[GingerSue]

young children are supposed to be in car seats placed in the back seat of a car
children under 12 yrs are not to sit in the front seat if there are passenger-side air bags.

If the car does not have air bags, then is a child under 12 years (but older than preschool) permitted to sit in the front passenger seat?

[janfrn]

I would say yes, but cautiously. The issue with the passenger side air bag is that when it deploys, it decapitates, breaks the neck of or seriously head-injures the smaller person in the seat. For infants in rear facing car seats, they are catapulted into the back of the seat face and chest first, resulting in major crush injuries. Fatal injuries. Many newer cars now have weight sensors in the seat that will turn the air bag off if the person sitting in the seat is too small. But there are other issues with the front seat for small people, such as the shoulder harness. Kids have also had similar injuries from shoulder harnesses because they sit too far up on the chest and neck. If the child is still of a size to need a booster seat, putting one in the front seat will place the shoulder harness in almost the right place. There are also clips that can be put on the two straps that can be adjusted to put the harness in right spot, with the lap belt snug across the hips (NOT the abdomen... you really don't want to see what a lap belt can do to the contents of someone's belly!!) and the shoulder strap snug across the sternum and shoulder. If there is a sliding mechanism for adjusting the height of the attachment point on the car's frame this should also be adjusted so that the strap attaches at the level of the person's ear and no higher. Kids really are safer in the back seat.

[Kidrn911]

just wondering about the 12 year age thing. Wouldn't a height be better then years?

My daughter was taller then me at 10 years old, at 5'2. If it is unsafe for her, why isn't it for me? And what about the girls at 12 and 13 at her school who are still not even 5' yet, is it safe for them now because they are a year or two older.

Don't get me wrong. I am a Peds ER RN at a level 1 trauma center. I totally believe in restraints and MVA safety. I however, don't understand the jest of the guidlines, they really don't make much sense to me.

[dawngloves]

Each airbag will deploy with a different force. It is impossible to predict how much and other circumstances, so rather than generalize height and weight, the TSA gives an age.
All front seat passengers and drivers should have their seat back as far as possible and wear their seat belt.
But botton line, children are safest in the back no matter what age.

[Kidrn911]

Originally Posted by dawngloves

Each airbag will deploy with a different force. It is impossible to predict how much and other circumstances, so rather than generalize height and weight, the TSA gives an age.
All front seat passengers and drivers should have their seat back as far as possible and wear their seat belt.
But botton line, children are safest in the back no matter what age.

Is that the same with the driver too? Sorry, but it doesn't make sense. Height and weight would be a better judge then age.

Another example, Carseats you have it reversed for children under 20lbs, well same daughter was 18 months before she was 20lbs, couldn't reverse it by the safety guidlines. I have seen 4 month old 20lb babies. You can't tell me the 4 month old was safer then the 18 month old having the car seat reversed.

[sirI]

The American Academy of Pediatrics car safety guide for 2007 states:

All children younger than 13 years are safest in the back seat.



Seat belts Remember, seat belts are made for adults. If the seat belt does not fit your child correctly, he should stay in a booster seat until the adult seat belts fit him correctly. This is usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age.

http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm

[Kidrn911]

Originally Posted by sirI

The American Academy of Pediatrics car safety guide for 2007 states:




http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm

Just because the AAP says something doesn't mean it is true. It doesn't make sense when my daughter who is now 12years old 5'4" 118lbs, is less safe in the back seat, but her mom who is 5'1 105 lbs is safe in the front seat, and her friends who are 13 and less then 5' and weigh less then 100lbs are safe in the front seat.

The guidelines the AAP set up doesn't make sense

[sirI]

Yes, they are simply guidelines from an authority for peds. Not law.

There was conversation stating about height and weight being a better judge and the guidelines point that out.

[suzanne4]

Guidelines are just that, guidelines. Each state institutes their own statutes and requirements and laws. There is no set law for all states that they have to have the same requirements in the US, many are similar, but they are not required to be the same.

What matters is what the requirement of your state is, and only that. And that is what the police go by when they ticket, what the law is there, not what anyone thinks that it should be.

[Kidrn911]

Originally Posted by sirI

Yes, they are simply guidelines from an authority for peds. Not law.

There was conversation stating about height and weight being a better judge and the guidelines point that out.

Can I ask where the conversion is? I only saw it for carseats, not for an adolescent