To say DD cant go in car with no seatbelt

[HelpIcantfindaname]

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.

I think you're potentially doing her out of a nice experience in a classic car. I went to school every day in a variety of 1930s vintage cars - open top and saloon - with no seat belts, no modern crumple zones or safety engineering. My dad restored them as a hobby and it was just a case of accepting the risk and weighing it with the pleasure of experiencing an old car. Retrofitting things like seat belts ruins the accuracy of the restoration - the only modern thing he added was proper light indicators rather than just the wee signals that pop up!
But it's your call as the parent.

Why can’t your DD sit in the front then with the belt if the other mum has no issues with someone riding in the back without a belt?

So she wouldn’t risk her own daughter!

I understand the concern but if it was a relatively short journey on local roads I'd be tempted to permit the journey. Obviously it is a risk but in the scheme of things probably no worse than a bus or train.

The other thing about classic cars is that they don't have the crumple zones, side impact protection etc of modern cars and they're often quite small.

But like SciFi says, I'd be a lot happier about a short journey on local roads but not on twisty turny NSL country roads, or fast A roads or motorways.

Of course you are not being unreasonable. The other mother is for (I assume) driving other people around with no seatbelts!

Ds is nearly 10 and still in a high back booster. No way would I let him in a car with no seatbelt. If neeeded I would drop him off wherever they were going

Those of you saying that because it’s only a short journey near home that the OP should allow it need to remember that most accidents happen within a few miles of home. I would never allow this and would never forgive myself if my DD was injured because I made such a foolhardy decision.

That's odd, isn't it? That she would suggest your DD went in the back with no belts, if her DC usually sits in the front with a seatbelt.

Hopefully she was thinking that both DC would go in the back together.

Still, I'd say no too, and she was right to check.

No I wouldn't and I wouldn't accept her in the front either with a passenger in the rear like others suggested, have you never seen those adverts showing what happens to front passengers when rear passengers are not belted in... in a crash they could get crushed into the dash by the force of the rear passenger going into the back of the seat.

It would 'probably' be ok, but that isn't good enough!

My DD hasnt had a booster seat for ages...she is now taller than me...I'm just under 5'8 & she is just over. (Her dad is 6'8" - his fault!) Getting her uniform for year 6 is a nightmare....& a whole other thread!

Thank you for the replies.

I think you're potentially doing her out of a nice experience in a classic car

As maybe but when I were a lad the local scrapyard was full of crashed wrecks where someones chest had bent the steering wheel all shapes!

Not for any child of mine thanks..