To not want DS travelling in sports car?

[ladyfordington]

Ok, this is my first AIBU and I'm willing to accept that I may be unreasonable and a bit precious, so here goes...

My SIL and BIL have asked if they can have our 5 year old DS for a sleepover at their house. SIL has offered to collect him and bring him home in her car (using a booster seat) but she drives a two seater convertible car and I don't really want him travelling in it. (They live about 30-40 minutes away). DH says I'm being precious and he has no problem with it and that he would be just as safe in her car as he would in ours.

My rule has always been that our DC sit in the back of my car, never the front but DH also thinks this is over the top, so perhaps I'm just overly cautious?

For the record, I'm perfectly happy for DS to have the sleepover with SIL and BIL and am proposing that I drop him off and collect him the next day at their convenience.

So - AIBU?

specialsubject that's my line, use that all the time, supposed to be attributed to TELawrence, may be an urban myth but it makes bloody good sense. The standard of driving since the implementation of seat belts, air bags and side impact protection has gone downhill fast.

Ok, well I said I was prepared to accept I was BU and I think the general consensus is that I am!

I've said he can go in their car and I'll stop fussing over it. DS is very excited bless him!

For those who asked, the car is an Audi TT and I believe the airbag can be turned off. DS will have his own Britax high-back booster seat in the car. I will ask SIL to push the seat back as advised on here, but other than that I'll try to stop being such a worrier!

Nothing wrong with worrying as long as you don't tie yourself into knots

Ideally all cars should have a big spike on the steering wheel, that would actually greatly increase safety because everyone would drive much more carefully!

They tried that in the 1950s, it didn't work.

OP

Head over tot he various 70/80s threads and see how many of us survived travelling in vans / car boots.

I traveled to Spain in a car boot, and back.

The reason so many of us survived of course, is nothing to do with the safety of the car but because we were not involved in an accident.

Consider it practice for when he wants a motor bike.

I drove both my kids round in a 1972 Morris Minor, this was only ten years ago.
More recently DD and I travelled around in the summer months in an 82 TR7 convertible. Great fun and the kids loved my eclectic cars.

Hilarious

Would not be keen on a five year old travelling in the front seat full-stop, whether it was a sports car or a Volvo. It is not the safest travelling place for them.
I know I am in a minority on this, judging by ds's classmates I see being driven home from school, in the front and often without a booster. I don't care though.

I thought the TT had a small seat in the back?

The convertible is a two seater.
My only rule is I don't have the roof down on the motorway as the higher speed is more likely to flip the car. (TT has roll bars that pop up if I remember rightly)
Rest of the time rule is if it's not raining its roof down in the sports car!!!

I'd be ok with the air bag off but not on. I'm 5'2" and have had an air bag deploy in my face and it was very violent. I would not risk a child experiencing that.

The hard top recent TT does have a tiny back seat but it is tiny. Not sure about the soft tops and the newer or older models.

OP I know it feels odd to do it but it should be possible to turn the bag off and it should be fine.

I was about to say great what fun, let him do it, BUT airbags are very very dangerous if you are not tall enough.

not to put too fine a point on it, they can decapitate you.

So, if he is high enough on his booster, then fine, if not then no way unless you can turn the airbag off.

Google the height/booster seat thing. I have no idea if he is high enough with his booster

The convertible TT doesn't have back seats. Only the hard top does. Even then they are not full size and only recommended for children.

There is likely to be a manual switch to deactivate the airbag - in the Audi convertible we had it was inside the glovebox. In some cars it can be done at the steering wheel via the onboard computer.

The only issue with a 2 seater we ever found was with the little 2 seater smart car. That had isofix for a baby seat. If you used their own isofix seat it automatically turned off the airbag. Unfortunately it didn't if you used any other brand. That's the only model of car I've seen that set up in tbh though.

I would only let him go if the airbag can be turned off. Push the seat back as far as possible. It is not just the SIL's driving it is the other drivers on the road.