Law or Safe Practices for Pick-ups with Extended Cabs

A.,
My husband is a police officer and he told me that the safest place for a child is always in the back seat. California law states that if she is 6 years old and 60lbs she can sit in the front seat without a booster, however the safest place for a child is always in the back seat.

I hope this helps.

S.

Law in CA - car seats MUST be in the back seat unless: there is no back seat; the back seats are side or rear facing; or there is a medical reason the child must be up front.

I believe that if the truck has an actual back seat and not a jumper seat then the child has to be in the backseat. The reason is that if the truck has an airbag and it deploys it can seriously harm a child. My son is 10 and he still rides in the backseat even in the extended cab truck, it's safer for kids to be in the back.
You can go to www.dmv.ca.gov to find out what the law states.

I think you can call either the doctor or the local fire department and they will be able to answer your question, My husband has a pickup with no extended cab, and I think you are correct - if and only if there is no backseat, then they allow kids in the front seat.

State law says no one under the age of 12 years can be in the front seat if there is an air bag. Insurance companies also advice children to be in the back. Unless your daughter is over 45 lbs she probably should not be in a booster but a car seat to protect her spine.
M. Stephens

It is my understanding that there is no law that says a child must ride in the back seat. It is only strongly recommended because of the airbags. So, if your husband's truck has an on and off switch, for the airbags, then it should be safe. If there is no off switch, then it is very strongly urged not to place young children in the front seat. An airbag deployment can break their neck.
That is my two cents.

She can be in the front, but it's not advisable, especially if there is an air bag. If you can turn it off by key (like in the Toyota Tacoma), then it's fine to have her up there.

I found this at www.carseat.org:

Can I put my child in the front seat of a pickup truck?

Many pickup trucks have back seats that are too small for child safety seats. Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have found that the risk of injury to children riding in the back seat of a compact extended-cab pickup truck is five times higher than when riding in any other vehicle. Injuries appear to be caused by hitting the inside of the pickup.

If you have a larger pickup with a back seat that faces the front of the truck, a safety seat may be installed there if the truck’s manual recommends it and at least 80% of the safety seat’s base sits on the truck seat cushion. You can reduce the risk of injury for forward-facing children by tethering the safety seat. Using a top tether can greatly reduce the chance of a child’s head striking the interior of the pickup.

Installation of a safety seat on a side-facing jump seat is not allowed by any child restraint manufacturer.

If you must install a safety seat in the front seat of a pickup truck, disable the air bag by using the air bag on-off switch. If an on-off switch is not available, you may ask NHTSA to let you have one installed. Until a switch can be installed, do not transport a rear-facing child in the front seat. Some passenger air bags will expand to cover the center seating position, so installing a safety seat in that location may be dangerous to your child. Check the vehicle owner’s manual to find out where child safety seats may be installed. Installing a safety seat in the front seat of any vehicle increases the risk of death to your child by more than 30%, so a pickup truck without a back seat is not the safest choice for transporting a child.

And a quote from DrSpock.com...."Rear seats are safer, in general, than front seats because they are further away from the force of the crash. But an infant or child can be reasonably safe in the front seat, when properly restrained and if there isn't a working air bag."

I would check the owners manual of his truck and see where it recommends child seats be installed. My husband has a truck with a full size back seat and that is where our daughters car seat is installed. The seat base fits completely on the back seat. I would only put her in the front if her car seat did not fully rest on the back seat. Just my opinion, but I agree with you (provided it is a full size back seat). Google "child car seat and trucks" for more references if you need it.

I don't have any answers to this, though it looks like you have someone responding who has some knowledge. Have you considered just going to one of the places where they check your child seats to find out. That might be a good way to settle the disagreement between you and your husband... let the experts tell both of you what is correct, then do what they say.

I would call the highway patrol because they can tell you the law and what is safest since they see alot of traffic accidents.

settle it by calling the police and asking what the law is

I don't have much to say about the law, but I'd rather have my little one in the back seat. One of my neighbors also has an extended cab truck. When he picks up his daughters, ages 2.5 and 5, they are in the front seat, without even a seat belt on. Knowing that 1) those neighbors have different viewpoints, and 2) wouldn't listen to what I say anyway, I just shake my head and hope that the girls will be all right.

The back seat is best, especially if there is an air bag.
Obviously, some trucks don't have back seats, in which case there's not a lot you can do if you need to take the child somewhere in it.
The back seat is the safest place.

Joanna is correct. I looked it up on the DMV website. If your daughter weighs less than 60 lbs (even though she is 6 years old) she must be in a booster in the back seat, as long as the truck has a back seat, and there is no medical reason for her to ride up front. If she weighs at least 60 lbs. it is legal for her to ride in the front seat, but still the safest place is the back, especially if there is an airbag. The front seat of a pick-up is not any safer than the front seat of a regular car. It really isn't a matter of who's right, it is a matter of what's right/safe.

I have read many times that the safest place for children under 12 is the back seat.

Depending on her weight she should go in the back. You have to be a certain weight by law to sit in the front of any vehicle and I do believe there is a safety issue of airbags and children riding in the front seat. You are right she should be in the back.

The back seat is much safer for children under 12. Air bags are extremely dangerous for children under 100 lbs. I don't think there's a law, but every safety recommendation I've seen (probably including the owner's manual of the truck your husband drives) says kids under 12 are safest in the back.

A., My husband and I had the same question so we turned to a friend of ours who is a CHP Officer. It is illegal for your child (under 60 lbs even if in a car seat) to be in the front seat if there is a back seat in the vehicle. Take a look at the following DMV link. You'll find the legal requirements and an absolute answer to your question.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc27360.htm

I believe the safest place is in the back seat. If he were going to put your son in the front he needs to make sure he turns off the airbag.

The law in California doesn't specify who is permitted to sit in the front seat. However, the fact remains that the back seat is safer for smaller people in general. The lighter you are, the more likely it is that your head or body will strike the windshield or dashboard. Either of those, especially the glass windshield, would do rather more damage than hitting the back of a seat.

One 2005 study concluded that ''overall, children seated in the front seat are 40 percent more likely to sustain serious injuries in a crash than are children who sit in the rear seat of vehicles. The deployment of passenger airbags and contact with the hard surfaces of the dashboard and windshield are common injury mechanisms for children who ride up front.''
(http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/kids_back_seat...)

Similarly, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the front seat be reserved for people who are at least 13 years old. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) did a study that showed that kids under 13 are up to 36% less likely to die if they're in the rear seat, as opposed to the front.

Fortunately, since there is an extended cab in your husband's truck, you're able to provide that extra protection for your daughter. I imagine that both you and your husband want to keep your daughter as safe as possible. The truth is, the back seat is the safest place for everyone. To me, that's all the more reason to put kids there, no matter what the actual law may be.

It is against the law for any child under 12 to ride in the front seat of a car or truck with air bags. Only if your husband can turn off the passenger air bag is it safe to ride in the front seat.

Hi A.,

Most cars (probably trucks too) have a warning about children in the front seat right on the visor. I used to have this problem with my husband until I pulled down the visor and read it to him. It is a little hard to ignore the fact that the airbag could decapitate your child in the event of a front-end crash. Try that.

L.

You should check the vehicle owner's manual. Some questions: Does his truck have an on/off switch for the passenger seat? Is the backseat forward facing?
Will 80% of the booster seat fit on the front facing backseat?

If he has side facing jumpseats, it is not recomended to install any child seat in that position since the seat is not tested that way.

If he has a forward facing backseat and her booster can be safely installed with 80% or more of the booster on the seatpan that is the safest position.

If he has side facing jumpseats or less than 80% of her booster fits on the forward facing backseat then if his truch has an on/off switch turn off the air bag and that is the safest position for her.

I obtained this information from the National Child Passanger Safety Certification Training Handbook Student Manual. I am a trained albeit junior Carseat Tech there are some very informative websites: www.savekids,org; www.boosterseat.gov; www.safetyseat.org; www.chop.edu/carseat.If you have any further questions you can call me at work ###-###-#### if I cannot answer you I can refer your questions to a senior carseat tech.

Hi A.,
I have been told that IF the truck has a passenger side airbag that it is safer to have the child in the back?
Not ALL trucks have a airbag on the passenger side. The truck I drive actually has a key switch that I can turn On/Off the airbag....
My daughter is 12 now, and almost as tall as I am but I did not allow her to ride in the front until about a year ago.I was concerned about the airbag's force in hitting her, if it hits the body in the wrong place it can cause more damage than its worth.many car seat manufacturer's list guidelines for thier car seats,either on the seat or on a website, that might be any easy way to find out. I believe that these laws also vary state to state????
I always choose caution. If I'm not sure I go with what I feel in my gut is safest, which to me would be the back seat.....but just to mention a fact...in trucks the gas tank is usually located behind the rear seat...just a thought.
good luck....L.

Check with the Californa Highway Patrol. They will have the latest regulations and do car seat installation checks by appointment if you want.