Opinions on when a child can sit up front

[Cammie]

I would prefer that my kids not sit up front until they are at least 12 but unfortunately that rule of thumb doesn't work out as well as I'd like in our current vehicle. We have an Impala with a bench seat in the front. When it's just me and my 4 kids my younger kids ride in the back and my 12.5 year-old sits up front with me (he's 5'7" and about 165 lbs).

On the few occasions that DH is with us as well (family outings or long trips) my 10.5 year old has to sit up front in the middle seat because my 12 year old can't fit in the middle seat. At right about 5 feet tall and 98 pounds it's getting awfully squishy there for him too. I am counting down the days until we can afford a bigger vehicle.

 

[Maedze]

I would prefer that my kids not sit up front until they are at least 12 but unfortunately that rule of thumb doesn't work out as well as I'd like in our current vehicle. We have an Impala with a bench seat in the front. When it's just me and my 4 kids my younger kids ride in the back and my 12.5 year-old sits up front with me (he's 5'7" and about 165 lbs).

On the few occasions that DH is with us as well (family outings or long trips) my 10.5 year old has to sit up front in the middle seat because my 12 year old can't fit in the middle seat. At right about 5 feet tall and 98 pounds it's getting awfully squishy there for him too. I am counting down the days until we can afford a bigger vehicle.

Cammie, is your center front position a lap-only belt? If so, it's EXTREMELY dangerous to have anyone sitting there. If you have a child in a harness, the safest option would be to put your oldest harnessed child in the front middle seat.

 

[Gypsy]

Yes, size is less important than age.

A petite 15YO is much safer up front than a very large 9YO, even if the 9YO is considerably larger than the 15YO.

Skeletal maturity and strength have nothing to do with size.

 

[libranbutterfly]

Maybe when she is 13. If there are no seats in the back. And no one in the back seat is FF in a harnessed seat. Most likely not until she starts driving.

 

[o_mom]

I wouldn't allow the front seat until very rare emergency type trips (like, if there are no other options) at 10 or 11, and not routinely allow front seat riding till at least 13. There was actually a study that found that kids are seriously just not safe in front of airbags till they are at least 15 (something to do with skeletal development, perhaps? It just broke out that kids younger than that were at substantially higher injury risk)..but I can't find the study. The rear seat is at least 35% safer for most of us, it's really too bad we still have this cultural baggage that riding 'shotgun' is so much cooler than riding in the back

Was it this study?

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/airbags_teens.html

"The study found that children 14 and younger were at high risk for serious injury from air bags when they sat in the front passenger seat during car crashes.

In contrast, air bags had a protective effect for teens aged 15-18. And the study showed that age may be a better indicator of risk from air-bag injury than height or weight. "

 

[LISmama810]

Just wanted to agree with jools that in CA, a kid who is at least 6 or 60 lbs can legally ride in the front (though they shouldn't, obviously). The CHP link merely stated NHTSA's recommendation of 12.

For my kid, I'd say at least 12 or 13, but check with me again in about six years.

 

[bobandjess99]

In my car, whenever I have to transport 3 kids, one almost always has to ride up front. you can not do a 3-across in my backseat except with very certain seats/people It is fairly rare that i am transporting my older stepsons with me, but when i do, they sit in the front passenger seat. they are 12, 13 and 16. they are adult sized. Approx 5-0, 5-2 and 5-8, 100, 140 and 175 lbs. If they could fit in the back, they would sit there, but they can't.

 

[Northriver]

I let my son ride up front when he was about 13 and only after he hit 100#. He started driving with his permit at age 14 when he was about 110#.

Our safety impoved GREATLY when I moved my oldest to the front seat. I realized that my teenage son had been poking and otherwise tormenting his toddler sister in the car and once he was upfront, she was suddenly amazingly calm and content in the car. I can't begin to tell you how much easier/safer it is to drive in peace and quiet in the car.

There is no easy answer but as someone else mentioned, I do think it is important to get them up front to learn the rules of the road and navigational skills before they actually start to drive.

 

[skaterbabs]

My 120lb, 5 ft 2 in, 13 yo navigates from the third row of my suburban, and knows the rules of the road as well. Sitting in the front seat is not needed to learn thoes things.

 

[vonfirmath]

It isn't a matter of learning the rules of the road, but just what the perspective is from the front seat, when you see cars coming toward you, etc.

 

[skaterbabs]

You can see those things from the back as well.

 

[Unregistered]

It isn't a matter of learning the rules of the road, but just what the perspective is from the front seat, when you see cars coming toward you, etc.

I have to agree, it is totally different sitting up front then in the 3rd row. I have sat in the 3rd row when we went on a trip, totally not the same perspective.

Since my son is the avg sz of a 12 yr old now when he is 12 yrs old I will let him sit up front since by then he will be around 5'6" & close to 130 lbs, he has never gone off of his own growth curve.

 

[Lea_Ontario]

While not ideal, and only for true emergency purposes, it will be next year that my then 7-yr old, barely over 50-lb son will have the possibility of riding in the front seat of our Grand Am in his booster.

No, not ideal.

Heck, not safe.

But literally only the be the case should there be only one parent home, the van not be accessible, and something truly in the realm of NEED come up (ie - hospital trip for one of the kids, etc).

Otherwise, for regular use, no earlier than 14 or 15 years of age. We don't get even a learner's permit here until 16 years old.