Old Car or New Truck?

salamandy516 · Apr 19, 2004

I am a new mom and am wondering which of my family's vehicles is safest for my baby. We have a 1999 Mazda truck. The carseat has to be installed in the front seat, but the air bag can be turned off. Our other vehicle is a 1982 Toyota Corolla. It is a four door sedan and is in like-new condition, but it is still over twenty years old. Is it safer for my baby in the back seat of a car with twenty year old saftey standards or in the front seat of a five year old truck? My husband and I disagree on this, so any input/insight would be appreciated. Thanks

SafeDad · Apr 19, 2004

The truck may be safer for you, but it's impossible to say for sure since many trucks and older cars do not have crash test information available. Trucks have stiffer frames that tend not to absorb crash energy well and instead transfer the energy to the occupants. They also have somewhat increased risk of rollover compared to cars. Those factors are also concerns, though it's impossible to say how much.

As for your baby, I believe they would be much safer in the center of the rear seat in the car. The rear seat is always safer for kids, as is the center position if a child seat installs correctly there. In the center of the rear, your baby has a lot more vehicle crush space between them and any point of impact from an oncoming vehicle. In the front of a truck, they are much closer to intrusion from frontal crashes and right-side offset and side impacts. Also, keep your baby rear-facing as long as possible for the safest way to travel ( http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html ).

What child seat are you using?

Old Car or New Truck?

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