Help me keep us safe for a road trip in a rental

tchrgrrl

New member
We will hopefully be getting a rental van this afternoon - I have been holding out for a Kia Sedona but if I can't find one it will likely be a Ford Freestyle. We are going on a week long vacation and driving 600+ miles either direction. Before our accident last weekend I was planning on putting DS1's Husky in the 40 of the 40/60 split 3rd row of my Odyssey so I could sit behind the driver's seat and keep DS1 and DS2 (rf'ing behind passenger) happy during the long drive - now I am thinking that would have been a very bad idea because what would keep DS1 safe from the cargo on the 60 part of the split seat? :(

So I will likely have both boys in the middle row - and unless our Regent arrives today (unlikely) DS1 will be FF'ing in a DC and DS2 will be RF'ing in a DC. (DC is short for Britax Decathlon, right? :eek: ). Is there a difference/preference in safety for RF'ing/FF'ing on either side of the vehicle? We had a MA and a Husky installed via LATCH - which now I know that in our Odyssey we should have had the Husky installed via the seatbelt since DS1 is over 40 lbs - thankfully it held just find on impact. Assuming we will have a Kia - does anyone have input or tips for installing the seats? And on the LATCH list that I saw - there was no max for Kia LATCH points - they defer to the CR manufacturer, correct?

How do we pack the cargo to maximize safety? In a rental vehicle we won't have the option of an after market cargo net or such. We will have a soft sided cooler, several soft sided suitcases, a potty, a soft foam booster seat, an umbrella stroller, a big sack of cloth diapers (obviously I wouldn't want dirties flying around in an accident :p but they are soft!), and various other toys and such. Should we be trying to tie anything down? Does the Kia have recessed wells?

Now the biggy for DS1 - we were set to borrow a dual-screen DVD player for the drive and we have borrowed a Leappad - I am guessing both are major no-nos for risk of becoming projectiles. I have a big bag of small toys to hand out during the ride - 19 cent finds from the Goodwill - things like very small plastic cars and such - I am sure I have some plush in that stash but very little- should I nix that idea? We have a bunch of fabric books, puppets, silk scarfs and such - but none of them are new and they aren't likely to keep the boys entertained for the 10-12 hour drive. I would really appreciate suggestions here.

We won't get a rental until late this afternoon, our new DC are still 40 miles away and we are leaving for vacation on Sunday morning - so having the installations checked by a CPST isn't going to be an option. We have had seats checked before and DH is always proud that his installation passes with flying colors. I know a lot of what I have asked falls under parental preference but I want your opinion - so tell me what you would do in my situation.



Thank you for any and all input - I am really freaked out about getting back on the road and want to make sure I have done every single thing to ensure my children's safety.
 
ADS

Splash

New member
Take the DVD player and LeapPad if you want them to watch TV. There are risks, yeah, but they're small. If I was taking a long car trip with a TV watching kid, I'd take them.

Don't count on the Kia. Extremely unlikely that you are going to find one, especially since the pre 2006 ones were NOT safe cars. Take the Freestyle, especially if it has side airbags. Really, the Freestyle is a safe choice. It's basically gonna be your only choice I think.

Can you fit everything you need behind the third row? There is a cargo well there. If you can, put your oldest in the middle of the third row and the baby in the second row, and you can sit in back. Otherwise fold it down and put nothing over the level of the seats, perhaps secure the suitcases with bungees OR put them on the rook rack.

Things will be fine. Trust me. And I am glad I'm not the only one who takes cloth on a long trip.
 

Kellyr2

New member
Yep, I'd do all of what splash said. We also took our DVD player and our gameboy on our road trip last week. Ideal, no, but oh well. I did draw the line at the laptop though. He has a hard case for it, and I insisted that it go under a seat, and it was wedged in there pretty tightly.

And I take cloth with me as well!
 

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