How dangerous to sit a 5 year old in seat with airbag?

[Bramshott]

Genuine question - I have 2 DDS (DD1 nearly 5; DD2 7 months) who sit in carseats in the back of our car, leaving the central seat in the back (lap belt), and the front passenger seat free. Front passenger seat has airbag which can only be turned off by the garage. If I need to bring one of DD1's friends home from school for a playdate, how is the best way to arrange the seating in the car? All friend still have boosters. Use a booster in front seat for one of the 5 year olds(despite airbag)? Use the middle back seat for DD1, with friend in booster next to her? Or do I say to other mums that I can't take an extra child becuse seating in car inadequate? Just not sure what the best thing is, and what other people do?!?

if it was a choice between the lap belt and the front seat with a proper booster then I would think the front seat option would be safest. You would just have to make sure the front seat was pushed back as far as possible from the dashboard to make it safer.

I'd use a booster in the front seat for the five year old. But push the seat back as far as you can.

Middle back seat. Yes it's a PITA but much safer. Apparently strapped into the middle back seat is the safest seat in the entire car

I think the explosives used in airbags is the general problem, try the car's manual, it must tell you the guidelines around placing children in a seat with airbags.

Seona beat me to it!

I don't think the back middle seat is the safest place if it only has a lap belt though.

Thanks for the quick replies - this is really useful.

Any more?