To say DD cant go in car with no seatbelt

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DD10 is going to spend time with her school friend tomorrow.
Friend's mum said she might take girls out somewhere if I was ok with DD going in her car....its an old classic & has no seat belts in the back.
Ex hubby says it's my call. So I texted the mum to say I'd rather DD didn't go in car without a belt.
DD now huffing...she can still visit her friend but they won't be able to have a trip out. I feel mean cos I know girls want to go out. And a bump in the car is unlikely, but you never know do you.

Of course YANBU. It's illegal for a reason.

Nope. Not unreasonable at all. I had a classic car with absolutely useless belts in the front and none in the back. There's no way I'd take my children out in it.

Yanbu

I would do exactly the same as you. And I think the other mum was a bit daft to even say it to the girls without asking you first.

No belt, no car trip.

Flossie Classic cars before a certain date do not have to have seatbelts, though sensible Classic car owners will have retrofitted them.
I’m with you Op, no seatbelt, no trip, huffing notwithstanding.

@FlossieTeacakesFurCoat18 It’s not illegal for a Child over three to ride in the back of a car that doesn’t have seatbelts if it was made before seatbelts were compulsory.

Seatbelts are non-negotiable. The end. No further discussion needed.

YANBU, though as pp have said, it's not actually illegal.

It's not illegal if they are over 3 years old

www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law/if-your-vehicle-doesnt-have-seat-beltsf your vehicle doesn’t have seat belts
If your vehicle doesn’t have seat belts, for example it’s a classic car, you aren’t allowed to carry any children under 3 years old in it.

Children over 3 are only allowed to sit in the back seats.

These rules only apply if your vehicle was originally made without seat belts.

My ds used to see a girls who's dp's had a car each. The dm had one with 4 seats and suggested squeezing 3 dc in the back for an hour journey each way. I told my ds if she couldn't take the other car he wasn't going. He was mortified but more so because her reason was so she didn't have to put fuel in the df's car!
She cared zero for even her own dc's safety!

I wouldn't either.

My in-laws keep wanting to take my kids out without carseats/boosters. It's an uphill battle all the time.

You're doing the right thing.

YANBU. Even though it is legal to travel in a classic car without a seat belt (I think only children over 3 can travel in a classic car but only on the back seat) I would be the same as you. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Could your DD go in the front passenger seat, if there is a seatbelt there?

Absolutely 100% not. No chance I would allow my child to ride in a car without a seat belt!

Not a chance in hell. She can do what she wants with her own kids, but no way should she be risking your dd’s life for a jolly.

She was right to check. You're being totally reasonable to say no.

Just because it's not illegal doesn't mean it's not stupid.

Whether it’s illegal or not is hardly the issue. It’s the fact that your child will be flung through the windscreen in the event of an accident. No parent in their senses would contemplate such a thing.
I’m a retired doctor, and I’m old enough to remember back to the pre seat belt era.
I regularly spent all night anaesthetising the survivors of RTAs, who were having windscreen glass removed from their eyes and noses, their multiple fractures plated, and sometimes an unsalvageable eye removed altogether. And they were the lucky ones - they were still alive.

Oh god YANBU
DH has classic car with only lapstraps in the back.
One trip, about 2 miles in 30 area was more than enough to show how dangerous it was
DC never went in it again
Just no from me

The thing is the likelihood of an accident happening is slim

As in slim not none

I wouldn’t risk it-if anything did happen you’d never forgive yourself

YANBU

A seatbelt saved my life, along with the rest of my family. We weren’t expecting to crash either. You’ve definitely done the right thing.

Agree with a PP - is there a seatbelt in the front passenger seat?

Where’s Anton and Belle?

Thank you so much for your replies.
There are seatbelts in the front. Usually her DD would be in the front as there's only the 2 of them, so she doesnt usually need seatbelts in the back. The girls will still have fun playing together even if they cant go out.