My kid is 8 now - use the front seat?

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y_p_w

y_p_w

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For a while nobody was sitting in the front seats of my car and my wife's car because of the Takata airbag recall, but now both have been replaced, including the driver side airbag in the Civic.

However, I'm wondering if it might be time for my kid to start riding in the front seat. The law in California is in at least a booster seat in the back until 8, but now that my kid is 8 that no longer applies. I've gone a few times without a booster seat in the back, but those were only when test driving a car or where I didn't have an available seat.

What do you guys think? I'm seriously thinking of getting a BRZ, and the front seat might be useful with the back seats flipped down. But I'm worried about maybe an issue with airbags with my kid, who is currently 53" tall.
 
I would be more concerned about intrusion into the passenger compartment in a frontal impact than I would be about the airbag. Depending on the vehicle year and restraint systems, it may scale airbag deployment back based on occupant weight.
 
The front air bags are progressive dependent on weight of passenger. The likely case it would not fire if your child is under the threshold weight around 80lbs.
 
Make sure the passenger airbag light goes off as there are circumstances it won't for some adults. One of my sister's is 5'10" and 105 pounds. Her butt cheeks are high and she was in my car once with the seat back reclined and the passenger airbag was still off until I made her recline the seat up a little more. Her butt was probably resting on the seat back a little taking weight off the seat cushion.
 
Originally Posted by madRiver
The front air bags are progressive dependent on weight of passenger. The likely case it would not fire if your child is under the threshold weight around 80lbs.

Pretty sure that is only true for certain years. I'm pretty sure my '99 doesn't have a passenger airbag switch. Maybe everything for the last few years does, but I don't know what the OP is driving.

*

IMO, you're the parent, make your best guess. Back seat is most safest, but, life is more fun in the front seat. I've looked at the laws for my state, and decided that I'd let my kids chose, once they could fit in the seat properly. Sometimes you can wrangle your hands only so much.
 
In NY, kids can stop using a booster seat once they turn 8 years old, but can't ride in the front seat until they are 12. Twenty years ago I would have laughed at that law, but I am older and wiser now. The back seat is safer, air bags or not. (My kids also know it's the law, so my 10 year old doesn't complain about the back seat at all)
 
Most cars have weight sensors for the passenger seat. Our almost-10-year old isn't heavy enough to trigger the airbag sensor so in case of an accident, the airbag will not go off. My G35 wants 75+ lbs I believe. Not sure what our other cars need.

At the end of the day, airbag or no airbag, the rear seat is safer. Period.
 
Sounds like a hard decision to make but it sounds like you are at least trying to consider all angles. Longer you wait, bigger kid gets to tip the scales so there is always that. The reality is there is no 100% protection for any passenger regardless of vehicle or where they are sitting. I have investigated way too many crashes at this point to believe that any car or airbag will do what it was designed to and also follow the laws of physics properly. I can't tell you how many times I have looked at something and heard people say what they think happened and found later it was all wrong or just happened in a manner that physics etc can't explain. Want to really struggle? how many parents are just driving around today with a small baby belted in portable car carrier device that is not actually attached to the car in any manner? Super common believe me.

Do what you need/want based on the information you have, will your kid grow up happier that you forced him to stay in rear of super safe mom mobile, or did they really love that time dad's crazy 2 door car went flying sideways and they almost went over the side of a canyon? Only you know those answers....
 
Originally Posted by y_p_w
For a while nobody was sitting in the front seats of my car and my wife's car because of the Takata airbag recall, but now both have been replaced, including the driver side airbag in the Civic.

However, I'm wondering if it might be time for my kid to start riding in the front seat. The law in California is in at least a booster seat in the back until 8, but now that my kid is 8 that no longer applies. I've gone a few times without a booster seat in the back, but those were only when test driving a car or where I didn't have an available seat.

What do you guys think? I'm seriously thinking of getting a BRZ, and the front seat might be useful with the back seats flipped down. But I'm worried about maybe an issue with airbags with my kid, who is currently 53" tall.


What the law says vs common sense. You are legal to let them ride up front, but where does the seat belt hit them? If not tall enough it will be across the neck.
 
What JLTD said. Base it on height and weight, not age. If his weight allows the airbag to be active, and his height is tall enough that the shoulder belt isn't on his neck, he fits for front seat protection. Rear seats are generally still a safer seating position, but kids want to see as well. If he's just playing on a phone anyway, put him in the back. If he's engaged in the drive or conversation and fits, sit up front.
 
My kid is 10 and I still have the booster seat in the back seat of my truck since it has no side airbags. No booster for our car as it has 6 or 8 airbags but still rear seat.
He never rides in the front. Less safe and adds nothing of value by doing so.
 
It's really not a problem with the rear seat in any of our current vehicles. Always in the back, except once it was in the front just for a new experience.

However, I'm thinking of getting a car where there's not much of a back seat and almost no trunk, so turning it into a two seat car with the rear seats folded over seems like it could be an option.
 
Most cars have warnings that say something like, "children under 12 are safer in the back seat". Although KS does not have a law either, we waited until they were about 12.
 
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