OK to leave 2nd row seat folded while driving?

[Kitkat]

I'm trying to install a rear-facing seat in the our third row, but the seat in front of it can't unfold if I do so. It seems like I read something years ago that the seat in front of a passenger should be upright for safety but I can't find anything about that now, maybe it's just for school busses? If it matters, our vehicle is a 2008 Chrysler Aspen, and the car seat is a 2018 Britax Boulevard. I have the car seat at the most upright RF angle allowed per the "bubble".

 

[ketchupqueen]

Hi! This is an unusual enough question that I'm not 100% sure what to tell you. If the seat does not lock in the folded position, it's a hard no. But other than that, I'm not precisely sure! I would check if your vehicle manual mentions anything about driving with the seats folded. If it cautions against it, then you shouldn't do it. Is the car seat 80% on the vehicle seat it's installed on, just to check? When it's installed, how far out over the seat in front does it hang?

 

[Kitkat]

The base of the car seat was completely on the third row vehicle seat with no overhang, but the second row seats do not lock in the folded position, so I guess that's not an option. Back to putting the car seat in the second row and scrunching the front passenger. Thanks for your help!

 

[DogznKatz]

Do you have 2 or 3 seating in the 2nd row? If you have 3 seating can you try the center position with a seatbelt? The top of the car seat may fall between the two front seats giving some space. Also, I have found with some clients that the front passenger is too reclined. If that seat is more upright, then the front seat may be able to slide back a bit providing more leg room.

 

[Kitkat]

Thanks for the suggestion! I did try the second row center seat, but the belt stalks are short so having the car seat there makes it nearly impossible to buckle/unbuckle the outboard seatbelts.
Front seat forward with a bit of recline or upright and back a tad, either way it's really tight for a grown man. It's become more of an issue lately with our teen learning to drive; dad is in the passenger seat a lot more often. Even for me it's tight, but for him it's really uncomfortable.
Since we don't take my little one out much anyway due to COVID, I decided to just take the seat out, and install it on an as-needed basis. It'll be a bit of a hassle, but seems to be the best option for now.

 

[ketchupqueen]

Does the second row slide back at all? Or what about moving it behind the driver?

 

[Kitkat]

Second row does not slide back. I feel like the driver shouldn't be squished but it might be worth a try when DH is riding passenger. I might try the center again too, and see if I can off-center it enough to be able to use one outboard seat. We only need 6 out of the 8 seats, so as long as I can fold one for third row access, I can leave the other off limits.