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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU - short car journey

24 replies

Mummabearof2 · 01/02/2020 23:56

A friend mentioned that they are planning on squeezing 5 adults and a 6yr old into one standard sized car for a specific short journey (approx. 3miles). The journey is slow moving (no more than 30) and stop start with traffic and traffic lights etc. Friend's thinking is that it is a short, slow low risk journey and we did it all the time when we were kids. AIBU to be horrified by this and persuade them not to do it or is this ever OK to do??

OP posts:

UndertheCedartree · 01/02/2020 23:57

I can't see any reason why it would be ok. What is her reason?

Rose789 · 01/02/2020 23:59

No that’s not ok and for the sake of 3 miles surely one of the adults would just walk it, or get a taxi

Tombakersscarf · 02/02/2020 00:00

Its short enough that they could make two trips. The adults will all fit, its the six year old at risk.

BlueEyedFloozy · 02/02/2020 00:01

Putting the obvious lack of space aside, someone will end up without a seat of their own which means no seat belt and I would be willing to bet that it'll be the kid expected to do so because they won't have the capacity to argue against it.

Your friend is a cunt.

Aquamarine1029 · 02/02/2020 00:01

It is not ok, ever.

ShinyGiratina · 02/02/2020 00:04

The law might have made it acceptable in her youth, and car seats often weren't an option prior to the early 90s, but 99+% of cars do have a seatbelt per person and the law is there with good reason, to protect people from injury/ deaths, and despite busier roads, the injury/death rate is much lower now than it had been.

If she had an accident, her insurance would be invalidated by having too many passengers.
The police would take a very dim view if she was spotted or in response to an accident.

It really is not worth the potential safety or legal risks.

Frlrlrubert · 02/02/2020 00:05

I hate 'we were fine', yes we were, the ones that weren't aren't here to tell the tale.

5foot5 · 02/02/2020 00:05

I bet the plan is for the kid to sit on someones knee. Not Ok. As above, 3 miles, two trips.

Toffeecakes · 02/02/2020 00:06

Definitely not ok. If there’s an accident then the consequences could potentially be much worse than they would usually be. And it will be the 6 year old who ends up without a seat.

BikeRunSki · 02/02/2020 00:07

It’s not ok, and it will invalidate the drivers insurance.

BikeRunSki · 02/02/2020 00:09

If it was fine, do you think the government would have gone to the length of passing seatbelt laws in the 1980s?

copperoliver · 02/02/2020 00:09

Why can't one of them walk with child or get a taxi.
It is very dangerous and against the law. X

copperoliver · 02/02/2020 00:11

Or they could possibly do 2 trips. Maybe suggest this. I can't see why people take chances like this. X

AlunWynsKnee · 02/02/2020 00:13

Most car insurance stipulates the maximum number of occupants. I have a 5 seater so in the depths of my policy it says how many passengers I can have.
Carrying more people could present insurance issues.

SleepingStandingUp · 02/02/2020 00:22

So where will the 6 yo sit??

No its not OK, and they need to get a taxi as its such a short distance

jimmyhill · 02/02/2020 01:50

It’s not ok, and it will invalidate the drivers insurance.

It won't, but then again there's no insurance to cover a child's head going through a windscreen

mnthrowaway202020 · 02/02/2020 01:59

Errr you can still get into a collision on:

a short journey
a slow journey
stop/start traffic with lights ()
whatever other “low risk journey”

I mean I remember a recent news article where pedestrians in a parking lot were ran over by a confused elderly driver reversing at full speed.

You can’t predict other driver’s actions. What if this day is the moment you come across someone messing with their phone who ends up driving into you?

Realistically it is the child that will go flying as their body won’t be secured in the car like the 5 adults will be. The only person at an increased risk would be the child, you’ll all be sat down whilst the 6 year old is carted towards the windscreen by the momentum.

Emmelina · 02/02/2020 02:17

Not okay. I assume they intend to tuck the 6yo in a footwell being the smallest. You’re not fitting an extra adult anywhere else with a car seat in the back that’s for sure! I know someone who regularly did this until they were pulled over for a dodgy tyre and she got into trouble because the child wasn’t in an appropriate seat and was wedged behind the front passenger seat!
2 trips, or make an adult walk or get a taxi.

QuestionableMouse · 02/02/2020 02:33

Madness.

Tell her to hire a seven seater for the day.

Durgasarrow · 02/02/2020 02:39

Absolutely not okay. I guarantee you that if this person thinks it's okay to do once, she'll think it's okay to do more than once. It's never okay.

sashh · 02/02/2020 03:32

I've been in several bumps, all low speed, stop start type journeys.

As a child I travelled to Spain in tail gate of a car, sheer madness.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 02/02/2020 03:36

6yo needs to be in a car seat. At just turned 6 mine still needed a harness as she was barely 15kg.
Easy solution... Three adults plus 6yo do journey in car. 2 adults start walking. Driver drops of passengers, retraces route, picks up other two halfway.

Original poster

Mummabearof2 · 02/02/2020 10:33

Thanks all, glad to know I'm not being overly precious!! I think I've managed to persuade her round with the help of all your comments. One adult will walk or they'll try to get a lift from another car.

OP posts:

crustycrab · 02/02/2020 11:10

Won't they just come back for the other adult? It's only 3 miles ffs

"I would be willing to bet that it'll be the kid expected to do so because they won't have the capacity to argue against it." more likely because the are the only one that will fit

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