Question Driver Comfort vs Child Safety

[Pixels]

It is like carseats... they don't fit every kid and unfortunately not every vehicle will fit every adult. IMHO, if it where me sitting that close to an airbag I would have it disabled. I think you may need special permission to do so ie. a drs note.

It's not a question of just one vehicle not "fitting" me. It's every single vehicle I've ever been in. It's also every vehicle I have ever seen a woman shorter than me in, too. For me, it's a combination of short legs, thick chest, and vehicles being made to fit the average adult male.

 

[canmom]

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply one vehicle doesn't fit, it is common problem for a lot of people.

 

[mimieliza]

It is like carseats... they don't fit every kid and unfortunately not every vehicle will fit every adult. IMHO, if it where me sitting that close to an airbag I would have it disabled. I think you may need special permission to do so ie. a drs note.

That is actually not a good idea at all. In a car that comes with airbags, the seatbelt, seat, and steering column are all designed to work with an airbag. If you have the airbag disabled, and sit close to the steering wheel, in an accident your face and chest will be thrown into a rigid steering column that is NOT designed to collapse in an accident.

 

[Mama!]

An older toddler does not need to be at a 45 degree angle. They can be as upright as 30 degrees, which should buy you plenty of leg room.

 

[o_mom]

I checked the book, and the info is on page 13. Honestly, it is pretty ambiguous. The tech said the handle had to be in the down position, not the carrying position, so I went with that. It also keeps the handle out of the way when it is in the car. She did not check the date on the seat, but I am going to.

Is is worded something like this?:

"Position A MUST be used when carrying by the handle
Position B, C and D are convenience positions
Position E is the sitting position
NEVER use B or C in the car"

If so, then you are good to leave it up in the car if you like. Graco engineers clarified this a few years ago that it is OK. The tech sounds like she may not have been as up to date. It used to be that the general rule was to put all handles down, but now there are seats that allow them up as well as some seats that require them to be up, so she really should have read the manual.

Anyway, if it helps you out, you can leave it up. Sounds like you worked it out though!

 

[canmom]

That is actually not a good idea at all. In a car that comes with airbags, the seatbelt, seat, and steering column are all designed to work with an airbag. If you have the airbag disabled, and sit close to the steering wheel, in an accident your face and chest will be thrown into a rigid steering column that is NOT designed to collapse in an accident.

They are somewhat designed to work together, if you are sitting the proper distance away. Typically, smaller stature adults, in order to reach the pedals, need to sit closer to the airbag. They were not designed to have people sit that close to them. The airbag is a part of the reason why we tell people to avoid having children under 12-13 sit in the front seat. Airbags are a second stage safety device; your seatbelt is the first stage.

Airbag deployment is actually an explosion and if you are sitting too close, it can cause serious injuries and even death, including collisions at low speeds. I have had an airbag explode in my face and I can tell you it is very painful and it burns (due to the chemicals that deploy the bag). When I was a teenager, a very small woman was killed 2 houses away from me when she lost control of the van she was driving and struck a fence (speed was only about 15 miles/hr), her airbag deployed and it killed her. The van was completely drivable after and barely looked damaged. I'm not saying I'm against airbags, I just think, like any safety device, they need to be used correctly in order to do their job effectively :thumbsup:. All I can say that if it were me, and I couldn't find any way to sit a safe distance away from an airbag, I would have them disabled, it is entirely a personal choice. There are so many factors at play and experts can’t decide who (what height etc) should be an appropriate cut off, but they do know that the airbags are in-fact dangerous and even deadly if you are too close when they deploy. A quick web search will show that smaller people and airbags is a safety concern.

 

[Pixels]

And all of this is why they should test in different seating positions, including all the way forward with the small adult female (who I think is 5'2") ATD. I heard something about them starting to require testing in the farthest forward position, but it was a while ago and I don't remember now what it was. Maybe that they were going to actually require it, or maybe that someone had proposed requiring it??

 

[carnalcindd]

Is is worded something like this?:

"Position A MUST be used when carrying by the handle
Position B, C and D are convenience positions
Position E is the sitting position
NEVER use B or C in the car"

If so, then you are good to leave it up in the car if you like. Graco engineers clarified this a few years ago that it is OK. The tech sounds like she may not have been as up to date. It used to be that the general rule was to put all handles down, but now there are seats that allow them up as well as some seats that require them to be up, so she really should have read the manual.

Anyway, if it helps you out, you can leave it up. Sounds like you worked it out though!

That sounds like the wording. I think the fit is fine with it all the way down, and since we don't use it as a carrier, the handle would just be in the way if it was up. Thanks for you help!