Safe Seating Position?

[nthach]

I wouldn’t have someone sit there. Even though the “next generation” “smart” airbag system takes into account seat position and weight(to disable the airbag if the system thinks a child seat is accidentally installed), its too close for comfort.

An airbag in some sense is an Claymore mine.

 

[The Critic]

It’s temporary as kid will outgrow seat quick enough. Good luck.

Those convertible seats are even larger!

 

[bbhero]

This thread is a good reminder for everyone to be mindful not to be too close to their airbag.

I have 35 inch long arms so I have an advantage over other people. I sit a good ways away from my steering wheel and airbag. The airbag should be fully deployed before a person actually makes contact with it. Being too close it will hit you and you are still going forward at the same time. The possible cervical neck injury is a possibility in that circumstance.

With a remote but possible worse fatal injury than that happening too. The weakest part of the human spinal column is the cervical neck... This why the HANS device has saved many race drivers from basilar skull fractures that are highly fatal. And when people have died before in high speed aka above 60 mph rear end collisions it was from this same type severe injury. These airbags also protect you from rear end high speed accidents has well. But you don't want to be way too close to the airbag either.

 

[JTK]

It's perfect for the mother-in-law.

 

[Cujet]

Drive on over to your nearest fire department and ask.

While this is likely to get a variety of answers, the fact remains, one should have the seat as far back as possible.

 

[t1snwrbrdr12]

Those convertible seats are even larger!

They dont take up as much room as a baby carrier snap in type rear facing seat, though. They are still big, but those carriers that I clip from a base are super deep. We had a new Santa Fe at the time we had our first kid, only a year old maybe (the Santa Fe) but we had to trade it in. Even for my normal height wife the front seat didn’t have enough leg room after installing the child seat.

 

[The Critic]

They dont take up as much room as a baby carrier snap in type rear facing seat, though. They are still big, but those carriers that I clip from a base are super deep. We had a new Santa Fe at the time we had our first kid, only a year old maybe (the Santa Fe) but we had to trade it in. Even for my normal height wife the front seat didn’t have enough leg room after installing the child seat.

Not sure if I agree - this is our new Evenflo Gold Revolve360. When installed into my Ram, it takes up the entire “gap.”

 

[t1snwrbrdr12]

Not sure if I agree - this is our new Evenflo Gold Revolve360. When installed into my Ram, it takes up the entire “gap.”

View attachment 126747

I’m sure it’s dependent on the seat. Our infant ones that clipped to a base, then unclip and clipped into a stroller, those were Britax. They were best suited to our girls because of how tall they were, and at the time they were safest and all that. When we switched to our convertible style seat, the convertible was definitely less deep and gave us more leg room up front. But obviously every situation is different.

 

[99Saturn]

Those convertible seats are even larger!

Amazing how much interior space they eat up! We have two in our Cruze or Cobalt depending on which car we are using.

 

[eljefino]

There are car seat forums that play matchmaker between car seat makers and car makers. Worth looking up. A lot of new parents tend to buy the cadillac of car seats without realizing one dimension gobbles up substantial extra room.

There's a cold war between car seat makers and vehicle manufacturers which is why it's so hard to get a definite answer of how to tighten a seat down to every specification. The owners manuals for both will reference each other in an endless loop.

 

[Blinker]

I don’t see any concern regarding the seat being too close to the airbag. Not even sure why we’re even discussing it.

 

[Nick1994]

I think it's fine. A lot of women are so short they're sitting inches in front of the driver airbag.