Car seat in the front seat - Page 2

[alllyssa]

Putting the baby behind the driver seat might make it less likely that that the driver will have to "choose" to save himself of the baby (get hit on his side or the baby's side)?

Remember that it is very unlikely that you are going to ever be in a serious car accident anyway. Walking to the store carries risks too, but such is life - you can't live in a bubble.

I've got older kids and remember when they only had to be in carseats until they were 4. Before airbags, almost everyone I knew put the baby in the front seat next to them. It's one of those: we all survived, well, except for the ones who unfortunately didn't :-(

[crysmomofthree]

well i'm not a carseat professional, but like others mentioned I would optimaly switch cars with my partner so the baby could ride in the backseat ... That said when my oldest was a baby we had a pickup with a bench seat it had airbags, but they could be turned off with the ignition key

his carseat was properly installed forward facing with a top tether, and we were in a massive car accident where it was a side impact on the passenger side, and then a frontal impact when I hit the cement lightpole, then the roof was smashed in when the cement lightpole fell on top of the truck

it was an awful accident, but my son and I were both properly restrained the car seat, the vehicle seat belts and the airbags all did their jobs and we walked away from the accident

I think the key is installing the seats correctly

[dallaschildren]

Many parents ask the question..."where is the safest place in the car for my child to be?" What types of crashes happen most often?

The suggested placement of your child (assuming one) is in the middle rear passenger seat. For 2 or more children....the forward facing youngest child is safest in the middle rear. The rearfacing child (and other remaining occupants) should be placed in either of the rear outboard positions. Technically, if you are in a crash, the side of impact becomes the less safe side of the two...so it becomes 50/50 when trying to choose between the rear passenger side vs. the rear driver's side. It was once thought the passenger side outboard position was slightly safer than the driver's side rear outboard, however the percentage is slim.
It is further thought that the rearfacing child is better protected due to the postition they face, coupled with the design of the shell of the seat which "cocoons" them, thus the recommendation to put them in an outboard position when securing more than 1 child.

There are four types of crashes. Frontal, Lateral, Rear-end, and Rollover.

The frontal crash is not necessarily the most severe, but is the most frequent type of crash. The lateral (or T-bone crash) crash is typically the most deadly. There is typically less space between the encroaching vehicle and the occupants of the struck vehicle, thus more severe injuries can occur. There are minor differences between fatalities between the right and left side of the vehicle...it just depends on where the impact takes place.
The rear-end crash accounts for just 3 1/2% of fatalities. Typically these types of crashes occur when both vehicles are moving forward, or when the front vehicle is stopped.
The roll over crash involves the vehicle rolling over onto its side or top, one time or many times. This type of crash is typically fatal as it often results in ejection from the vehicle. Ejected occupants are 4 times more likely to die.

DC

[dallaschildren]

OP, I agree with the PP's who suggested you switch cars if possible. Generally speaking, all children ages 12 years and younger should ride in the back seat (however defer to the safety recommendations of your vehicle which can state 13 years; look on your visor). This eliminates the injury risk of deployed front passenger-side airbags and places children in the safest part of the vehicle in the event of a crash. Overall, for children less than 16 years, riding in the back seat is associated with a 40% reduction in the risk of serious injury. Appropriately restrained children ages 13 to 15 who sit in the front seat are not at increased risk for injury. No matter the age, occupants are safer in the rear. If it is not possible to switch cars, then turn off the airbag and push the seat back as far as possible. Make sure your child is restrained in their car seat correctly. To verify proper fit to the seat and installation to the car, you can make an appointment to see a CPS Tech. www.seatcheck.org

DC

[midwestmeg]

Read your vehicle manual to see how to put your child properly in the front seat. If you only have one row of seats (as we do in my dh's truck), you only have that choice for the carseat!

We all know it's not as safe as the middle seat in a minivan, but sometimes that's not an option!

My subaru gives instructions for putting a child seat (forward facing only) in the front seat but gives the disclaimer 'children are always safest in the backseat.'

The truck manual also gives carseat instructions, and we don't have airbags in that one.

GL!