Do kids really not sit in the front seat until 13?
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Anonymous
| I have a large almost 8 year old and was thinking it would only be a couple years until he could sit in the front seat. I googled and it’s saying not until 13 years old. Is that really what people are doing? Front seat at 13 and then driving at 16. Seems so extreme to me. |
Anonymous
| Not what people do. I see 10 year olds I’m the front seat. |
Anonymous
|
Age is not a good metric, size is.
The seat-belt needs to naturally cross cross the shoulder, not the head, when it does, good to go. |
Anonymous
| I thought the issue was weight. If an airbag deploys, the impact can injure even kill a small person. |
Anonymous
| Occasionally I put my 10 yo in the front seat when I have to bring a big load of kids home from school. |
Anonymous
|
I have no intention of putting my kid in the front seat for a good long time. Air bags can do a good amount of damage to a full grown adult, never mind a kid. It is not just about height and weight.
There are bones, muscles, and tendons that are still developing. For example, there are studies that show that kids should not play tackle football or head a soccer ball until they are in high school because their neck is not strong enough to provide the support that the head needs to be safe when tackling and heading a ball. That same logic holds true during a car crash. The speed that an air bag deploys combined with the speed of impact from the accident leads to a very violent impact into the air bag. Younger bodies are not strong enough to absorb that impact. Not to mention, I am not giving up my seat in the front of the car for my kid (on family drives). Yes, I am selfish. |
Anonymous
| We didn’t let them sit in the front seat till 13. Others let their kids sit there earlier though, I think. |
Anonymous
|
If only there were experts who could help settles this...
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx Yeah 13 for front seat regardless of weight. It's a bone and muscle development thing. I see so many folks discarding booster seats at 8, and their kids don't fit properly in the seat belts. I don't get why these parents are so stupid. Might as well be anti-vax, it's the same principal. |
Anonymous
| I have a tiny 13 yr old and I waited until he was a month or two shy of turning 13 before I let him sit in the front seat. |
Anonymous
|
My son is 12 and sits in the back. He is about 5 foot 5 and is heavy.
I have 3 older children and they all waited till 13 to sit in the front. |
Anonymous
Actually, it's not. It's the same principle. |
Anonymous
| My 10.5yo is still in the back, and I feel absolutely no urgency to put her in front with me. She’s happy back there. |
Anonymous
This. |
Anonymous
It's neither. Not vaxxing your child causes harm to the community. Not restraining your child properly only hurts your child. Not the same things AT ALL. |
Anonymous
|
Mine didn’t sit in the front until they were tall enough for
The belt to fit properly. In both cases that was past age 13. |