How do you feel about a 10 year old in the front seat?

daniele_ut

New member

• Oct 14, 2014

• #1

DH drives carpool in the morning because he works at the school my kids attend. It is a 30 minute drive, mostly on freeways. They come home with the other kids' mom.

He drives an 11 year old girl, a 10 year old boy, a 9 year old boy and a 6.5 year old girl. I've been making him drive my van since school started because I don't like the idea of my 10 year old in the front seat regularly. His car is a 2005 Subaru Outback XT with side curtain airbags. He had to take it today because I needed to take the van in for something so DS was in the front seat with an Incognito. The belt fit is good and the seat was all the way back. Am I right to say that shouldn't be a regular occurrence? Honestly it's a PITB not to have my van for after school activities but I'm dealing with it. DH just hates driving it regularly and keeps harassing me about it.

The other issue that I'm a little worried about is snow. We get a lot of snow in the winter and the Subaru simply handles much better in the snow than the van. Would that change your thinking about which car to take?

 

sirrahn

Active member

• Oct 14, 2014

• #2

How big is he? My kids had some rides up front at that age for similar reasons. We once were without the van for a week and had no other option. If belt fit is good, he sits well and he's average sized, personally, I'd be (and was) ok with it.

What about the 11yr old girl up front? IME most parents would already be allowing regular up front rides at that age. Not that I think it's ideal, but it could be an option (maybe even better one) as well assuming parents are ok with it and as is typical at that age, she's bigger and started puberty.

 

Dillipop

Well-known member

• Oct 14, 2014

• #3

My 11 year old son sits up front in out mazda5 sometimes and uses a bubblebum. Dh only drives 5 minutes to the train station each day and I have a 20 min drive back and forth twice a day with 3 kiddos. It makes a lot more sense has wise for him to take the van and me to drive the smaller car. The problem comes in after school when I have my 3 and my 2 nieces- someone has to sit up front.

If it makes more sense for him to take the smaller car for gas, activities, and snow, I'd probably try hard to be ok with either my 10 year old or the 11 year old being up front . What does the other family think? My 11 year old is the only kid his age that I know that isn't normally allowed in the front seat.

 

B

bnsnyde

New member

• Oct 14, 2014

• #4

I don't have to because we have enough seats, barely.

I see it all the time at school drop off, kids maybe 7 or 8 as well.

If I couldn't avoid it, then that would be that. Actually by keeping 6 seats in back, it's really, really tough (loading and unloading). But my oldest is 8 so I guess for now that's what we'll do.

 

bubbaray

New member

• Oct 14, 2014

• #5

I do it. It's not everyone's cup of tea risk-wise, but my vehicle is newer, has 4WD and traction control and is well-maintained. I put the seat all the way back and call it a day

It is pretty rare and if I have to go on the highway or truck routes, DH and I switch vehicles.

 

daniele_ut

New member

• Oct 14, 2014

• #6

sirrahn said:

How big is he? My kids had some rides up front at that age for similar reasons. We once were without the van for a week and had no other option. If belt fit is good, he sits well and he's average sized, personally, I'd be (and was) ok with it. What about the 11yr old girl up front? IME most parents would already be allowing regular up front rides at that age. Not that I think it's ideal, but it could be an option (maybe even better one) as well assuming parents are ok with it and as is typical at that age, she's bigger and started puberty.

Click to expand...

He's 75lbs and about 55" tall. The 11 year old is tiny. She's probably 5" shorter than him and much lighter. Their 9 year old boy is not much bigger than my tiny 6.5 year old girl. Her parents are fine with her in the front seat but DH assumed that since she's so much smaller that she would be better off in the back seat.

 

A

Alison's Mom

New member

• Oct 14, 2014

• #7

I'm on the fence with this. My 9 and 8yo are both tiny so haven't even considered it. We carpool once a week to an activity with an 11yr old girl who is probably 4'9 or so. Her mom is OK with her in the front and her dad is not. I told them that I personally don't feel comfortable with kids in the front until they're over 12, unless it's an emergency, and our situation isn't. I'm also trying to set an example for my DD who I'm sure will beg to sit in the front sooner or later. . .

This situation requires me to find someone to watch DS while I'm driving the three girls to the class, when DH isn't home, which is often, it would be so much more convenient to put the 11yo in the front. . .

 

A

aliraza8

New member

• Oct 15, 2014

• #8

in the front seat regularly. His car is a 2005 Subaru Outback XT with side curtain airbags. He had to take it today because I needed to take the van in for something so DS was in the front seat with an Incognito. The belt fit is good and the seat was all the way back. Am I right to say that shouldn't be a regular occurrence? Honestly it's a PITB not to have my van for after school activities but I'm dealing with it. DH just hates driving it regularly and keeps harassing






______
aliraza

 

Kegracin

Active member

• Oct 15, 2014

• #9

I have a have a top of the charts 11yr old (which makes him the size of a small adult female). 90% of the time I keep him in the back seat which drives him batty....as his friends and younger kids ride in the front seat all the time around here. That 10% he rides in the front are situations like yours where I need all the seats.

 

J

Jackie010307

New member

• Oct 15, 2014

• #10

Personally I would do it only if I had to, but I only take our car that requires our 13 year old (just under 6 feet tall and about 120lbs) to sit in the front if there is no way around it. I feel like, from what I've read, we would all be safer in the back seat and I don't compromise on safety for my children. If you have to do it then you do, but I'd try to work around it as often as possible.

 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor

Staff member

• Oct 15, 2014

• #11

It's illegal here, when practical to do so. In in the case of four kids in a five seater, I'd put the oldest up front because they have the strongest skeleton and are most likely to survive the airbag impact most successfully.

Wendy

 

T

tmllsc

New member

• Oct 15, 2014

• #12

I wouldn't do it unless I had to. With 6 kids, I've had no choice. I put the oldest child up front, seat all the way back and in a booster since at 11 yrs old, he couldn't pass the 5 step test. When all the back seats are filled with younger kids in carseats, you really have no choice. Otherwise, he'd be in the back. We just have to do the best we can in those situations.

 

E

ERFmama

New member

• Oct 16, 2014

• #13

My vehicle manual states that no child under 11 years old or 150 cm tall should sit in the front seat.

Different manuals says different things but as a rule here we say 12 years old and 150cm to be safe as the airbag is very dangerous when deployed. If you can turn it off though it changes things a little, but then the guideline would be to put the seat all the way back on the rail, but again that means no one can sit behind you so that sort of takes away the *need* to have someone in the front.

RF is a different matter her, we put RF child in the front with a deactivated airbag and that makes space in the back. (EU)