Went to the amusement park yesterday

Snorris2

New member
I knew I would see some atrocious carseat safety while there. I did see some appropriately used Nautilus'. Although one of the children was small enough to be rf'ing. He was either 2 or a small 3 year old. I'm saying this because he was about the size of my 20 month old but seemed more mature.

I then saw a bucket seat in the front seat of a truck. There was a full back cab. My guess is that the people in the front didn't want to sacrifice their leg room, or the people in the back didn't want to sit in the front. Wow. I would never put my infant up front.
 
ADS

Keeanh

Well-known member
I then saw a bucket seat in the front seat of a truck. There was a full back cab. My guess is that the people in the front didn't want to sacrifice their leg room, or the people in the back didn't want to sit in the front. Wow. I would never put my infant up front.

Most trucks have a key to turn off the airbag. If the airbag is off, I see no reason why an infant shouldn't be in the front. Maybe they needed the back seat for something else.

Would it bother you to know that I sometimes have an RF child in the front of my non-airbag Protege?
 

Snorris2

New member
I don't know enough to decide whether that would bother me or not. If you explain it to me I might. It is against the law for children to sit in the front seat, right?
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Trucks usually only have airbag switches if the back seat isn't large enough for car seats (or if there's no back seat). If there was a full-size back seat, the truck probably wouldn't have (maybe legally can't have?) a turn-off switch.

Whether or not a child seat can be in the front is entirely dependent on state laws. If it won't fit in the back and it wasn't in front of an active airbag, it was probably legal. If it could have fit in the back and/or if the airbag was active, it was likely illegal.
 

mykidsmylife

Well-known member
Yup I too have put my infant in the front of a truck with the turn off airbag rather than in the rear. I don't judge for that if I don't know the situation as sometimes it is a safer option even if only temporarily.

Sent from my iPod touch using Car-Seat.Org
 

Keeanh

Well-known member
I don't know enough to decide whether that would bother me or not. If you explain it to me I might. It is against the law for children to sit in the front seat, right?

No, not against the law, at least here. I guess my point is that it shouldn't bother you because I already said there's no airbag.


Trucks usually only have airbag switches if the back seat isn't large enough for car seats (or if there's no back seat). If there was a full-size back seat, the truck probably wouldn't have (maybe legally can't have?) a turn-off switch.

Okay, I didn't realize that. Thanks! I've only ridden in extended cab pickups which have room for & allow seats in the back, yet have airbag switches for the front. If there was an active airbag in the truck, then yeah, that's a big problem. But the problem is the airbag, not the front seat.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Keeanh said:
Okay, I didn't realize that. Thanks! I've only ridden in extended cab pickups which have room for & allow seats in the back, yet have airbag switches for the front. If there was an active airbag in the truck, then yeah, that's a big problem. But the problem is the airbag, not the front seat.

I really thought manufacturers couldn't install switches unless there was no usable back seat, but I could be wrong.

Again, air bag or no, the legality would depend on the state.
 

Kobain's Mommy

Well-known member
My dad's 1998 extended cab Ram has a spot all he has to do is put the ignition key into and turn the switch. DH's truck doesn't have a passenger's airbag and really I'd have no issue putting DS's seats in either truck RFing or FFing up there if need be.

My dad just got a 96 Ram regular cab truck (SE Pace Car edition). It only has a driver's airbag, so I had to put a FFing seat in the middle for DS there. If he'd take DS somewhere in that truck my mom would go with as well. The middle is lap belt only with no head rest, so there really isn't any other options since there is a driver's airbag.
 

Pixels

New member
I really thought manufacturers couldn't install switches unless there was no usable back seat, but I could be wrong.

Again, air bag or no, the legality would depend on the state.

They can only install a shutoff switch if the back seat is too small by legal definition. They measure front to back space at the level of the seat bottom. I don't know if the front seat is placed all the way forward, or all the way back, or somewhere in between. When they measure, if it's less than 720 mm, then the manufacturer has the option of including a switch.

Most truck manuals I've seen don't prohibit installing in a "too small" back seat as long as you can actually fit the seat back there.
 

Ninetales

New member
My mom's Silverado has a shutoff key switch and I've installed the Scenera in the back a bunch of times. There is even a set of lower anchors in back.
 

crunchierthanthou

New member
LISmama810 said:
I really thought manufacturers couldn't install switches unless there was no usable back seat, but I could be wrong.

Again, air bag or no, the legality would depend on the state.

Fil's 2008 silverado extended cab has a switch. It's in the glovebox.

It also has two full sets of latch + one more TA in the back seat. I've had rf MAs and a CCO back there.

my phone thinks it's smarter than I am.
 

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