Standard cab 1/2 ton

beeman

Active member
Hey,
I'm currently driving a 95 ford F150 with a standard cab (no back seat), which has only a drivers air bag. How safe is it for kids under 12 to ride in the center and passenger position? My understanding of that restriction on the front seat is mostly air bags. Is their a great safety risk for kids in my vehicle? I use the truck for farm use, and personally fell safer and more comfortable in a half ton than a small car.
 
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skipspin

New member
A few things to check, but probably the best thing to do is read the manual for your truck. It would have some info about car seats in the seatbelt section.

Then, does your driver's airbag deploy to cover the center seat at all? Could it? The airbag in my husband's truck is designed to. You can NEVER put a rear-facing child in front of an active airbag, so if there as a chance it could touch the seat in the center it's a big NO since the airbag/rear-facing seat combination is deadly if the airbag is deployed. IMO, I would never put a rear-facing seat in the center with a driver's airbag just because of that great risk.

Also, if there is a lap-only belt in the center, you wouldn't want to put a child there unless they are in a harnessed seat. If it's a flip-up seat, those usually have a no-carseat rule as well. Check your manual.

If you HAVE to put your kids in the truck, then harnessed would be the safest, and even rear-facing if they fit within the limits, especially in the far passenger seat. The front seat is never the safest, but there are a lot of ways to make it safer if that's the only option.

If we knew more info about your truck (lapbelt location, etc) and the ages and sizes of the kids we might have some more specific suggestions.

ETA: You will need to make sure your seatbelts can lock to secure a car seat. If they don't, you need a locking clip. Once again, this should be covered in the manual.

~Joy
mommy and CPS tech
 

beeman

Active member
I'm not sure about how far the drivers air bag deploys, but I'd probably end up hitting the kid in the face with where I hold the steering wheel (3 and 9 oclock position). The kids I'm transporting are 8, 9, and 11 (not at the same time!). The two younger ones are right around the age where it is debatable if they need a booster (4 1/2 feet tall, 70-80lbs). All ford belts of this era are lockable. I only have a lap belt in the center and no flip seat (just a bench all the way across), but they should be alright without a booster if there's only a lap belt. At that age the shoulder belt is the biggest issue, right? The younger ones around 5 or 6 are the ones with issues with the lap bel to my knowlege. I won't be using any rearfacing seats in this truck.
 

scatterbunny

New member
A lapbelt is not safe for anything other than installing a harnessed carseat, so keep that in mind.

The kids who are about 4.5 feet tall, they should be in boosters until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and can pass the 5 step test. Hopefully someone can post that, I'm on a library computer and don't have my favorite links saved here. :)
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
The 5 Step Test

If you answer "No" to any of these questions, your child must be in a booster seat:
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Is the lap belt touching the top of the thighs, not the tummy?
4. Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
 

abacus2

Well-known member
Add shoulder straps to your lap-only position

You should check out the 86Y Universal Harness for the middle position of your truck. It converts a lap belt to a two shoulder belt harness for people 66-168 lbs using a tether anchor point. I believe this should allow you to transport any two of your children or small-to-average adults safely in your truck. Lap only belts provide much less protection than lap shoulder belts and if at all possible should only be used to secure car seats. Also it is much safer to only have passengers in the middle seat whose ear tops hit at or below the top of the seatback or headrest.
 

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