Holly
New member
Is it only because it's not tested that way, or has it been tested and failed?
Before I became a car seat fanatic, my dh had a 1997 Ford Ranger truck that had the little flip down sideways seats in the back. Our dd#1 was 11 months and we took a trip about 5 or 6 hours away to visit my brother in law. I didn't know any better at the time, so I said it was ok to take the truck, and we had dd's comfort sport (the seat we had at the time) sideways behind the passenger seat. It was installed tightly and then we put back the passenger seat as much as we could, so the seat was completely surrounded. I wouldn't do it now, and we dont even have the truck anymore anyway.
But, I was talking about car seats and sideways truck seats with my dh and mil recently and I was saying that I wouldnt do it now, even though it apeared to be safe, it's just not tested that way.
My dh and mil think it would actually be safer since the seat is tight on it's own and then has the passenger seat totally smashed up against it so the seat would have nowhere to go. Mil even said that my nephew rode that way in my bil's truck for his first year before my bil got a new car and "he was fine" but then again they were never in a wreck either.
So, is the reason just because it's not tested that way?
Are those kinds of trucks even tested with just crast test dummies in those seats, do we even know if those seats are ok for just a person by themselves, and if so, who? Kids need to be in car seats and boosters, and adults would be so uncomfortable back there! If I remember right, it had just a lap belt too!
Before I became a car seat fanatic, my dh had a 1997 Ford Ranger truck that had the little flip down sideways seats in the back. Our dd#1 was 11 months and we took a trip about 5 or 6 hours away to visit my brother in law. I didn't know any better at the time, so I said it was ok to take the truck, and we had dd's comfort sport (the seat we had at the time) sideways behind the passenger seat. It was installed tightly and then we put back the passenger seat as much as we could, so the seat was completely surrounded. I wouldn't do it now, and we dont even have the truck anymore anyway.
But, I was talking about car seats and sideways truck seats with my dh and mil recently and I was saying that I wouldnt do it now, even though it apeared to be safe, it's just not tested that way.
My dh and mil think it would actually be safer since the seat is tight on it's own and then has the passenger seat totally smashed up against it so the seat would have nowhere to go. Mil even said that my nephew rode that way in my bil's truck for his first year before my bil got a new car and "he was fine" but then again they were never in a wreck either.
So, is the reason just because it's not tested that way?
Are those kinds of trucks even tested with just crast test dummies in those seats, do we even know if those seats are ok for just a person by themselves, and if so, who? Kids need to be in car seats and boosters, and adults would be so uncomfortable back there! If I remember right, it had just a lap belt too!