When do kids move to the front seat?

[MomOfOneFunOne]

At what age do you let your kids move to the front seat? Or is there some other factor? Do they have to be heavy enough to trigger the air bags? Mature enough to not drive the driver crazy? A combination of factors?

 

My daughter is dying to move to the front seat. She's not heavy enough to trigger the air bags, though, so that's kind of a deal breaker. Still, I don't know how far off she is; for all I know it could be any day. I worry about it, though. Even with the airbags, I feel that the back is the safer place. Then again, at some point she'll be there surely . . . I mean, she won't exactly be driving from the back.

 

What do you do? When do your kids get to move to the front?

[NHDeb]

My kids had to be heavy enough to trigger the airbag and they only get to ride in front when it's just them alone and Mom/Dad/Grandparent. They call "shotgun" when they are going out individually. :)

We also have them slide the seat back - so there is less chance of an impact injury w/ the airbag and of course they wear seatbelts. They are 10 & 12 and weigh over 90 pounds each.

[hose]

My oldest had to 100 pounds before I let him. He reached that at age 13.

[Matryoshka]

After reading this article Laura Corin posted here a while back, not before fifteen years old.

 

Apparently before that, no matter how tall or heavy they are, their bone structure has not matured to the point that they can safely withstand an impact in the front seat - here's the pertinent excerpt:

 

"The study found that children 14 and younger were at high risk for serious injury from air bags when they sat in the front passenger seat during car crashes. In contrast, air bags had a protective effect for children aged 15 to 18. In addition, the study showed age may be a better indicator of risk than height or weight. Several body changes during puberty, such as muscle mass, bone density and bone mineral content, may help explain why body size isn't a good measurement of risk in children.

These results were consistent with several previous studies."

 

I'm very grateful to have read this, or I probably would be letting one of my twins sit up front soon - she's 11 1/2, 95 lbs. and over 5' tall. The good news for me is that I can now have a reason other than sisterly fairness to put this off - her twin sister is only about 4'6" and 65 lbs. and is consequently not only in the back seat, but in a booster seat till she hits 4'9".

Edited November 13, 2009 by matroyshka

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

I searched the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration site and found the recommendation that those under 13 be placed in the backseat unless the passenger side airbag has a switch that allows it to be deactivated when a smaller passenger is in the front seat.

 

I also found this

 

Air Bag Basics

To better understand how seat belts and air bags work together to provide maximum crash protection, it's helpful to familiarize yourself with the following terms, which primarily apply to adults and children old enough to use adult seat belts. For more information about when a child may begin to use an adult seat belt, as well as child safety and booster seat guidelines, please see NHTSA's 4 Steps For Kids flyer.

 

Properly restrained: Seated so that 1) the lap belt portion is adjusted to fit snugly over the hips, pelvic bone and upper thighs - not the abdomen; and 2) the shoulder belt portion is adjusted to fit snugly across the chest and collarbone - not the front of the neck.

Proper seating position: 1) Seated upright, back against the seatback and feet on the floor, and 2) Front seats positioned to maintain at least 10 inches of space between an occupant's breastbone and the frontal air bag module, which is located in the steering wheel hub on the driver's side and in the dashboard on the passenger's side.

 

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.cda13865569778598fcb6010dba046a0/

[DarlaS]

How does that work when (in our state anyway) at age 14 years + 8 mos they can take driver's training? :confused:

 

After reading this article Laura Corin posted here a while back, not before fifteen years old.

 

Apparently before that, no matter how tall or heavy they are, their bone structure has not matured to the point that they can safely withstand an impact in the front seat - here's the pertinent excerpt:

 

"The study found that children 14 and younger were at high risk for serious injury from air bags when they sat in the front passenger seat during car crashes. In contrast, air bags had a protective effect for children aged 15 to 18. In addition, the study showed age may be a better indicator of risk than height or weight. Several body changes during puberty, such as muscle mass, bone density and bone mineral content, may help explain why body size isn't a good measurement of risk in children.

These results were consistent with several previous studies."

[Sasharowan]

My rule is they must be as big as Grandma, who is 5'3".

[babysparkler]

Age 12-13 at least.

[Matryoshka]

How does that work when (in our state anyway) at age 14 years + 8 mos they can take driver's training? :confused:

 

Well, they'd just be at greater risk for dying in a crash if they were driving.

 

Although at that age, I'd be worried about that greater risk based on judgement alone - heavens that is young! In my state I think it's 16 for driver training and 16 1/2 for a junior license (with restrictions).

[MamaT]

When my kids are as tall/heavy as I am, they can ride in the front. That doesn't take much as I am 5'1" and 110 pounds. That typically happens around 12yo around here.

[LizzyBee]

My rule is they must be as big as Grandma, who is 5'3".

 

I wouldn't be able to sit in the front seat of your car. :D

[momofkhm]

I have big kids though so it was never an issue fo them being heavy enough to trip the airbags. DS is 9 yo and weighs about 80 pounds. He's heavy enough to trip the sensor now but he has to wait 3 more years.

[AngieW in Texas]

I wasn't 100 pounds until I was 20yo. I doubt that my middle dd will reach 100 pounds before then either. She's 14yo and 5 feet tall and finished growing.

[Matryoshka]

I wasn't 100 pounds until I was 20yo. I doubt that my middle dd will reach 100 pounds before then either. She's 14yo and 5 feet tall and finished growing.

 

As the article said, it's not height or weight that's so important for this as the changes in bone density in puberty. So a 120 lb. 5'5" 13yo would not be as safe in the front seat as a 95 lb. 5' 18yo.

[Desert Rat]

According to the adverisements I've seen on tv the age is 12. I might consider letting my ds sit in the front sooner than that because he is really tall for his age (with weight that is proportionate).

[AFwife Claire]

Well, for us, it was when we had our 7th child. Having our 12 year-old move to the front seat means that we can still drive our 8-seat Sienna around town when it is just the kids and me. The Sienna is so much easier to drive and park than our 12-passenger van, and it gets tons better gas mileage.

[zaichiki]

At what age do you let your kids move to the front seat? Or is there some other factor? Do they have to be heavy enough to trigger the air bags? Mature enough to not drive the driver crazy? A combination of factors?

 

My daughter is dying to move to the front seat. She's not heavy enough to trigger the air bags, though, so that's kind of a deal breaker. Still, I don't know how far off she is; for all I know it could be any day. I worry about it, though. Even with the airbags, I feel that the back is the safer place. Then again, at some point she'll be there surely . . . I mean, she won't exactly be driving from the back.

 

What do you do? When do your kids get to move to the front?

 

In our state the "law" says age 12. But... I know that there's more behind that. *Why* do they say 12? Is it height, weight, bone development? The back seat is *always* safer, even for adults, so we hear... but what about when we really need to put someone in the front?

 

With my oldest we decided to wait until he was the same size and weight as some petite adults we know. So... for him that's now. He's 5 ft and 80+ lbs. The shoulder strap fits him correctly... and I'll bet that he's just as safe with the air bag as his previous cello teacher. (He's the same height as she is and she's been sitting in the front/driving for years!)

 

I think it may be a personal decision in many cases. (How much risk are you willing to take?) I have friends who *never* put *any*one, including adults, in the front passenger seat if they can avoid it. I also have friends who put more typically sized 8 year olds there. *shrug* Different strokes for different folks. :001_smile:

[Only me]

That's a bit of a tough one in our house. My oldest dd is 17 but is only 5-1 or 5-2 and weighs 89 pounds. I reluctantly let her start going in the front seat when she was 13 or 14 but she was less then 80 pounds and 5 feet but my dh felt that I "had" to let her.

 

My middle dd is currently 14. She is 5-7 and weighs about 100 pounds. I let her sit in the front seat around 12 or 13 but she was well over 5 feet then and over 90 pounds.

 

My ds will be 12 in March but I doubt I will let him go in the front seat yet. He isn't 5 feet tall yet and weights less then 80 pounds.

 

I also think age matters. I've heard that kids should definitely sit in back until 12 or possibly 14 because of the way their bodies mature (not necessarily just size). I also would prefer my kids to not sit in front until they are at least 5 feet tall. Since two of my kids tend to be small I don't think that I can enforce a weight rule. Who knows if my oldest dd will ever reach 100 pounds.

[Laura Corin]

Fifteen. The skeleton isn't mature enough to withstand the forces before that.

 

Calvin is almost as tall as I am, but he's not coming into the front until he is fifteen.

 

Laura

[tdeveson]

The age is 15 in our house. Long before the study came out our pediatrician told us bone density was the most important factor. (This was with our eldest who is now 27.) He'd done a rotation in a very busy urban ER and he'd seen older kids that tripped the weight sensor all smashed up because their bones weren't strong enough to withstand the g-forces in a crash.

 

I don't start my car until everyone's seat belt is fastened. That includes my sister who always refused to wear a seatbelt because the law was "unconstitutional" and she was a free woman. She started wearing a seatbelt after she went through a windshield during a fender bender. The car had $400 damage and she had $6,000 damage. Some people need extra motivation to do the right thing.

Edited November 13, 2009 by tdeveson

[tdeveson]

I have friends who *never* put *any*one, including adults, in the front passenger seat if they can avoid it.

 

Not even the driver? :w00t:

 

(Just kidding -- I know what you meant, but the visual was priceless.)

[TxMama]

15.

 

That is also the age they start drivers ed and it is kinda hard to drive in the back seat. :lol:

[zaichiki]

Fifteen. The skeleton isn't mature enough to withstand the forces before that.

 

Calvin is almost as tall as I am, but he's not coming into the front until he is fifteen.

 

Laura

 

Then isn't it interesting that, in the US, some places will have kids behind the driver's wheel before then -- and some of our states have laws, like mine (12 years old), that must be unrelated to skeletal development.

 

Is it possible for kids to have different skeletal develoment/bone density development rates just like they have different heights, weights, and IQs? Just wondering...

[Laura Corin]

Then isn't it interesting that, in the US, some places will have kids behind the driver's wheel before then

 

... are historical, not based on medical research.

 

Personally, I don't think that children should drive so early: cars are lethal weapons and shouldn't be in the hands of adolescents. But that's another topic.

 

Laura

[dirty ethel rackham]

In my house, they have to be at least 13 and move the seat back as far as it will go. Most of the time, I insist that my 13yo sit in back under the guise of helping his sister with some schoolwork:). It took some doing to convince hubby to keep them in back until then.

[Mrs Mungo]

Fifteen. The skeleton isn't mature enough to withstand the forces before that.

 

Actually, the headline says:

Children 14 and younger should not sit in the front passenger seat of cars equipped with air bags

 

We let my eldest move up front when she turned 13. She is taller than I am. I only weighed 95 lbs when I got married, so, weight would not be a good measure for us. However, both of our cars have a weight sensor that turns the airbag off if you're under a certain weight. She isn't big enough to trigger the airbag. I'm not sure she'll weigh enough when she starts driving.

[Laura Corin]

So mine move up at fifteen.

 

ETA: my car doesn't have a sensor.

 

Laura

[TravelingChris]

I normally want 14. On the other hand, I take kids home from co-op to my house for a group which is less than 2 miles away and put an 12 yo in the front seat. If there are enough seats, no one under 14 goes up front. When my youngest is old enough to learn to drive, we will probably have to get a car with disconnectable air bags for the driver since she can't have them. (She is osteoporotic).

[kpupg]

When they are taller than I am ... 5 foot 3.

 

Oh, that means ds 14 can ride anywhere in the car, but dd 12 5/6 isn't quite there yet ... but will be soon.

Karen

[katilac]

My car has an airbag sensor, so the biggest/oldest kid goes up front with the seat pushed back on the few occasions that we have extra passengers. If the biggest/oldest kid is not mine, the parent is always aware that they will have to ride in the front. I'm sure I can count the times I've done this on one hand.

 

I don't let kids sit in the front if there's room in the back. And I only have two, so they might as well be together anyway; who needs one more thing for them to argue about? :auto:

[EKS]

Age 13 because that's the law here. My son was 5'6" and 105 pounds.

[abbeyej]

I have let a (larger than me) 12yo ride in the front seat a couple of times because of logistical issues with a carpool... But I think ideally I'd go with 14 or 15 (and plan for that to be the rule with my own kids). I may try to push it even older, 'cause my youngest is growth delayed and has bones about 2 years behind her chronological age. But I know that practically speaking, that may be tough to enforce by the time the kids hit their mid teens...

[Mommyof4ks]

 

Is it possible for kids to have different skeletal develoment/bone density development rates just like they have different heights, weights, and IQs? Just wondering...

 

Yes it is.

[yslek]

After reading this article Laura Corin posted here a while back, not before fifteen years old.

 

Apparently before that, no matter how tall or heavy they are, their bone structure has not matured to the point that they can safely withstand an impact in the front seat - here's the pertinent excerpt:

 

"The study found that children 14 and younger were at high risk for serious injury from air bags when they sat in the front passenger seat during car crashes. In contrast, air bags had a protective effect for children aged 15 to 18. In addition, the study showed age may be a better indicator of risk than height or weight. Several body changes during puberty, such as muscle mass, bone density and bone mineral content, may help explain why body size isn't a good measurement of risk in children.

These results were consistent with several previous studies."

 

I'm very grateful to have read this, or I probably would be letting one of my twins sit up front soon - she's 11 1/2, 95 lbs. and over 5' tall. The good news for me is that I can now have a reason other than sisterly fairness to put this off - her twin sister is only about 4'6" and 65 lbs. and is consequently not only in the back seat, but in a booster seat till she hits 4'9".

 

Thank you for this; I hadn't seen it before. I find it very interesting that age is a bigger factor than weight/height. I had always figured I'd let them sit up front around age 12, but now I won't. :D

[cathmom]

On their 12th birthday. I never heard this skeletal business before, but it wouldn't work here anyway because we need the second oldest to sit in the front so we fit in the van.

 

Just another reason poor people aren't safe. Great.

[DarlaS]

... are historical, not based on medical research.

 

Personally, I don't think that children should drive so early: cars are lethal weapons and shouldn't be in the hands of adolescents. But that's another topic.

 

Laura

 

They can take driver's training here at 14 yrs + 8 mos but do not get to drive alone until they are 16, have had their learner's permit at least 6 mos and completed 50 hrs behind the wheel. My son will probably be closer to 17 with at least 100 hrs -- even though he's already a safer and far more courteous driver than many. He's very cautious and conscious of the rules of the road. (Sometimes I need to tell him to "step on it!" so we can get into traffic. :D)

 

I don't know many who actually let their kid get their licence as soon as they can. (Your insurance skyrockets for one thing.) It makes sense to wait until they actually need to drive. Mine will possibly get his this coming summer so he can drive to classes at the CC (I have yet to decide, and may very well ride with him next year as well.).

 

Just wanted to clarify since I'm the one who brought that up.

[tricia]

Our van is a toyota and the front seat air bag automatically turns off when one of my children that doesn't weigh much is sitting there. I love it. But our family monster 15 passenger isn't like that. So then they have to be at least 12.

[Laura Corin]

They can take driver's training here at 14 yrs + 8 mos but do not get to drive alone until they are 16, have had their learner's permit at least 6 mos and completed 50 hrs behind the wheel.

 

Laura