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Parenting

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Original poster

Do you put your children in the front of a car with an airbag?

15 replies

npg1 · 10/05/2009 20:41

Hi. I am wondering what other people do. DD is having a friend for tea tomorrow, I have 2 car seat either side in the back and the middle is quite narrow, not sure I would fit a booster in there (has a 3 point seatbelt though.) Do I put my DD in the middle with a seatbelt but no booster? The middle bit is slightly more raised and the seatbelt comes from the top of the back seat so I think she would be fine there or do I put her in the front in her car seat but with an airbag?

Help?!

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ilovetochat · 10/05/2009 20:43

i would ask friends mom to drop her round.
i would never use front seat with airbag, does the airbag turn off?

DSM · 10/05/2009 20:45

How old is she?

mrsmaidamess · 10/05/2009 20:46

I put my kids in the front with an airbag. It's probably not the done thing...but then I'm not sure what the done thing is.

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thirtypence · 10/05/2009 20:48

I wouldn't but sometimes it seems I am the only person in New Zealand who doesn't.

I would use the middle with just a seat belt if the child is over 5 and the journey short - it would be completely legal here and what I would have to do if I took a taxi.

edam · 10/05/2009 20:48

Child + airbag is a really bad combination - can be fatal. So I'd turn it off, or go with sticking dd in the middle (and hope that I could squeeze the booster in somehow). Assuming your dd is older than four-ish. If not, I'd ask the other mother to drop off.

financiallyscrewed · 10/05/2009 20:48

Most (if not all cars) with an air bag in the front passenger seat have a button or knob of some kind to turn it off. But, unless it's a rear facing seat it doesn't matter anyway (only recently discovered this and am annoyed about the amount of fiddling I've done in the past)...

JRocks · 10/05/2009 20:49

Are you sure the airbag can't be deactivated? Mine can be switched off with the ignition key in the glove compartment.

policywonk · 10/05/2009 20:49

Can you turn the front airbag off? You can in my car (Picasso). Worth checking the manual. It can be vv dangerous if it deploys with a small child in the front.

policywonk · 10/05/2009 20:49

x-posted with about a million people

edam · 10/05/2009 20:50

(mrsmaidamess - the force of an exploding airbag is quite something. Really not safe to have child in front without disabling the airbag.)

Original poster

npg1 · 10/05/2009 20:53

they are 6. I put dd in the front sometimes, prob not the done thing.

cant really ask mum to drop her off as school is 17 miles from our home!

no airbag doesnt turn off!

OP posts:

BananaFruitBat · 10/05/2009 20:54

edam - the force of an exploding airbag is quite something, but it is controlled and a child in a booster seat, with the seat pushed right back will not be in the 'danger area'.

Original poster

npg1 · 10/05/2009 20:58

If she is in the front I always make sure the seat is far back

OP posts:

Original poster

npg1 · 10/05/2009 21:14

Have just been reading on a website the law for children and seat belts and it states a child over 3yrs may travel in the back in the middle with an adult seatbelt where there are 2 child restraints on either side and a third seat wont fit. If that makes sense!

OP posts:

CherryChoc · 11/05/2009 01:51

This website has good info.
www.childcarseats.org.uk/ I think somewhere on that site it has a list of where are the safest places to sit in the car as well, HTH.

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