Child Car Seat Laws

[Rick Carlisle]

I realize there was a previous discussion about this but I have a specific question about where kids who use a car seat ride in a D-90.

I have a 3 year old daughter. I have the car seat buckled up to the passenger seat in front next to me. Since there is no air bag I have assumed this was the best, safest (and only) place to put a car seat in the 90.

Unfortunately, like maybe some others, I have an ex who likes to start things with me constantly. Today, when I picked my daughter up my ex initialy refused to give her to me attempting to imply that it was unsafe for my daughter to ride in the front with me. I said the vehicle did not have a passenger air bag and it was safe. But knowing her, this is, in her mind, an "opportunity" and it will not be the last time I will hear about it.

Can anyone shed light on specific laws that might govern this or point me to a website that I could print out that would put this fire out before it blazes.

Thanks.

[tmore]

I have been through the same drill. For Colorado law there is aweb site I think was Carseatcolorado.com that listed all of the current regulations I would bet that something exists for your state.... My fall back to the inevitable front seat question is where do you put a carseat in a pickup truck?.. I beleive that in 1999 all light trucks were required to have dual airbags and sometime after they were required to be user disabled for child passengers etc.
good luck

[Burke]

I would look up the FL DOT website. I have a new baby and just checked out the NC DOT. Here it is ok if there is no front airbag. Good luck with the ex, she is just probably pissed that she can't ride there anymore;)

ps here it is.... http://www.fhp.state.fl.us/CPS/

[evilfij]

I would let her not give you your daughter and then haul her into court for interfering with a court order, kidnapping or whatever you could get her on.

Play hardball, do not play nice.

[DJ Menasco]

I would let her not give you your daughter and then haul her into court for interfering with a court order, kidnapping or whatever you could get her on.

Play hardball, do not play nice.

GEEZ! Spoken like a true Jerk Ron! Let the child suffer in order to stick it to the ex-wife.


Rick

I think Burke hit the nail on the head with Florida DOT site, but if there's any doubt you should look at the USDOT here: (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/). Additionally, for added incentive you can always drop by your local fire department and have them check out the child seat and its harness. I'd steer clear from Ron's advice. That'll only throw fuel on the fire.


DJ

[evilfij]

Well DJ (i mean neville chamberlin)

She is trying to stick it to him.

No sense in putting up with any BS, it only begats more BS

[BarryO]

As my pediatrician explained it to me once:

1.) It's more dangerous to ride in a car than not. If you don't want to be injured in a car, or you don't want your child to be, than you/her should stay out of cars.

2.) For most people, (1.) isn't practical. But if you're going to be sitting in a car, sitting in a back seat is in general safer than sitting in front seat. Not just for children, but for everyone one. The safest place for ANY passenger to ride is in the back seat.

3.) However, (2.) sometimes changes based on circumstances. FOr example, the jury is still out on whether a front seat with shoulder belts is in fact more dangerous than a back seat with just lap belts, or whether a middle-back with just a lap belt is better than an outside-back with shoulder belts. As another example, in cars with airbags, the front seat is significantly more dangerous for children under 7, especially if the children are unbelted or they are in rear-facing car seats.

4.) All these subtleties are too much to put in the typical 15-second Public Safety message, whihc is designed to be comprehended by grade-school-dropout mouthbreathers. So they condense the message down to: NEVER PUT KIDS IN THE FRONT SEAT. The NHTSA also rounded the 7-year age up to 12, just to add a safety factor. This is the best choice for most cars, but in a D-90, the best, and only place to put a kid in a car seat is in the front passenger seat. That's where my son always rode when he was little.

[evilfij]

Well if you are really paranoid you could buy a soft top back seat. Or maybe find a way to bolt the seat directly to the floor. Factoring out the effect of decelleration or fire I can't imagine an impact where the something low to the ground in the back would be effected.

. . . or wuss out and trade it in on a disco . . .

[Rick Carlisle]

Thanks for the quick responses. But while I appreciate all of the feedback I also do not want to put my daughter in the middle of things. She gets put through enough by being pulled back and forth from me to the ex. Just the logistics for a child in this situation are hard.

I also know my ex will stop at nothing to get to me. That's why I KNOW I will hear about this. I think, as Burke said, she is just pissed she is not with me anymore. She is mad for life since I filed for divorce when I had taken more than enough from her. Every since then, false charges, and every angle possible to "get me" have been used. I have defended myself effectively every time (at the cost of about two additional Defenders this last year alone) but it is so hard since all I want is a decent relationship and my time with my daughter. I apologize if anyone takes offense to this thread and I sincerely am not tring to make this my personal soapbox. But if any of you have been through it, you will understand.

I will check out the FL website and may call the Florida State troopers myself to make sure I am doing everything as safely as possible. Any other feedback regarding the laws and personal experience with the use of car seats in a D-90 will be appreciated.

[chrisvonc]

I would think with the nature of how the Defenders rear seat just flips forward, the front seat in a non-air bag truck would be the best place.

[mattdh]

rick she might just be made you got the defender and she didnt

[Art Vigil]

If I can add one more thing to the discussion.
If you don't already have rock sliders, now would be a great time to fit some. They offer a huge amount of side protection OFF the trail as well.
It would be a hard point for your ex to argue.
Best of luck (been there)

[TDI Guy]

Rick, I am a child safty seat tech in NJ and there is nothing wrong with the front seat in a d-90. If you have a rear bench seat that has shoulder belts, then it can go in the back. IF not, the only logical place is the front seat (forward facing). You can call up your local PD an dthey should have a car seat tech that can check it for you. IT is free and will help you in any way needed. also, check out this web site. www.nhtsa.gov for any further info.

[Campbell]

WOW...I'm glad I'm single.

[Rick Carlisle]

Thank you very much Randy. That is what I was looking for.