Does the third row make you nervous?

tl01 · Jul 1, 2013

I've read all about the third row in cars... Including that it could be safer than the second row... But how do you really feel about it?

Honestly.. I feel less protected when I ride in the third row of our minivan. There's never been crash tests regarding that area which makes me nervous bc every time a new crash test comes out... There's a scramble for manufacturers to catch up. Honestly I'm surprised there isn't for true rear impacts given so many cars have third rows.

MommyShannon · Jul 1, 2013

After seeing the crash of a member here, I feel most secure with a rf tethered seat outboard back there. I keep DS in the middle most of the time since I like that he's away from the side frame at least. Where we live, we are WAY more likely to have a frontal offset crash due to our winding 2 lane roads. I've seen A LOT of crashes on roads we drive daily b/c of people crossing the middle line on curves. The roads I stop on are mostly low speed so low risk of a severe rear end accident.

scoutingbear · Jul 1, 2013

I am more nervous about the 3rd row in my Highlander than the 3rd row of a minivan. That said, I frequently have kids in the 3rd row. I do no let kids ride back there if there are open seats in the middle row though.

HEVY · Jul 1, 2013

Well it scares me and I only use it when I really need too. The seat is too close to the back window and if I were to move the seat back it would practically be touching it.

tl01 · Jul 1, 2013

scoutingbear said:
I am more nervous about the 3rd row in my Highlander than the 3rd row of a minivan. That said, I frequently have kids in the 3rd row. I do no let kids ride back there if there are open seats in the middle row though.

That's what I'm wondering.. Do you prefer 2nd row outboard.. Say vs 3rd row center?

scoutingbear · Jul 2, 2013

Can't answer that yet for myself. Lol. Don't have a option of 3rd row center at this time. When I get my van, I will always have a child in the 3rd row. Whoever is annoying me the most for the day perhaps.

based on past experience of driving a van I think there is a difference between van and smaller SUV 3rd row. Large SUV? No problem at all. I am fine with it. Van? I haven't really felt like the kids were too close to the window. My Highlander? Seems like there isn't much of a crumple zone to work with back there.

Keeks64 · Jul 2, 2013

We have a 7 seater Journey & the 3rd row freaks me out :/ I've sat back there & I just kept praying we never got hit. I think I just felt very unprotected if we were to be hit from behind or roll & the seatbelt is an awful fit back there & I'm 5'4 - the seat is SO low that the belt was up too high because I had to curl/bend my legs

I don't think ill let any kids ride back there unless emergent & I plan on trading it in soon because its just not useable space that I feel is safe

Mini vans don't bother me, but I did have a friend who was rear ended at 60km/h & it broke the back seats -they literally crumpled into the frame/bumper.... It was an 09' caravan

joolsplus3 · Jul 2, 2013

Nope. My third row has ample head excursion room (some SUV's are tiny, they DO worry me), there's a bumper and lots of crumple space back there behind them (again, some SUV's, not so much), and if we are T-Boned, there's a wheel and axle under there to absorb the force and fight that other car back a bit

A lot of the third row data on injuries, remember that there are/were fewer back seatbelt laws that are rarely/never enforced, no headrests.... they need to do a new study and make us feel better now that vans and SUV's are so much safer than they were last time they processed the data on seating rows, yeah? (At least more airbags and stronger seatback requirements might keep the obnoxious 13 yo's I chauffeur around safer when their parents don't require them to buckle up, even though it IS the law here, I guess...)

jess71903 · Jul 2, 2013

I'm totally fine with my 3rd row, but then, I drive a beast.

Kegracin · Jul 2, 2013

jess71903 said:
I'm totally fine with my 3rd row, but then, I drive a beast.

Same here, well I don't think my Yukon is is as beastly as your ford but DH would disagree.

Ideally I would have an SUV that I could put all three of them in the same row but then they would fight and I would go insane and they would be unsafe...So I'm going to trust that DS1 is safe back there as he fits the seat belt and has head support.

aeormsby · Jul 2, 2013

I'm fine with my 3rd row, but I don't have a tiny SUV (Saturn Outlook). There's more than a foot of cargo room behind the 3rd row, they're pretty much full size seats and there are side impact airbags back there.

The kids are finally big enough that when Gma & Gpa come to visit I put both kids in the back (NBB & Frontier) so Gma & Gpa don't have to climb back there anymore.

I think 3rd rows have come far enough in design that they're not just throwing them in as an after thought anymore. 10 years ago when all of a sudden everyone seemed to be adding them trying to keep up with the trend may be a different story.

tiggercat · Jul 2, 2013

I don't worry too much about my kids riding in the 3rd row of my van. I have 3 kids and only 2 capt chairs in the 2nd row, so someone has to ride back there.

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momtoo3 · Jul 2, 2013

I have an 03 Caravan and feel like the second row is safer but I don't have a choice when it comes to using the third row so I just try not to think about it.

Dh just got a 2013 Yukon XL over the weekend and I have no issues with the third row in that. I can fit all three boys in the second row but chose to put ds1 in the third to reduce fighting. I am so happy to be done with his tiny Malibu and the tight three across with all the fighting and whining that someone is breathing on someone else.

cowgirlsmommy · Jul 2, 2013

Some 3rd rows make me more nervous than others. Honestly I always felt pretty good about the one in my 09 caravan.

bnsnyde · Jul 2, 2013

Yes, third row makes me nervous.
But with 5 kids I have to have 2 of them back there.

And loading it makes me grumpy. Very.

tl01 · Jul 2, 2013

bnsnyde said:
Yes, third row makes me nervous.
But with 5 kids I have to have 2 of them back there.

And loading it makes me grumpy. Very.

Loading the third row is a whole different situation

. I'd be grumpy about that too! I'm almost 5'11"... And bending over in the van is a real treat.

Phineasmama · Jul 2, 2013

I have a 2010 GCaravan and no I don't feel nervous riding back there. I would feel kind of nervous with a smaller vehicle, like the Mazda 5 if I had to use that 3rd row on a regular basis, because it's SO much smaller and the 3rd row seats are SO close to the back of the vehicle...it just seems like it would be bad if you got rear ended :/

essnce629 · Jul 2, 2013

What about the 3rd row of the Mazda5?

That's what I have and during the school year we carpool and DS1 and our carpool boy sit back there in high back boosters. Although this year I'll probably put them in the 2nd row in backless ones and put DS2 in the 3rd row in his FR85. I'd prefer my 2 kids in the 2nd row full time, but DS1 and our older carpool boy are good friends and insist on sitting together.

tl01 · Jul 2, 2013

We have a 2013 odyssey and I feel like it is better than most other options for a 3rd row.. But I really wish there was at least testing so we could see the results!

Genevieve · Jul 2, 2013

This is the very reason we did not get the Mazda 5. With three kids, someone would always have to be back there and I was uncomfortable with how close to the window that 3rd row is. I'm quite comfortable with the crumple space in the 3rd row of my 2012 sienna.

Does the third row make you nervous?

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