to put DD in the front seat of the car?

[Bingtata]

I need to do a long journey this weekend and it will be just me and DD (4) for the first time. She has always sat in the back of the car, but I'm wondering if it might be easier to have her in the front seat, but I truly don't know if there is any reason why I shouldn't do this. She has a Britax Evolva Booster seat which holds the seatbelt in the right position as it is a full booster seat. We have front airbags too. She never tries to get out of her seatbelt or anything she is really good in the car.

It looks like most of the issues with sitting in the front are to do with the air bag. What if you put your child in the front, with the seat as far back as you can and turn off the air bag?

If you look at www.carseat.se it is stated that it is as safe to put a rearfacing car seat in the front seat if the airbag is deactivated, as in the back. I'm not sure about forward facing seats.

Ds (6) always travels in the front seat. He has a Mercedes car seat that is fitted with a transponder and automatically turns off the airbag (I get a light on the dashboard to confirm). I find it less distracting to have him next to me. My car only has two seats but I also use a car with rear seats and find it difficult on long journeys.

It looks like most of the issues with sitting in the front are to do with the air bag. What if you put your child in the front, with the seat as far back as you can and turn off the air bag?

I think this is the link to front seat safety... web site is not responding for me at the moment though.

www.carseat.se/rearfacing/position-in-vehicle/front-seat-safety/

i know this is slightly off subject (ie not to do with childrens car seats) but i think that what happens in a crash depends on THAT SPECIFIC crash..... my friend was in a crash and wasn't wearing a seat belt and survived, he was told that had he been wearing a seat belt he would have died or been seriously injured! i can't recall the details but it was a complicated crash and you never know whats going to help or hinder you at that specific time....

(i'm not suggesting anyone not wear their seat belt btw)

"When I worked for ambulance service most RTC injuries were caused by the seat belts and airbags."

So your advice would be not to wear a seatbelt, then? I presume that's not what you mean, but what does "most injuries were caused by the seat belts and airbags" mean? That seatbelts and airbags increase the number of injuries?

i guess it means that the seatbelts and airbags caused injuries. which isn't that surprising

injuries may have been far worse without seatbelts/airbags