Child locks in car doors

Splash · Oct 26, 2007

Do you guys have your child locks on?

I put mine on the other day, and immediately undid it. I was tired of him climbing to the other side of the car and opening the door, but that's just an annoyance... although outboard he might start trying to open the door while the car is moving, but I don't think so.

The reason I undid them was because if Heaven forbid he ever managed to get into the car without us knowing, I want him to be able to get out. Also if we ever need to get out the back (like after a wreck, or if we go over one of the numerous bridges I drive over on a daily basis) I want to be able to climb out the back seat.

It got me to thinking that those locks are actually dangerous! Once I thought more about it, I realized it definitely wasn't worth sparing myself the annoyance of him opening the door if it meant a potential safety hazard!

Cindy&Connor · Oct 26, 2007

I put mine on when ds was outboard and he did try to open the doors. I have a Ford and the doors lock when the car gets to 5 mph though. You can't open the back doors when they're locked but I did it just to make sure. Now he's in the center but I never even thought about taking them off. I might do that tomorrow. I have locked myself in the backseat before and that's a pain but I didn't think about being trapped in an emergency.

Ali · Oct 26, 2007

Hee hee! This is kind of an embarrassing story, but I'll share.

DD is RF in the center of my car. For some reason I did have the child locks activated. One day I was really sick (asthma related - wasn't moving any oxygen) and went to pick up my prescription. DD was with me and since it was raining when we got out to the car, I shut the door behind me to put her in her seat.

When I tried to get out I couldn't. Since her seat is in the middle, I couldn't climb through that way. I was finally able to reach the front seat recline thing and push the seat all the way forward and climb over that way.

Now they're not done on my car, but they are on DHs since DD is outboard in his car.

Splash - you're right - they could be very dangerous!!

Lea_Ontario · Oct 26, 2007

They are on in our car.

Leila · Oct 26, 2007

We used to have the child locks on in our car since Debug DOES try to open the door while the car is in motion. We don't lock them these days since he just checks the lock before climbing into the car and unlocks them. He's gotten better about opening the door while the car is in motion, so it's less of a concern. I think a big part of it is that he's well "trained" on locking and keeping the doors locked when we're in the car.

jen_nah · Oct 26, 2007

I have 1 activated & 1 not. My vehicle has caption chairs and both girls are outboard. When K2 was younger she tried to open the door while going down the road. I don't have K1's activated because we do car pool and she is in the pass. outboard position. So, She has to be able to open her door and get out.

In dh truck both are activated I think. It's been so long ago that I messed with them on his truck I can't remember. LOL!!!

Morganthe · Oct 26, 2007

I believe if dd was in a booster seat and younger than say, 7, I'd have the child locks activated regardless of her seating position.
But with her in a Regent and in the center spot -- no. They're not on.

If she was next to the door, I'd probably activate only that side just because it would be safer because it is easily reached and opened.

Yoshi · Oct 26, 2007

Once I was in the back seat with DD (DH was in the store) and I got stuck in the car because of the child locks

. I had to climb into the front seat (not easy in a Subaru) and get into the driver's seat and get out that way. I almost dislocated my entire body! I only have her side locked with the child lock now, the other side is unlocked. I trust her, but not that much, KWIM? Plus, when teenage DS was back there- he'd be like, "MOM! Why do you have to lock my side????"

I agree that in an accident situation it's VERY dangerous to have them locked (fire, submersion, train tracks, you name it)

Splash · Oct 26, 2007

I just don't see the real danger issue of a child opening the door while driving (a child in a harness especially). A child that does not have the cognitive ability to NOT open the door is not likely to have the physical ability to actually OPEN the door before mom can stop. I open my door while driving sometimes (well, not while I'm driving, but while the vehicle is moving) if it didn't shut all the way. It's hard enough for me to push against the wind resistance and get it open enough to even slam it back shut, much less open it enough to actually step out of the vehicle. I just don't see a small child being able to actually OPEN the door while the vehicle is moving, more that they can just crack the seal and require mom pulling over to shut it again.

BABYGIRLLYNDSEY · Oct 26, 2007

I have child locks in my car and only have the side that Karley on set. This summer when we were driving through town she actually opened the car door with her bare feet. My 15 yr old son was in the front seat and reached around and closed the door. My 9 yr old was screaming in the back. She's never done that before but I don't trust her now.

remken · Oct 26, 2007

I have mine set where it engages when the car is in gear.

The lady I work for hers engage as soon as you start the car and i hate it.

Splash · Oct 26, 2007

remken said:
I have mine set where it engages when the car is in gear.

The lady I work for hers engage as soon as you start the car and i hate it.

No, we're talking about the little switch inside the car door that you have to flip. It makes it impossible to open the doors from the inside, whether they're locked or not. It disables the handle completely.

I lock my doors when driving, and they can't be opened when locked, but they can still be unlocked and then opened.

sfeitler · Oct 26, 2007

Splash said:
I just don't see the real danger issue of a child opening the door while driving (a child in a harness especially). A child that does not have the cognitive ability to NOT open the door is not likely to have the physical ability to actually OPEN the door before mom can stop. I open my door while driving sometimes (well, not while I'm driving, but while the vehicle is moving) if it didn't shut all the way. It's hard enough for me to push against the wind resistance and get it open enough to even slam it back shut, much less open it enough to actually step out of the vehicle. I just don't see a small child being able to actually OPEN the door while the vehicle is moving, more that they can just crack the seal and require mom pulling over to shut it again.

DD1 (now 5 years old) did open the car door once when we were going 65mph, down the expressway, in a rental car. She was harnessed in an MA and the harness was snug. She only got the door open far enough to make the indicator light turn on, but it scared me! I pulled over and flipped the child lock on right there and then. And locked the windows for good measure! I don't recall where the handle to open the door was, but it must have been close to her, or she used her feet..

Now, DD1 is 5 and her side is not locked. DD2's side is locked, although she can't reach it right now when seated (because she's RF). She can reach it if she's climbed into the car and is waiting to be buckled--and can open it--and I don't need her getting out into a parking lot while I'm buckling DD1.

I don't see it as a real danger in an accident, I guess. Or anyway, I see it as a measured risk. If we're in an accident, I don't want my kids leaving the car without help. And if I'm unable to open the front door, but can get to the back seat, probably I can find something to break the window and open it from the outside... honestly, I consider power windows more dangerous. At least the old crank windows, the crank could work no matter what the car's electrical system was doing...

-Sarah

CrabbyBunchX3 · Oct 26, 2007

No I do not use mine.

I was in a roll-over accident back in 96 on the interstate and once the vehicle stopped moving, another car pulled over to offer assistance and called 911...the guy tells us, "we have to get you all out, the car is on fire." I FREAKED tried to open the door and the child locks were engaged. I had to yell at the guy that the child locks were on and he HAD to open the door.
Turns out it was just oil burning on the engine...

Since then, I have not used child locks. I want to be able to get out in an emergency if I'm capable of doing so and I want any passengers to be able to do the same.

lynsgirl · Oct 26, 2007

Splash said:
No, we're talking about the little switch inside the car door that you have to flip. It makes it impossible to open the doors from the inside, whether they're locked or not. It disables the handle completely.

I lock my doors when driving, and they can't be opened when locked, but they can still be unlocked and then opened.

I do not have the child locks engaged, since nobody is right by a door, except the baby, and he's RF and no where near the handle on the sliding door

. My doors all automatically lock once the van is put into any gear and they automatically unlock when you put it in park. I wouldn't engage the child locks even if someone was right by the door, because of the emergency factor.

The only time I've had issues w/a child and door locks is when ds2 was FF for a brief time in our oh-so-(NOT)-awesome three-across situation in the Subaru. He was outboard and thought it was the greatest thing ever to lock the door w/his foot before I could unbuckle him and get him out. Drove me absolutely nuts. He was 3, so

. Thankfully, that was, as I said, a brief time period, since I figured out a way to make it work w/his seat RF lol.

Back ON topic, the freeway bridge collapse into the Mississippi in Mpls made me really think hard about what in the world I'd do if something like that happened to me (lots of bridges, lots of water here). Child locks are not something I want to even think about in a situation like that

. Not that I'm living my life and making my decisions based on a sole event that may never happen, but sort of, in some ways, yes, I am. That's exactly why I make every CPS-based decision that I make - for an event that I hope never, ever happens.

Interesting topic of discussion - thanks for bringing it up! :thumbsup:

Synchro246 · Oct 26, 2007

I agree, I think they can be dangerous. I won't be using them unless there's some pressing need, like transporting prisoners

southpawboston · Oct 26, 2007

we don't use them now, because our kids our too young to know how to pull the handles, but if and when it happens, we'll probably use the child locks. i'm not too concerned about the emergency factor yet... when they're in harnessed seats they won't be getting out by themselves anyway.

bobandjess99 · Oct 26, 2007

We don't have them. Old vehicles, lol.

snowbird25ca · Oct 26, 2007

Mine are on, and I've locked myself in our back seat too.

I've never even thought about the emergency factor before.

My situation, we had gone shopping and it started to hail & pour rain just as I was putting ds into the sling. So instead of running for the store, I climbed into the backseat to wait it out & finish putting him in the sling. It kept pouring and I finally decided to make a run for it anyways, & then I discovered I was locked in. Ds's carrier was in the middle, so I removed it from the base & put it in the passenger seat, then reached around far enough to put my keys in the ignition and reach the power windows, put my window down & opened the back door from the outside. I definitely felt panicked...

Our truck automatically locks when put into gear too, so maybe I'll take the locks off... Ds isn't big enough to play with the door handles yet & dd is in the center for now, so they're probably not needed.

MsFacetious · Oct 26, 2007

I am torn on this subject... I had a friend who didn't have hers on and her daughter opened the door. My friend freaked out so bad she ended up crashing. Now, I trust that I would not do that... but it does freak me out what if they one time get out of the harness and then open the door... it worries me. Right now in either the 4 runner or the Dodge I would likely get them out and come out the front anyways if we had an accident... so for now they are on. Window locks too. But... we'll have to see. They are pretty good about it most of the time.

Child locks in car doors

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