Kidgard Seat Belt Guard was developed out of necessity. Back in 1987 my wife was taking our baby out of his child safety seat, his foot caught one of the straps causing the safety seat to fall forward. The safety seat was completely detached from the car (this was before tether straps were available in all cars). At some time before that, our older son must have innocently unbuckled the seat belt securing the child safety seat. Who knows how long had it been unbuckled? It was a tragedy waiting to happen. If the car had stopped suddenly, the baby seat, with or without the baby, could have flown around inside the vehicle injuring others and possibly even been ejected from the car. We had to focus more attention on safety. We were expecting our third child and the thought of three children in the back seat, perhaps unsecured, did not seem very appealing, or safe. We looked around for a solution, but could not find anything available for purchase addressing this safety issue.
It would eventually present an opportunity though, if we were experiencing these issues, perhaps other parents were too. This was potentially the beginning of a new market.
My wife and I were discussing this situation when she finally said, "You are an engineer, you can figure it out". You see, years before we had kids I was a mechanical design engineer. Designing shock absorbers was good experience, but not my real ambition. Flying was. I threw caution to the wind and quit that career to become a bush pilot in northern Canada, then after that, an airline pilot. No kidding!
I thought my design days were over, but not quite. My wife was a nurse and she had witnessed firsthand the terrible traumatic results of car accidents. We decided it was necessary to invent our own solution, which we could share with others.
After a lot of thinking and testing various designs on friends and family, we decided on which design to pursue.
We designed a Seat Belt Lock that could fit both End Release Buckles as well as Side Button Release buckles.
We originally named our Seat Belt Lock "Kidlock", but we didn't want to convey the thought of "locking" kids in their seat belts. Guarding our children from life's hazards is more what we had in mind. As a result: Kidlock Seat Belt Lock became Kidgard Seat Belt Guard.
To date, Kidgard Seat Belt Guard is still the only fully adjustable Seat Belt Lock available that is designed to fit most End Release and Side Button Release buckles.
Kidgard Seat Belt Guard has two pieces. We only recommend use on seat belts securing the child car seat.
We do not recommended it to be used on a lap belt, although some parents and school bus operators have found it very helpful to keep children in their lap belts while travelling. Often we found that if we just attached the guard base to the buckle with the super strong, two sided tape we supply, we could allow the child to choose wisely to keep his seat belt fastened. If necessary, we would clip the guard top on until he decided to be responsible again. Kind of like the penalty box in hockey. This way the child is eventually happier with his choices and ultimately safer.
Over the years Seat Belt designs have changed, so it was good that we made it adjustable.
The evolution of Seat Belt Locks over the last 20 years has not required any major changes. Most Seat Belt Locks available on the market now are designed to simply cover the "End Release " button, allowing the locking clip to slide through and lock.
To unlock, you insert something smaller and flatter similar to an ignition key or popsicle stick to press the release button. Unfortunately, these kind of Seat Belt Locks cannot be used on the side button release buckles. Kidgard Seat Belt Lock can.
In the end, Seat Belt Safety is of primary importance. Any product that promotes and enhances safety is greatly beneficial.
We are always interested in what our customers think. We need more reviews.
If you would like receive a FREE Kidgard Seat Belt Guard in exchange for your review, we will only charge you for the cost of shipping.
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