Which seat in the car should my 10 year old sit?

[joannqn]

Our birthday present for a neighborhood friend was a trip to the Seattle Zoo with us. It's about 35 minutes north on the freeway from us. I have two options for where my 80lb, 10 year old daughter can sit in the car:

 

The middle seat in the back, squished between the two boys with a lap only belt.

 

The front passenger seat. The shoulder belt fits her properly; however, she's now heavy enough that the automatic airbag detects her and stays turned on. I do not know how to turn it off manual, or if it can be turned off.

 

The other seats are occupied by younger and smaller children.

 

Where would you put her?

[Dana]

I don't have an opinion about seating, but if you check the car's user manual, or do an online search, you should be able to find out whether the passenger airbag can be turned off.

[NanceXToo]

Personally, I'd put her in the back. But then I won't let my kids sit in the front seat ever til they are like 12-13 years old.

[joannqn]

Normally, she's in the back passenger side, which has a shoulder belt but that's where we will put our guest. I'm just wondering how safe that lap only belt will be...is it any safer than the front seat which has the shoulder belt?

[NanceXToo]

Yes, I do believe it is safer than the front seat.

 

A 3 point seatbelt is obviously safer than a lapbelt only; HOWEVER, from my understanding, the back seat is always safer for a child than the front seat, even if that means riding with a lapbelt only. If you were to get into an accident, an inflating airbag could kill or seriously a child. That's why pretty much every car comes with those warnings on the visors that basically say that children 12 and under are safest in the backseat or whatever.

 

Not only that, a backseat is going to be furthest from point of impact if someone hit you head on. If someone rear-ended you, those types of accidents are much less likely to result in serious injury or death anyway (and you'd still be further from point of impact than you would be if you were in the front of the car). And if someone hit the side of the car, the middle is still furthest from the point of impact. So you could look at it that way (not to be too morbid)!

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Personally, I'd put her in the back. But then I won't let my kids sit in the front seat ever til they are like 12-13 years old.

 

:iagree:

[yslek]

I think it is, though don't remember where I read that. B always rides in the back of the van, squished between two siblings, with a lap belt. Here in WA, kids are required by law to sit in the back if they're under 13, unless it's "not practical" (whatever that means--I interpret is as "there's no other space to put the kid"). The law doesn't really seem to be enforced, though. :glare: My personal rule for kids in my family/car is no kids under 15 up front, after reading an article on the topic.

[Jilly]

Personally, I'd put her in the back. But then I won't let my kids sit in the front seat ever til they are like 12-13 years old.

 

:iagree:

[lil'red]

You may also want to check the laws in your state. Our law states that a child has to be 12 or older. If you are pulled over by an officer and your child is in the front, you may be fined or have your driving priviledges revoked.

[AppleGreen]

Personally, I'd put her in the back. But then I won't let my kids sit in the front seat ever til they are like 12-13 years old.

 

another :iagree:

[KathyBC]

Another vote for middle of the back seat with a lap belt. It is my understanding that you need to weigh 100lbs to tangle with an airbag, so that's the rule in our house.

[Lolly]

A difficult choice for an older child is when the seating positions available are a lap-only belt in back or a lap-shoulder belt in front, with or without a belt-positioning booster. The child in the lap-belt has an increased risk of injury because there is no upper torso restraint, while the child in the front seat has an increased risk of injury because she is sitting in the more dangerous seating position. Overall, field data suggest that the injury risk for a child properly restrained in the front seat is about the same as the child improperly restrained (lap-belt only) in the back seat. Both choices are riskier than a properly restrained child in the rear seat. (7/06)

 

If there are more children than rear seating positions, the most appropriate child to put in the front seat is the one in a forward-facing CR with internal harness, which will keep the child well back and away from the instrument panel and/or air bag. The harness must be snug, the CR firmly installed, with top tether if possible, and the vehicle seat moved as far rearward as possible. A child in a rear-facing CR should never be placed in a front seating position with an air bag.

 

The above is from http://www.carseat.org/Technical/tech_update.htm#seatpos

 

So, if one of your boosters has a harness, it should go in the front seat; and you can put the 10 yo in the back in a shoulder belt. Otherwise, I would go with the 10 yo in the front with the seat as far back as possible. She will be more comfortable. She will be able to actually get in and out of the car... Evidence shows that the risk is the same. Personally, I believe that if the seatbelt fits her in the front, the risk would be less than a lap belt.

Edited July 6, 2010 by Lolly

[MorganClassicalPrep]

Are any of the other children still in carseats? If so, I'd put one of the car seats in the center with the lap only belt, then put DD in backseat with a lap-shoulder belt.

[Mom2J112903]

A difficult choice for an older child is when the seating positions available are a lap-only belt in back or a lap-shoulder belt in front, with or without a belt-positioning booster. The child in the lap-belt has an increased risk of injury because there is no upper torso restraint, while the child in the front seat has an increased risk of injury because she is sitting in the more dangerous seating position. Overall, field data suggest that the injury risk for a child properly restrained in the front seat is about the same as the child improperly restrained (lap-belt only) in the back seat. Both choices are riskier than a properly restrained child in the rear seat. (7/06)

 

If there are more children than rear seating positions, the most appropriate child to put in the front seat is the one in a forward-facing CR with internal harness, which will keep the child well back and away from the instrument panel and/or air bag. The harness must be snug, the CR firmly installed, with top tether if possible, and the vehicle seat moved as far rearward as possible. A child in a rear-facing CR should never be placed in a front seating position with an air bag.

 

The above is from http://www.carseat.org/Technical/tech_update.htm#seatpos

 

So, if one of your boosters has a harness, it should go in the front seat; and you can put the 10 yo in the back in a shoulder belt. Otherwise, I would go with the 10 yo in the front with the seat as far back as possible. She will be more comfortable. She will be able to actually get in and out of the car... Evidence shows that the risk is the same. Personally, I believe that if the seatbelt fits her in the front, the risk would be less than a lap belt.

 

:iagree:

[Laurie4b]

In the back with the lapbelt.

[Laurie4b]

A lapbelt only won't protect you as well as lap/shoulder belt, but it won't kill you either. An airbag can kill you.

Also back is generally safer than front.

[KathyBC]

A lapbelt only won't protect you as well as lap/shoulder belt, but it won't kill you either. An airbag can kill you.

Also back is generally safer than front.

 

:iagree:

[Mom2J112903]

How old are the other passengers?

 

Is there another vehicle that can be taken?

 

Can two cars be taken?

 

A lap only belt is ONLY good for installing car seats. They do not provide the protection that an adult needs and can not be used with boosters.

 

The oldest, harnessed child in the front seat, ALL the way back.

[easygoer]

I agree that my first choice would be a) a harnessed carseat in the front if it can be installed correctly and b) if not I would put the 10yo in the front, seat pushed all the way back.

 

I completely agree with Lolly's post.

[babysparkler]

Can you move a carseat to the center so that the 10yo can sit on the side?

[Parrothead]

How big is she? Dd sits up front now most of the time if it is only the two of us. But she is 5 feet tall and weighs 120 0bs. She is as big as some adults.

 

If your dc doesn't fit the height/weight requirements the back seat is safer.

[phathui5]

Back seat.

[lisamarie]

After checking with your state's laws about riding in the front seat to make sure it's okay, I would put her in the front with the seat as far back as it goes. I actually had the exact same question though involving my 6 yr old, 52in, 65lb DS when my car was in the shop. I called the national carseat installation hotline and they refused to answer my question because neither option is considered "safe." I tried a carseat fitter in my area and she couldn't answer my question and told me to call the police station since they're the ones who'd ticket me if I was breaking the law.

 

After much discussion, the policeman told me to put my DS in the front seat because it's better to have a shoulder belt in the front seat than just a lap belt in the backseat. But that it ultimately didn't matter legally, that I should go with what I was most comfortable with. I opted for the front seat.

[Mommyof4ks]

Another vote for putting the 10 yr old on the side and a child in a carseat w/ a harness in the middle of the back seat.

 

Neither the middle nor the front seat are very safe. The front seat would cause injury from the air bag, but the backseat would leave her knocking heads with the other kids or hitting her head on the seats in front of her as well as all of the pressure from the seat belt pressing against her mid-section. My step grandma has heart damage from the seatbelt across her chest, so I can only imagine the damage that the lap only belt could cause to the organs around the mid section.