On a single cab truck putting a carseat in the middle of driver and passenger? Front facing or rear facing? Is it legal?
My BIL had a single cab truck. When he had the baby with him, he disabled the passenger airbag and put the baby seat in the passenger seat, buckled in properly. His wife used the car and he needed to truck for work so could not really "go buy another car". He could not put the seat in the middle because it did not buckle in properly and always felt loose.
I believe in my state if there is no backseat they can be placed in the front. I think front/rear would depend upon how old the child is.
If there is no back seat in a vehicle then it is legal to put the carseat in the only available seat. Be sure to know how to turn off the airbag if it isn't automatic.
In Texas it is legal for both front & rear facing to be placed there. If the truck has airbags it should have a turn off switch (ours uses the ignition key) to turn them off. You do HAVE to turn them off.
The alternative to doing this is to not have your baby in a car seat which is definitely very not safe. So, yes, you have to put it in the front seat when there is no back seat.
I live in Texas and from what I believe, is that yes you can but only if you don't have a back seat. You can call the nonemergency number of your police department just to make sure though.
Sue is right. But I also wanted to mention that I believe all car manuals tell you the safest place to install a carseat, and if they cannot be installed somewhere- also I know it's on the back of somewindow shades (I got into an argument about this with my parents and was able to source both these places in their vehicle)
When in doubt find a Car Seat Inspection site in your area.
Ive always wondered the same.........what are people with only 1 single cab truck and a baby to do?
Yes it is legal in either the front or rear facing direction (according to the age/weight of the child). You just have to turn the airbag off on the passenger side if the truck has airbags. Generally it's safer to put the child in the passenger seat instead of the middle because usually the driver's side airbag will still deploy over the middle seat area in a bench seat truck, so by turning off the passenger side airbag, the middle seat passenger would likely still be impacted by the airbag.
When my husband and I were first married, the only vehicle we had was a single cab truck so our daughter had to ride in it. We always secured her in her car seat and in the passenger seat (it didn't have a passenger side air bag). Definitely not ideal but you do what you have to in the safest way possible. Thank goodness we now have better vehicles for a family.
I used to have a Jeep Wrangler and it had a manual turn off for the passenger air bag (you had to use the ignition key to do so).
Do you have a seatbelt in the middle that would hold it good enough? Some middle seats don't have a shoulder strap to help it (like two layers).
I'd call the local Highway Dept or police station to find out. Here it's the same as posted below, only if you don't have a backseat but it could be different from state to state.
I'm not sure, it probably depends on the made/model of the truck, presence of airbags, etc. Look in the truck's manual, it should tell you if it's equipped for a carseat and the safest place. Most cars now have the latch system, where the carseat hooks directly to the car without using the seatbelts. I'd definitely be positive before trying it!
Better check with your police department. It may be different between states.
Dawn
Sue is correct. It is not the best scenario, but you do the best with what you have. Rearfacing is ok if there is no airbag or the airbag is turned off. Never install a seat rearfacing in front of an airbag that cannot be switched off. In that case you would have to FF assuming the seat can FF and the child is over one and 20 lbs. If there is any other possible option though, I would seek that out if at all possible.
Swing by your local constable's office and ask. Most have complimentary safety seat inspections.
Backwards, and only if there is no airbag.
Our car seat is in the middle of out back seat. Its buckled and anchored in. I don't know if that's ok or not but my husband has a friends who's daughter was killed when the car was hit in her side so it freaked my husband out and put it in the middle. I can reach her better too. In the middle is where I would put it.
Yes, if you have only a single cab truck, putting the child in the front seat is the only option because you don't have a backseat. This is legal in Texas. The question of forward facing or rear facing will depend, though. How old is your child? How much does your child weigh? How tall is your child? Who is the manufacturer of your child's carseat and at what weight/height does the manufacturer say the seat should be turned around? Every seat has different requirements so you will need to read the owner's manual for your seat. Texas law requires that the seat be used in accordance with what is in the owner's manual so be sure that you are following the guidelines there. Whether forward or rear-facing, though, the air-bags must be manually turned off.
i think it is suppose to go in the middle with the passenger air bag turned off, if there is one. as far as forward or rear facing it depends on the childs age, weight and height. read your booklet that came with the seat.
