children safe in convertables

curious · Mar 15, 2006

My husband likes to take our 3 year old for rides in our Camaro convertable, I think it's unsafe. Does anyone have any information on this? He is of course in his carseat, but the fact that the car has no roof on it makes me nervous!! Am I being overly cautious?

LuvBug · Mar 15, 2006

There are definitely safety risks in doing this. Flying objects hitting baby in the face at a high speed, no rollover protection, ect.
Also is he in the back seat?(do camaros have back seats? lol!)

Victorious4 · Mar 15, 2006

Objects flying into the car is definitely a risk, but I remember reading here at least once that convertibles have lower rollover risk & their body structure (aside from the soft or open top) is usually quite safe because they're basically reinforced to compensate for the open top ... so side impacts are probably less of a concern.

As long as kiddo is safely & correctly restrained in a 5-point harness carseat I would be OK with it for the occasional fun trip (I'd prefer the top closed, but if it's kiddo & dad's rare chance for time together I'd try not to worry too much). Hopefully a technician here will say if I'm wrong

Also, what is kiddo's weight & height? Is s/he still Rear-Facing? Rear-Facing is safest, especially if kiddo is in the front seat & reverting kids back often isn't as big a hassle as parents imagine ... there are also carseats that offer extended harnessing instead of graduating kiddo into a booster too soon; we can help you choose the safest possible carseat for this situation when we know kiddo's weight & height

Why Rear-Facing Is Safest
Rear-Facing = Unmatched Safety
Extended Rear-Facing Photo Album
Photo Album of Kids Harnessed Past 40#
Compare carseat frontal crash tests
- You'll notice the dummy in the 5-point harness seat returns to proper position sooner & more correctly than the boostered dummy
  - this harnessed seat is untethered -- top tether improves safety, so check the vehicle manual & manufacturer regarding top tether use/availability

Unregistered · Mar 15, 2006

LuvBug03 said:
There are definitely safety risks in doing this. Flying objects hitting baby in the face at a high speed, no rollover protection, ect.
Also is he in the back seat?(do camaros have back seats? lol!)

Yes, there is a back seat and surprisingly it's pretty roomy! I worry about things flying in too.

Unregistered · Mar 15, 2006

Things are also more likely to hit him in the face if he is in back since he wont have the extra protection of the windshield. As long as the car doesnt have airbags I would install the seat in front for top-down days to help keep things from hitting his face.

Overall there are definitely risks, so you arent overcautious, and it is safer to ride with the top up, but there are risks in lots of things we do and if you are just careful and do it occasionally then it should be ok for recreation.

(and tell him not to drive fast because wind on your face can sting as well lol!)

Unregistered · Mar 15, 2006

papooses said:
Objects flying into the car is definitely a risk, but I remember reading here at least once that convertibles have lower rollover risk & their body structure (aside from the soft or open top) is usually quite safe because they're basically reinforced to compensate for the open top ... so side impacts are probably less of a concern.

As long as kiddo is safely & correctly restrained in a 5-point harness carseat I would be OK with it for the occasional fun trip (I'd prefer the top closed, but if it's kiddo & dad's rare chance for time together I'd try not to worry too much). Hopefully a technician here will say if I'm wrong

Also, what is kiddo's weight & height? Is s/he still Rear-Facing? Rear-Facing is safest, especially if kiddo is in the front seat & reverting kids back often isn't as big a hassle as parents imagine ... there are also carseats that offer extended harnessing instead of graduating kiddo into a booster too soon; we can help you choose the safest possible carseat for this situation when we know kiddo's weight & height

Why Rear-Facing Is Safest

Rear-Facing = Unmatched Safety

Extended Rear-Facing Photo Album

Photo Album of Kids Harnessed Past 40#

Compare carseat frontal crash tests

You'll notice the dummy in the 5-point harness seat returns to proper position sooner & more correctly than the boostered dummy

this harnessed seat is untethered -- top tether improves safety, so check the vehicle manual & manufacturer regarding top tether use/availability

Yep, he's in a 5 point harness , FF in the backseat. He's 3 years old - 28.5 pds and 35.5 inches tall. Right now he's in a Triumph, but we're looking to get him a Recaro Young Sport and move my 6 month old into the Triumph since he's outgrowing his infant seat. I'd like to keep them both harnessed for a long time to come.

The car is stored for the winter, so it's only out a few months a year. We maybe ride in it once or twice a week when it's warm. Mostly short trips, if they're long we put the top up because we don't want him in the sun that long.

The baby won't be in the Camaro until he's older, he'll ride with me in the SUV.

Thank you!!

Unregistered · Mar 15, 2006

Unregistered said:
Things are also more likely to hit him in the face if he is in back since he wont have the extra protection of the windshield. As long as the car doesnt have airbags I would install the seat in front for top-down days to help keep things from hitting his face.

Overall there are definitely risks, so you arent overcautious, and it is safer to ride with the top up, but there are risks in lots of things we do and if you are just careful and do it occasionally then it should be ok for recreation.

(and tell him not to drive fast because wind on your face can sting as well lol!)

Believe it or not, he loves the wind in his face! We don't take it on the highway or go fast with the top down when he's with us. It's pretty much just around town driving for ice cream or to cruise nights. He always has a hat on and sunglasses too.

It's a '91 and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have airbags but I will double check. We usually don't have him up front because that's where I ride, but if he's better off up there maybe that's where he should sit.

Thank you!

Victorious4 · Mar 15, 2006

Good to hear he's in the back

Does the vehicle have top tether anchors? If so, that greatly reduces head excursion, so if not then I'd check with the manufacturer about getting some

Also, sounds like you're the one in the other thread about replacing the infant seat -- if it's you, I posted there in response about which carseat/s you could choose next

aims · Mar 15, 2006

Ok, I finally got a username! Being 'unregistered' was somehow making me feel guilty.

He doesn't like it back there because it's so low he can't see, but we always thought it was safer back there than the front. No, it doesn't have tether anchors, but I'll look into getting some.

Yes, that's me in the other thread too. Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it!

SafeDad · Mar 15, 2006

Being properly restrained in the back seat is going to provide a great deal of safety in almost any modern vehicle.

So, if that is the case, I wouldn't go so far as to say a child is unsafe in a convertible. Of course, they may be somewhat safer in a larger sedan or minivan. Having modern safety advantages like top crash test results, side curtain airbags and stability control are also important, though convertibles usually lack these features. On the other hand, these issues might be more relevant to the safety of the adults in the vehicle, rather than a properly restrained child. For overall vehicle safety, there is a great comparsion tool you can use at http://www.informedforlife.org/CRSriskorder2006.pdf . It is only for newer cars, however, models made before 2004 are not listed in the same fashion.

What would be much less safe is if a child had to be seated in the front seat because their child restraint wouldn't install correctly in back or if there was no back seat at all. I'd probably want my child to at least wear a pair of sunglasses or something to protect against the typical stuff that flies around on the highway, but otherwise I'd have no problem with my child riding in a convertible now and then- properly restrained in back of course;-)

aims · Mar 15, 2006

Thanks Darren.

I don't think it's that safe for adults either, but it sure is fun to drive around with the top down on a warm summer evening!

His sunglasses are always on, even if it's dark, so we can try and protect his eyes. He wears a hat and sunscreen too. It's rare we're on the highway with the car and with him in it, if we are the top is up. I don't like high speeds on the highway myself with the top down. Although I'm sure he'd love it. After his first summer in the convertable, any car we would get in he would point up and say 'off'. The kid didn't say much at all, but he learned that one really quick!

Dreaming_of_Speed · Mar 15, 2006

It surprising how many kids love convertibles. I've babysat for several families who owned them and the kids just loved to ride in the back (my mom used to complain how 'scary' it must be for them)

I ahe to say i have seen 2 rolled convertibles one a two seater with 2 adults and one with a back seat that had 2 adults and a baby in an infant seat. All 5 people survived. One even slide down the side of a mountain on its side and came to a rest upside down in the valley the only serious injury was a cut to face of the driver and the passenger got his arm broken.

I used to love convertibles but i rode in my grandmothers for 1500+ miles with the top down all but the last 20 and by the end of the trip i was over to convertible thing. After the first 400 miles of my bangs blowing into my face and the wind/sun i had awful wind burn there were actual cuts on my forehead! It didnt help that 900 miles into the trip i had a blood clot form in my leg (should have expected it since i had a suitcase in the floor board, a computer on my lap, and my coat stuffed between my feet. Not much space to move!)

I promised Alex i would drive her around town when my grandmother comes to town next month, she's never ridden in one.

Ryan is going to have to wait since there wont be anywhere to tether her RFing seat and I'm betting the wind will blow it more upright than usual (i may take her somewhere with a large parking lot and drive her around there really slowly just to let her see the sky and everything.) Its so amazing to be in a convertible at dusk, that's the only time i miss riding in the convertible.

jen_nah · Mar 16, 2006

As a past Camaro owner ('95 & '96) ourselves. I never had an issue with my dh taking Kaylee for a spin. Kinlee never rode in it as we sold it last year and she was still rearfacing at the time. Plus by that time it had a full roll cage & was a pure drag race car. Kaylee loved it and wants it back.

I agree with everything Darren said that as long as his seat is in properly & he is harnessed correctly in it. I wouldn't have an issue with my child riding in it from time to time.

jen_nah · Mar 16, 2006

Unregistered said:
Things are also more likely to hit him in the face if he is in back since he wont have the extra protection of the windshield. As long as the car doesnt have airbags I would install the seat in front for top-down days to help keep things from hitting his face.

Overall there are definitely risks, so you arent overcautious, and it is safer to ride with the top up, but there are risks in lots of things we do and if you are just careful and do it occasionally then it should be ok for recreation.

(and tell him not to drive fast because wind on your face can sting as well lol!)

Not sure of her year model but '93 and newer do have front driver & passenger airbags.

aims · Mar 16, 2006

It's a '91, so I don't think it does have one but I could be wrong.

My DH is a die-hard. He'll have the top down any time and all the time! There have been many, many chilly nights he has the top down and the heater on

when it's just me and him. He'd also love to take it a long trip like yours, but I don't think I'd like it for that long!

Thanks for the replies everyone! Looks like we'll have some fun with it this summer, because I won't worry so much.

Dreaming_of_Speed · Mar 16, 2006

My grandmother is die hard about her top being down, if it rains she just puts on a rain coat and drives fast to keep the water off her face. It looked like rain teh first hour of our trip and then started pouring right when we got to our first stop (she instited that we stop at every little weird tourist location) thankfully it had passed before we finished out tourist trap tour.

The convertible is fun for an hour or two but after that it just becomes annoying. The wind noise is awful and your hair gets whipped around so much it looks like it went thru a time warp and came out in the 80's!

We have a 91 chevy beretta with a drivers airbag but no passenger airbag. It should say on the dash if you've lost you manual.

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