 

you said the most reasonable thing here
if i was looking for a solution to this prob
id do what you said- you could find a million of those out there

sidenote: just noticed this

why do we need a popcorn face?

 

Okay, I'll explain it for you: the most obvious conclusion is often the correct one. In this case, as nothing was specific, the most obvious conclusion is that the person who would be sitting in the back seat does not like wearing a shoulder belt.

I offered up important information regarding the safety issues concerned -- something that many people on here don't always take into account. I'd wager that my information was of more import than your commentary on it.

 

I'm surprised Honda doesn't have a solution that they could offer up.

That being said, you can use either side seat safely as well: LATCH FAQ
Copy of NHTSA LATCH FAQ

I'm surprised there isn't a LATCH hidden somewhere under the center-rear headrest.

 

never mind - and i KNEW what that was anyway but thanks for explaining it again... maybe.

 

Actually, I did like your suggestion. I was going to email a salvage yard here today and see if they might have something available -- possibly even an unfortunate Fit. I think I'd still need to modify the belt, however, since I don't want to change the stock anchors (I like being able to switch it out easily and the anchor on the driver side also serves that passenger). But as a way to get the hardware it's a very good idea. BTW, the hardware at Bernardi parts is over $100.

Thanks!