vibe causes children distress

[joatmon]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/...x.htmQuote »At first, Amie Clark's two sons seemed to love the family's new 2005 Pontiac Vibe. The low seats and high windows blocked their view of the road and made it seem like they were sitting in a cave.But then Clark, of Jacksonville, N.C., began noticing a disturbing trend. Maxwell and Jesse, ages 4 and 6, often began fighting before she had reached the end of the street."Even on the trip out to the car now, they're squabbling," Clark says. "There have been a couple of times where we haven't even gotten out of the housing development, and I'm pulling over" to break up a fight.The children sit closer to each other in the family's Ford Windstar, but trips in the minivan are much more peaceful.Bored children in the back seat have long been the bane of parents, but squabbling and cries of "Don't touch me!" usually have been reserved for long road trips. A new trend in car design is changing that.To make cars look more aggressive, designers have raised the line where the window meets the car, called the beltline in industry speak. Coupled with low seats, it means drivers and adult passengers get the feeling of being inside a sturdy tank or maybe a bathtub.Some folks like it. Sales of the popular Chrysler 300 sedan took off in part because of this aggressive design cue.But pint-size passengers aren't enjoying the ride. The view out the front is usually blocked by the front-row seats and being strapped into car seats prevents them from moving around to adjust their view.They're stuck looking up at treetops and overhead electrical wires, or focusing their attention on the closest thing to them — which is often a sibling."Being able to annoy the sibling becomes the entertainment of the day," says David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports magazine's auto testing center. "That then distracts the driver from being able to concentrate on the road, because they're trying to pacify the children."blah blah blah blahFor Clark, the Pontiac Vibe's back seat bugs her but not enough to trade in the car for something new."It's a minor inconvenience, because as the kids grow, it's going to get better," she says. "But I don't think we would buy another Vibe if that design stays the same."...Hadn't heard anyone gripe about that one before. A minor inconvenience but apparently major enough that she would never buy another one.

[iinan]

oh brother, now parents blame their lack of ability to raise their children on a car? What a pathetic excuse...

[mcgusto82]

this is news to me. maybe a seat booster could make things better.my 7 month old ALWAYS naps after a few minutes of riding in the car.

[northvibe]

aahhh American parents scapegoating the car for bad parenting...god i love our society. its so easy to blame everything else and sue!....mmmm i should have kids and sue car companies for them fighting!!! YESSSS

[gargoyle]

Maybe this idea from one of drunkenvibe's previous threads would help...http://www.babycage.net/index.phpfrom thread...http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=19429

[ColonelPanic]

Right after I bought the Vibe, a lady who owned a Matrix called Car Talk about the whole "high beltline" issue, where the windows are up high to begin with on the front doors and slope upward as you go to the rear... It wasn't bugging her kids, but it was bugging her from a visibility standpoint. She was ready to trade the car in because of that, and she had only had it for a few months.

[Jaycie685]

I agree with the Vibe having low rear seats and high windows as I've sat in the back a few times to clean my car.But at the same time, at the ages of 4 and 6, those kids are supposed to be in booster seats! I don't remember the age/weight limits of booster seats, but if they were sitting in them maybe they wouldn't be fighting all the time since they'd be able to see out the windows.Kids will be kids!

[mauthner]

I think there is some truth to this. My 2 year old cannot see much of anything out of my vibe and twice now on long car rides has thrown up from carsickness. Now we open the windows to give her a breeze, even when it is cold outside. I think the lack of visibilit contributes to this.When she rides in my Silverado, sitting up high, she is noticeably excited and comments on everything she sees out the windows.

[redlava]

My family owned a 85 Olds Cutlass. I can attest to the no view in backseats responsible for the carsickness thing. On long drives I would start getting sick especially if I was on a hilly or curvy road. I can understand that woman's viewpoint, but it sounds to me more like the Mom should let the kids duke it out, or install straight jackets in the back seats.

[binary]

I'd have to agree. My 8 year old also commented on her inablity to see the road. She's growing like a weed, so it'll resolve itself.There's some truth in this though - the rear windows are much higher. However - we testdrove the vibe WITH my daughter - AND asked her opinion... something I bet this complainer didn't do.

[Atomb]

unless they're freakishly large children, at the ages of 4 and 6 they should be sitting in booster seats...it's the law here in Ontario. based on child size i think? but i'm sure somebody can correct me...

[Mavrik]

4 and 6? lol I sat on a booster seat to until I was 7 I think... hard to blame the car for their fighting... sure the car is new but also the kids are growing up which explains why they didn't fight in the last car they had.

[Jahntassa]

I can see it making sense... Can't see anything good out the window = nothing better to do in the car.That'd be offset if they offered a video system in the car. And if I ever have kids, you bet i'll have one. I drove my in-laws 300 once.. and man..I cannot stand that car. I'm fairly tall (6' 1") and it annoys the crap out of me. As for the rear seat in the vibe? I think it's fine. It's not my mom's old Accord, but it does the trick.Yeah, it's kinda bad to blame the car for absence of parental teaching of 'entertain thyself'. The post with the child that gets carsickness..well.. That's understandable... Oh well..to each their own?

[northvibe]

ah good points, yea im not tall by any means but i love just staring out the window on car trips. but yea i agree the kids should be in car seats/booster seats which should help resolve that issue a little maybe of not being able to see and fighting. my uncle has a 300c uhh, i didnt like the visiability either

[Dj_kulture]

QUICK SOLUTION.... slap a big LCD monitor to the "worktable" on the back of the passenger seat... and hook it up to an external camera mounted in the front grill... now the kiddies can watch the action right there on a TV!YEA! (books, people... I read BOOKS on car trips)

[vibebob]

In Texas law states: (a) ... a child who is younger than five years of age and less than 36 inches in height, and does not keep the child secured during the operation of the vehicle in a child passenger safety seat system according to the instructions of the manufacturer of the safety seat system. (b) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $100 or more than $200.

[ColonelPanic]

Now that I think about it, I guess as a kid, I was even more screwed up than I had first suspected. Honestly, I could care less if I had windows to look out of. In some strange way, I preferred "cozy" surroundings, i.e. stuck in the back seat of a coupe with a small window back there as opposed to having a nice big window as you would have on a sedan. The less visibility I had of the outside, the more I enjoyed the ride, go figure. I found other ways to keep myself entertained, didn't need windows, TV's, DVD players (which weren't invented, but anyway...) None of that crap.

[Lancer]

I was the same way when I was little. I loved the aea under the front seat dash of my mothers wagon. Booster seats are also measured by wieght. Most are from 40 to 80lbs kids. My kids, 10 and 4, have never complaind about not being able to see anything. My 4yr old's carseat was high enough to just see level out the window. I have to agree that it's not the car's fault that lady's kids were fighting. Get control of your kids! BE A PARENT!

[mcgusto82]

actually i'd rather se the rear bench recline rather than this whole visibility thing getting fixed. my parents pathfinder does. wheneevr i sit in the back, i wish i could recline them. the whole sitting up right is annoying on long trips.

[vibe-04]

Quote, originally posted by Dj_kulture »QUICK SOLUTION.... slap a big LCD monitor to the "worktable" on the back of the passenger seat... and hook it up to an external camera mounted in the front grill... now the kiddies can watch the action right there on a TV!Yes, good idea! My two-year-old son sits in a chair but cannot see everything very well. I use a laptop in the car to play DVD and can easily hook up a USB camera to the mirror. We get too much snow and ice so I'll only use the camera on the interior. Good suggestion. He'll really like it cause when I drop a gear and hammer on the revs he says "faster." I'm not kidding:) But please, I'm only doing this in second from third (40 mph or so) on a clear road and when no cars are around. He likes my car best cause of the stick. Vroom, vroom.

[northvibe]

vibe-04 nice! sounds like ur child will be a race car driver i remember when my mom had a old chrysler wagon, i would ride on the roof from the end of the drive way to the garage...dang that was fun. kids need imaginations, throw them a harry potter book in the car.

[vibe-04]

"I can't drive 55"

[binary]

Quote, originally posted by vibe-04 »"I can't drive 55" Sammy Haggar would be proud!I'm glad I don't see plastic spinners or a big wing on your son's car - he's got good taste!

[Stealth_Vibe]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic » It wasn't bugging her kids, but it was bugging her from a visibility standpoint. She was ready to trade the car in because of that, and she had only had it for a few months.ill agree on that i had a hard time because i look back before passing on the highway and i cant see very well out my back windows and it was bothersome but i learned to deal with it because i like this car

[ToolGuy]

How completely dumb! Someone should tell this lady higher beltlines are better for safety too! Get the brats a DVD player and be done with it!

[johnsoax]

Quote, originally posted by Dj_kulture »(books, people... I read BOOKS on car trips)Amen!!!!DVD players are for looooong trips, books are for anything less than 200 miles .

[ToolGuy]

Yeah BOOKS!!!!!

[drunkenmaxx]

eh, just club the little turds in the head and knock em out for the whole trip. that oughta shut them up!

[russ257]

i fail to see how this is news

[JenniRedd]

Hey another great reason not to have kids and besides what is all this riff raff about child abuse. Most of us on this board remember when we were kids if we acted up anywhere we got a (removed) whoopin'! Shot if I have kids riding in the back of my Vibe and they start acting up, they're gonna get tore down. I don't play that. Kids can be great but sometimes they need to be disciplined too. Sorry hope i didn't offend anyone. Forgive me and my childless lifestyle. They all keep telling me one day it will all change and I'll be married and having kids! Later, Jenni Redd

[angelkisses]

ha ha, funny post, like the club the turds on the head or something to that affect. Oh and about the booster seats, they just changed the law in WV in July, here the law now is in a booster seat until 8 years old or 4 foot 10 inches tall!!!! I'M BARELY 4 FOOT 10!!! LOL seriously, good thing that age limit is on there LOL my husband thinks its ridiculous that he's supposed to be in a booster until he is 8, I know a lot of people who don't even have booster seats anymore, they pretty much stopped using them when their kids turned 4 and had to go get another one after the new law ha ha ha!!!

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by angelkisses » LOL my husband thinks its ridiculous that he's supposed to be in a booster until he is 8 Your husband has to use a booster seat until he is 8? Wow, things really are different in west virginia