Safest vehicle locations?

momto2princes · Feb 19, 2009

Does anyone know the order of safest vehicle seating? Obviously in the rear and middle is safest but aside from that is there an order?

I have a minivan and wondering if the middle row outboard seats are safer compared to the third row outboard?
My third row is just 2 captains chairs and the third row seats are set further in from the body of the vehicle due to the wheel wells in comparison to the second row outboards are snug up to the sliding doors but their are air bags on the side of the driver and front passenger seats but I don't know if those would help someone sitting in the second row directly behind that seat or not.

I hope that isn't too confusing. The sliding doors just don't seem to have much sturdiness and the seats are right there.

ATM I have my youngest in the middle second row and my oldest third row(as described above) so I can put them both in from the same side sliding door. It appears that he is more protected there than in the outboard position in the second row.

Is there any stats on outboard drivers side compared to outboard passenger side?

Thanks!

steph · Feb 19, 2009

Statistically one outboard position vs the other isn't safer and of course your right the middle is the safest.

In deciding where to put your children (if you have more than one), you put the least protected child in the center seat and go from there.

So for example, say you had 1 child forward facing and 1 rear facing. You would put the child forward facing in the middle and the rear facing child outboard because rear facing is safer in and of itself. Same would go for a child in a booster vs carseat. Boostered child in the center, carseat child outboard.

Hope that helps. Just remember the least protected child goes in the most protected position in the car (i.e. the middle).

Splash · Feb 19, 2009

In an extended wheel base van, the third row would likely be the safest place. In a short wheel base, I'd rather avoid the third row altogether.
Front seat airbags will offer no protection to a backseat passenger. In some vans, teh seats are super close to the side. I'm not a fan of that, but it is what it is. It makes it easier to go between them to the third row.
I can't really figure out where your kids are, but passenger vs driver shouldn't make a huge safety difference either way.

momto2princes · Feb 19, 2009

Thanks!

Ok maybe I can pick your brain a bit then...what would you do?

My oldest is 6 and currently in a MA FF (obviously) but we are picking up his Frontier this weekend.

My youngest will be 3 in April and should make it to his birthday RF in his MA.

Currently my 6 year old is outboard third row and my youngest is middle second row. At the moment while the youngest is still RF I should switch their places but if I have to turn the little one FF in the next 3 months or so as I suspect I will have to what would be the safest places for them at that point because they will both be FF? Oldest in a Frontier and the youngest in his MA.

Thanks for the help!

LISmama810 · Feb 19, 2009

You might want to read this carseatblog entry about the third row of minivans. Very interesting. http://carseatblog.com/?p=91

momto2princes · Feb 19, 2009

Splash said:
In an extended wheel base van, the third row would likely be the safest place. In a short wheel base, I'd rather avoid the third row altogether.
Front seat airbags will offer no protection to a backseat passenger. In some vans, teh seats are super close to the side. I'm not a fan of that, but it is what it is. It makes it easier to go between them to the third row.
I can't really figure out where your kids are, but passenger vs driver shouldn't make a huge safety difference either way.

We have a Chevy Venture Extended Van. The seats are all individual no benches. The middle row as 3 seats and the third row as 2 seats. The middle row seats are all snug up against each other and snug up close to the sliding doors. The third row seats are in line with the back wheel wells and a set in a bit from the edge of the vehicle and each other.

My oldest is passenger side in that third row and my youngest is in the middle seat middle row.

p.s. behind that third row I still have adequate storage or trunk space!

Splash · Feb 19, 2009

Whichever is easiest for your to buckle. I'd probably keep them like they are, oldest in back and youngest in middle.

momto2princes · Feb 19, 2009

Thank you!

*Spoiledinmyhouseofblue* · Feb 19, 2009

LISmama810 said:
You might want to read this carseatblog entry about the third row of minivans. Very interesting. http://carseatblog.com/?p=91

Thank you for pointing this out. I was getting all worried, especially because i have a short base van.

Pixels · Feb 19, 2009

Why not put them both in the middle seat of their row?

momto2princes · Feb 19, 2009

pixels99 said:
Why not put them both in the middle seat of their row?

The diagram I keep trying to post won't work.
I'll be back!
The kids are in the middle seat middle row and bottom right in the back row.

ok if you visualize three seats in the middle row and the back row has two seats. those third row seats sit behind the middle row seats like a pyramid. If you looked from the middle row through the space between the outboard and the middle seat you would see the middle of one of the third row seats. Does that make sense?

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