Question for drivers with chidlren

[Addiegirl76]

The 05 vibe has the airbag sensor in the front passenger seat. I have a five year old, who sits in a booster, and I would like to put her in the front with me. I pushed the seat all the way back and the airbag sensor says "off" when she is in the seat.Is there anyone here who also does this? I have never put her in the front seat due to the airbag always being "on" in my 03' Vibe.Thoughts?

[scott_h]

Quote, originally posted by Addiegirl76 »The 05 vibe has the airbag sensor in the front passenger seat. I have a five year old, who sits in a booster, and I would like to put her in the front with me.Is that even legal?I found this on a website for the state of Minnesota (obviously not all states are the same):For children under 80 pounds to properly be secured in a vehicle, they should sit in an appropriate child safety seat (or booster seat). In addition, children under the age of 13 should sit in the rear of a vehicle.

[zionzr2]

My personal thoughts are if you are under age 12 you need to be in the rear seat. This is the safest place to be. It was the law when my family was stationed in Germany i was just under 12 at the time.

[Mase]

Put her in the rear passenger side seat then fold the front passenger seat over so she has a nice view as if she were in the front.A lot of people would recommend keeping children out of the front seat until they're at least over a certain size. I think it's 4'10".

[silver_vibe]

Quote, originally posted by desert_dweller »It is hard to believe how times have changed, I remember sitting in the middle of the bench seat of my dads Monte Carlo.I remember the first thing my dad used to do when he bought a new car was to stuff the seatbelts into the seat cushions to get them out of the way (back when cars only came with lap belts).Personally, I think requiring I keep my kid in the rear seat ALL the time is over kill. I know they are safer in the rear most of the time, but they are even safer staying home. If I'm going to run down the street to the post office (all 25 mph residential streets), I like giving my kids a "treat" and let them sit in front.

[michaelgt]

It does not matter what speed you are going, the force of airbags deploying may injure children (small adults) in an accident. Airbags can deploy at speeds less than 25 mph. As others have indicated, there is always risk related to doing anything. I let my 11 yr old sit in front only when there are two others in the back seat (she is over 5 feet) and make sure the seat is all the way back. As for me, I put the 5 and 7 year olds in there boosters in the back seat.

[drunkenmaxx]

Quote, originally posted by desert_dweller »It is hard to believe how times have chaged, I remeber sitting in the middle of the bench seat of my dads Monte Carlo.no kidding, i used to sit in the front before my legs could even touch the floor, and it was perfectly normal!

[Kari]

Yep, I vividly remember sitting in the front seat of my mom's Buick Somerset in my booster seat...no air bags (as far as I know), but it was never a big deal. I think it's funny how I'm only 3" taller than being "required" to sit in the back if I wasn't 22 years old. One of my former coworkers at the newspaper has an 11-year-old son who is still required to sit in a booster seat because he's so skinny...he doesn't meet the weight requirement to be out of the booster seat. He was mortified...I don't blame him.

[ArcsVibe]

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »My personal thoughts are if you are under age 12 you need to be in the rear seat. This is the safest place to be.Totally agree there!

[Flip-Side]

Ok. My job since leaving the air force has been testing and fine tuning these sensor systems in the seat that turn on and off the air bag. All I can say is I go through a lot of off the wall and grueling tests to make sure a child stays safe from the air bag, regardless of their position in the seat. Realize that many companies have already had recalls and issues with these systems mis-classifying children as adults and vice versa. They are new systems and will not work to perfection. If temperature changes, your childs position changes, the road gets bumpy, or your seat fabric stretches, the sensor reading can change and you could enable the air bag. I don't mean to scare anyone but please, keep your kids in the back seat.

[djpositivek]

Quote, originally posted by Mase »Put her in the rear passenger side seat then fold the front passenger seat over so she has a nice view as if she were in the front.That's a great idea ! I'll have to remember that when our little bundle of joy arrives. Probably makes it easier to keep an eye on your little one too. Thanks for the tip

[Digger]

I let my kids sit in the front . (O5 vibe) The seat sensor turns the air bag off and it tells you when it is on. He is 8 though and is not in a booster seat. I would have to agree with the back seat until they are bigger ( Until the seat beld will fit them right.)

[vibe-04]

Also be aware that some aftermarket airbags are improperly packed with too much of a charge. While not a problem for most of us with new Vibes, some aftermarket airbag manufactures do not follow proper guidelines and over charge the bags when replacing them after an accident. All it takes is one mistake...and that's itSesame Street Car Tipshttp://www.sesameworkshop.org/...9221 My two-year-old son sits in the back with the front seat down and say "turn here, red light, CD!!!"

[Addiegirl76]

Thank you all for your feedback and opinions. I think its a great idea to put her in the back withthe front seat folded down. I dont know why I never thought of that before.

[Mavrik]

I remember walking around on the back seat as my dad drove the car. (nah actually that was a jeff foxworthy joke) But anyway... times have changed because cars of changed. The cars we grew up in did not have air bags. But now they do and thats why smaller kids should sit in the back. Now for it being law in some places... thats one reason but I don't recall/never looked into seeing if there was a law for that where I have lived. I also don't remember my first time sitting in the front seat of the car but I guess my folks were not to concerned with my safety lol... I was driving farmall tractors since I was 8.

[rlfreese]

what if you have a truck, then it is the same as the vibe if it is loaded and you have no choice but to put them up front with you. my truck has the sensor as well as my vibe. i was hit in my truck and no airbag on passenger side. My son wasnt with me but the carseat was there and that turns it off becuse you fully engage the seatbelt until it clicks like the vibe. I have had to put my son up front a couple times due to moving. other than that he stays in the back.

[Kari]

Quote, originally posted by rlfreese »what if you have a truck, then it is the same as the vibe if it is loaded and you have no choice but to put them up front with you. Trucks and other vehicles with no backseat usually have some way to turn the airbag on the passenger side off with a key. I know my 2000 Sonoma did, and so does my grandparents' newer Silverado.

[Mavrik]

All GM trucks can have the passanger side airbag turned off by using your key on the switch on the dash.

[Addiegirl76]

Luggage rack huh? There are times that seems apealing believe me Ok, so after reading this thread and some internet research, i moved her seat into the back..ugh she is going to be SO pissed at me when I pick her up from school. I am going to tell her the police man told me I HAD to. LOLWish me luck.Tinting the windows tomorrow.... yeah!Thanks again for all your feedback.Addie

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by desert_dweller »It is hard to believe how times have chaged, I remeber sitting in the middle of the bench seat of my dads Monte Carlo.Yep, I was always in that same spot on trips... There was nowhere else for me. Ahh, yes things have changed. It wasn't until I was in the 4h grade or so that I even routinely wore a seatbelt. Mom had a '78 Sububran when I was a kid, I was always jumping from the front seat, to the back seat, to the cargo area, and back up front... But that's back when people weren't so safety conscious with thei kids.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »But that's back when people weren't so safety conscious with thei kids. Back in the days of lawn darts

[scott_h]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »It wasn't until I was in the 4h grade or so that I even routinely wore a seatbelt. 4th grade? Hell, I think I was in college before I EVER wore a seatbelt, let alone routinely... (whenever the seatbelt laws went into affect...)

[Flip-Side]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »Back in the days of lawn darts Throw them straight up, and everyone would run away...ahhh, good times. As far as me in the past, I still have a scar on my face from sitting in the front seat, no belt, and being tossed into the dashboard when my dad slammed the brakes. At least now it makes me look kinda mean, but sexy and mysterious at the same time. On a serious note, I personally like the turn key style passenger airbags. On or off with no changes unless you tell it so. Unfortunately auto makers are being sued by parents who had airbags kill their children by placing them in the front seat at too young of an age, usually unbelted, with the air bag on. To get rid of the stupid parent factor, a 2006 deadline was issued to put occupant detection systems in every vehicle with passenger airbags by 2006. While this eliminates the need for parental responsibility, different factors can make the ODS systems unreliable at times.

[mcgusto82]

i would recommend asking a tech at pontiac if they can install a kill switch for your vibe. i think if there is a way to turn off the airbag then you should have to problem putting a car seat in the front. if a 92 taurus with the middl;e bench lap belt passes safety inspection, then no one has the right to tell us who can seat in the front seats. we've grown into a society with a cushion barrier. people die, and theres no need to finger point everytime someone does. don't get me wrong.. if the car has an airbag and is "on" then, no the kid needs to be in the back. new gmc's have a way to kill the pass airbag as all cars should. that's what the 05's have incorporated that the 03' - 04's don't.