Husband uncomfortable with child in 3rd row of the Mazda 5

jenfrogmom

New member

• Oct 18, 2011

• #1

Anyone else have concerns like this? Or is it perfectly safe? Opinions welcome. Thanks!

 

J

jewlsvern

New member

• Oct 18, 2011

• #2

It is perfectly safe. In fact when DS was born he rode in the 3rd row of our Mazda 5. It was the best place to fit his seat. If it wasn't safe it wouldn't be allowed. They even put tether anchors there for a FFing seat.

 

T

teekadog

Active member

• Oct 18, 2011

• #3

I have no problem doing it with any of my family or friends.

 

luckyclov

New member

• Oct 18, 2011

• #4

Well, it depends.

If your child is in a model year 2008 or older 5, but in a properly installed (and used) 5-point harness, I'd be 100% OK with 3rd row riding.

If your child is in a moder year 2008 or older 5 and in a booster - either HBB or NBB - it would largely depend on the how the shoulder belt was fitted/positioned. The shoulder belt in those model years is set so far fwd, it's really difficult to get proper positioning with boostered kids.

Judging by the your kids' dates of birth in your siggy, I'm assuming they're both still in harnesses. In that case, either kid, in a properly installed seat, any model year 5, I'd be 100% OK with 3rd row riding.

Rear impacts are a very small portion of overall crash statistics. Vehicles are typically moving in the same direction and at much lower speeds. That all makes a difference.

 

jenfrogmom

New member

• Oct 18, 2011

• #5

It is a 2006 and he is in a harnessed FR85.

 

Admin

Admin - Webmaster

• Oct 18, 2011

• #6

If you haven't seen it-

http://carseatblog.com/13683/it-put...ivan-the-mazda-5-kids-carseats-safety-review/

The main concern might be if you have to have a second carseat in the second row in front of the F85 in the third row.

 

jenfrogmom

New member

• Oct 19, 2011

• #7

I do occasionally have a seat in front in the second row, where I break the rule and move that seat up a click or 2.

 

T

teekadog

Active member

• Oct 19, 2011

• #8

I feel better about about having my rear-facers in the 2nd row and my tethered forward-facers in the 3rd row. My PERSONAL hypothesis is that it's the front seat seat backs that are most likely to fail under the adult weights of 200+lbs and I'd rather they fail against the back of my children's carseats than the fronts. Also, while my 3rd row occupants might have damage to their legs from lack of legroom in the 3rd row in a crash, the 2nd row seat backs will not fail and the 3rd row tethers will prevent excessive forward head movement of the tethered 3rd row occupants' heads. I believe it was on this board that I learned the phrase, "Broken leg, cast it; broken neck, casket."

Having successfully had a Regent in my 3rd row since 2008 and a Frontier there as well since 2010, AND having ridden back there myself exclusively for 2 round-trip cross-country drives, ALL WITHOUT MOVING THE 2ND ROW FORWARD, I get a bit peeved with the constant "lack of 3rd row space" chatter.

And with that unhelpful pregnancy-hormone fueled rant, I'll go

 

jeminijad

New member

• Oct 19, 2011

• #9

I do wonder where the crumple area for the third row is- meaning, what if you were read ended by someone travelling 45+ mph? There is just nowhere that is safe to deform in the rear half of a car with 3rd row seating.

With that said, those are the rarer crashes, and I'm no automotive engineer.

 

macmomma

New member

• Oct 19, 2011

• #10

I guess I am one of the few folks that is also scared to death of putting a child in the third row of the Mazda5. We had it as a rental a while back after I got rear ended in my Explorer.
I am also worried about having a kid in the third row of my Explorer but not nearly as much- just a bit
Keep in mind that this is coming from a person that has been rear ended by a car going over 70mph and then side swiped by an 18wheeler on the interstate... we were blessed to be in my husbands F150 with a huge crumble zone but it still pushed the truck bed into the cab of the truck.

 

L

livsmum

New member

• Oct 19, 2011

• #11

I too worry about putting any of my kids in the third row of our Sienna - even worry when I'm back there.

All I think of is those three kids that were killed when rear ended. But then I remind myself that it was a HUGE truck going 55 MPH and that it's not something that happens every day.

I worry about a lot of stuff and I'm surprised I even leave the house some days.....LOL.

 

J

jewlsvern

New member

• Oct 19, 2011

• #12

livsmum said:

All I think of is those three kids that were killed when rear ended. But then I remind myself that it was a HUGE truck going 55 MPH and that it's not something that happens every day.

Click to expand...

In that crash only 1 child was in the 3rd row. The other 2 were in the 2nd row. The car was stopped to get off at the exit but in a driving lane and the semi was going way more than 55. I think the speed limit is 65 there. Because of the speed of the semi the entire back of the car was crushed. It was an unsurvivable crash. Very unfortunate and very rare. It doesn't mean that the back of the car in unsafe just the factors involved in that crash made it so no one in the back (2nd or 3rd row) of the car could survive.

 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician

• Oct 19, 2011

• #13

And FWIW, the two children in the second row were dead at the scene. The child in the third row hung on for a few hours. Frankly, it's amazing anyone in that van survived.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Oct 20, 2011

• #14

jeminijad said:

I do wonder where the crumple area for the third row is- meaning, what if you were read ended by someone travelling 45+ mph? There is just nowhere that is safe to deform in the rear half of a car with 3rd row seating.

With that said, those are the rarer crashes, and I'm no automotive engineer.

Click to expand...

The crumple zones for the third row are on the sides.

In general, modern vehicles with third rows are designed so that in a straight-on rear-impact, the forces will be immediately displaced to the sides of the vehicles as much as possible, where crumpling sides take the brunt of the energy while the frame around the occupants remains intact.

Now, this works best if there is no heavy cargo loose in the back, and/or if there are reinforced third-row seatbacks designed to resist transfer of forces causing deformation, so that when the energy is transferred to the vehicle frame and occupants and contents, the vehicle frame does its job, the occupants' restraints do theirs, and the contents, instead of continuing to travel forward until they transfer their energy to the seats containing the occupants, which then smash forward, potentially causing injury to the riders, stay in place or at least transfer their energy relatively harmlessly to the vehicle frame rather than the vehicle seats.

 

lawgirl5

New member

• Oct 20, 2011

• #15

Curious....what accident are you all referring to? Must have been big news but I never heard about it.

 

L

livsmum

New member

• Oct 20, 2011

• #16

jewlsvern said:

In that crash only 1 child was in the 3rd row. The other 2 were in the 2nd row. The car was stopped to get off at the exit but in a driving lane and the semi was going way more than 55. I think the speed limit is 65 there. Because of the speed of the semi the entire back of the car was crushed. It was an unsurvivable crash. Very unfortunate and very rare. It doesn't mean that the back of the car in unsafe just the factors involved in that crash made it so no one in the back (2nd or 3rd row) of the car could survive.

Click to expand...

55MPH or 70, same difference.

My point was that third rows are safe - under normal circumstances. But when you combine all the forces that were present that fateful day, nobody stands a chance.

And for a PP, I think this accident was in CA, about 3-4 years ago. They lost their 3 children, and then went on to have triplets. They were even on Oprah a little while ago.

 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician

• Oct 20, 2011

• #17

livsmum said:

55MPH or 70, same difference.

My point was that third rows are safe - under normal circumstances. But when you combine all the forces that were present that fateful day, nobody stands a chance.

And for a PP, I think this accident was in CA, about 3-4 years ago. They lost their 3 children, and then went on to have triplets. They were even on Oprah a little while ago.

Click to expand...

The family's last name is Coble. If you google that along with crash or accident you'll probably find the info.

 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician

• Oct 20, 2011

• #18

The accident in question is the one of the Coble family. This Oprah article has a pretty good overview, IMO. (There might be better out there if someone googles further than the third link.) Truly tragic.

ETA: Somehow I missed page two... sorry for the cross-post!