Safety is main concern

We recently lost a child to an automobile accident and I really need some help finding the safest possible vehicle. It was a side impact, so I'm extremly hesitant about putting one of our two kids in the 2nd or 3rd row outboard seats. Our other vehicle is a 2011 Odyssey and I really don't want to buy another Minivan, but will if I have to. My main goal is to find an SUV or Crossover with a 3rd row so that I can put both kids in the center seating positions of the 2nd and 3rd row. I've always read that the center seat is the safest...i'm just not sure about the 3rd row. I'm also noticing that it's very hard to find something that will fit a Rear Facing child in the 3rd row if you have a 2nd row bench. I have to throw out the largest SUV's that are built on truck frames.....Tahoe's, Yukon's, Escalades, Expeditions.....those tend to roll over way too easily and past fatality rates show that. I'm looking at some of the larger crossovers like the Enclave and Acadia. They have 4 star rollover ratings and are heavier then most mid/large size SUV's which will help in an accident. I'm open to any suggestions...I really like the Volvo XC90, but it has only two 3rd row seats with a console in the middle. I can't put a car seat there. Any thoughts? Please help....

I am so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine going through what you have/are.

I am sure someone will come along with some vehicle suggestions for you (it's not really my thing), but just wanted to emphasize rear-facing as the safest way to travel for any child that can. Rear-facing is actually especially beneficial in side impacts as well as frontal collisions.

I am so sorry for your incredible loss.

Can you let us know more about the children you are trying to seat? Their ages, sizes, and what seats they are sitting in currently? There are so many members on the board with such a wide variety of seats and vehicle combinations that someone will surely be able to advise you on what is likely to work and what you can cross off of your list.

Thank you both for the responses. We currently have 1 boy who is eight months old and we just found out that my wife is pregnant. This vehicle will most likely need to last for roughly 5 years, which means that I need to plan for 3 kids. When my infant is born I would be looking at an infant in a Chico Keyfit 30 and a 17 month old boy in a Britex Boulevard(Rear Facing). The boy is of average weight for his age, but is in the 90% in height. Our hope is to be able to utilize the middle of the 2nd and 3rd rows for the two kids until we have another...at that point we'll obviously have to put one in an outboard seating position.

Again, thanks for the help.

Safety Dad

I'm so, so sorry for your tragic loss.

I know you mentioned you didn't *want* to purchase another minivan, but I think it's what I would do. Maybe look into the Toyota Sienna. If you get the the 7-passenger version, you can move one of your capt's chairs to the center and have a child there, and then another child in the center in the 3rd row (there would be plenty of space in the 2nd row for an adult to get a child in the 3rd row). I would just double check top tether location in the 3rd row for when you may have a forward facing child. Keep your current little one - and any future little ones - rear facing as long as possible (the safest thing we can do for our kiddos) and make sure your carseats are installed properly (the KeyFit is an *excellent* infant seat, VERY easy to use/install - one of my all-time favorite child seats).

I, personally, have a difficult time "trusting" SUVs and trucks (even though my hubby drives a large truck...), so I won't ever own anything but a minivan...I, personally, just feel safer in one. I feel so out of control and vulnerable driving SUVs/trucks. Sounds crazy, I know.

Again, I am so sorry for your loss. Good luck to you and your family.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't amagine your pain.

I really love the Enclave. But if you guys have three kids one will not be in the center. RF is super safe and your new car will have side curtain air bags. That will be a big plus.

Also love the BV. Great choice.

Do you mind if I ask what kind of car and seat you had when you lost your child.

Wow. Praying for you and yours right now as I type. As a father of 2 youngsters myself, I can definitely relate to the mission if keeping your family safe. Not sure how much I can help but here goes:


I'd agree that it would be tough to find something safer for your kids than a minivan.
- safety is a big deal for the target market, so I'm betting that they make it a higher-than-usual priority during design & development
- It's about the biggest/heaviest thing you can get and still have a low center of gravity and unibody construction
- There's really only 3 types of vehicles that give you 2 useful middle seats - some minivans, full sized vans, and body-on-frame SUV's. Of the 3, minivans would get my vote for safety.

Of the minivans I know of, the most useful middle seats can be found on the 2011 Odyssey and the 2010 and earlier 8 passenger Sienna. There are some others that do allow one 2nd row captains chair to shift inboard and be next to the other. It's not the center, but gives more space between the seat and the outside world.

another way-out-there idea I just though of: Remember the original Hummer H1? Those are wide enough they'd be tough to roll, and I thought the back seat sat 4 across = 2 middle seats. I wouldn't see enough benefit over a minivan (if any) to justify the cost, but it's just something to think about and rule out.

I'll look through the crossovers I know of, but I don't think any would be big enough in the back to really use 2 middle seats RF.

OP I am so sorry for your loss

However, I thought 2nd row was safer than even 3rd row center?

Personally I'd do both kiddos in a minivan in the second row "centered". or a mini van with 8 seats and both centered if you are really set on that.

AFAIK, statistically a rear impact that intrudes into the third row is more likely than a side impact though it sounds like you have personal experience with being impacted on the side and in that case all the x times more likely means nothing to your heart.

I'm so very sorry to hear of your loss. Having a child die is what inspired me to become involved with CPS and get certified.

The 8 passenger Acadia and clones have two usable middle seats. I don't know how easily the third row could be accessed consistently, though. I don't believe the outboard seats are removable, as you often find in minivans. They do have quite good crash test ratings (mid-50s at http://informedforlife.org/ if I'm remembering correctly).

There is no reason to avoid them if they're at the top of your list.

As for 3rd row safety- some data suggests that it's actually the safest place to ride. It's the furthest from the front, which is the point of most impacts (though obviously not all, as your experience attests). Darren wrote about it here - http://carseatblog.com/91/the-third-row-is-it-safe-for-kids/

Thanks for posting that link to 3rd row riding, Crunch. I still a get a little uneasy sometimes having my oldest DS in the 3rd row (center).

I'm so very sorry to hear of your loss.

With the right seats, and careful installations, I've been able to get RFing seats in both the second and third rows of my Pilot. (I've been able to get as many as five rearfacing seats in there at once.) It is an SUV, but not as big as the giant ones. Mine is a 2006, so it is a different generation than the current ones, although I don't know that it's changed that much.

Subaru Tribecca b9
07 or Newer Tahoe (we hate ours but it is pretty safe)
Ford Flex

*hugs*

I'm so sorry for your loss

Dodge Journeys, Kia Rondos and Mazda CX-9's all have third rows. But I'm not sure how it's laid out so you might have to put a child outboard.

The 2011 Dodge Grand Caravans(at least in Canada) can be equipped with the 2nd row as a bench. You could put one child in the middle of the bench and the other middle 3rd row. The van was redesigned for 2011 and they IMHO are quite nice.