At one time, the front seat was the safest place for a small child, for two reasons:
Three-point seat belts were mandated in the front seats of new cars* in 1968, whereas the back seats could get by with just lap belts until the end of 1989. *Light trucks, vans, and sport utilities weren't required to have three-point belts until later.
A child in the front seat is closer to the parent and less likely to get accidentally left in a hot car. It's a tragic fact that deaths from children left in hot cars has risen greatly since the advent of passenger airbags.
(I might as well use this opportunity to remind parents of young children to double check the rear seat every time they exit the vehicle to ensure that no children have been left unattended.)
On top of these factors, children enjoy the front seat, and a child in the front seat can help facilitate parent-child bonding time.
Since the 1990s, all that has changed. Rear seats now come equipped with the same three-point belts that front seats do. In addition, most cars made since the mid-1990s now come equipped with passenger airbags. These airbags, which in some vehicles deploy with over one ton of force, can cause serious or fatal injuries to children who are under 4'9" and/or 100 pounds. Parents have been wise to move children to the rear seat.
The automakers have also been making their airbags safer. Airbags made since the 1998 model year have been "depowered", meaning they inflate with 20-35% less force than earlier airbags. This has made a huge difference in the danger of airbags; 90% of child airbag deaths were in pre-1998 models.
Since the 2007 model year, federal regulations have required advanced airbags in new cars, but a few vehicles had them as early as the late 1990s. Most advanced airbag systems deactivate the passenger airbag if there is less than a certain amount of weight on the seat, typically around 65 pounds. The bags also have "dual stage" deployment; in moderate crashes, only the first stage (which typically contains 60-70% of the bag's force) deploys, whereas in a more severe crash, both stages deploy. If the occupant is under a certain weight (typically around 110 pounds), only the first stage will deploy regardless of crash severity. If your car has this feature, it will be marked somewhere on the dash.
However, in 2017, the recommendation that children sit in the rear seat still stands. But it probably won't last forever. Volvo, long considered one of the automotive industry's safety leaders, demonstrated a concept child seat in 2015 that is positioned in the front seat. The rationale is that a parent can keep a closer eye on the child. It was controversial when it was shown, due to the airbag concerns - despite the fact that the concept vehicle, as well as the vast majority of cars made since 2007, automatically deactivate the passenger airbag with insufficient weight in the seat.
The glaring problem with the design of this child seat is that it replaces the front passenger seat, and an owner must go to the dealership to have the seat replaced. An integrated seat that can serve both functions, an add-on car seat, or a user-switchable seat design would be preferable.
There are also legal hurdles to deal with. Laws are written to reflect the technology that is current when they are passed. Some states have laws requiring children under a certain age or size to be seated in the rear, and while a few of these states make exemptions if the passenger airbag is deactivated, those that don't are doomed to obsolescence in the future. At one time, side curtain airbags were not feasible due to an interior padding requirement. NHTSA rescinded this requirement in 1998, allowing side curtain airbag fitment.
Prior to 2011, NHTSA conducted their 35 mph full frontal crash test with dummies the size of an average adult male in both the driver and passenger seats. Since 2011 NHTSA has conducted this crash test with a passenger dummy that is the approximate size of an average 12 year old - and the seat all the way forward. Manufacturers have been quick to optimize their airbag designs. In effect, this means that a post-2011 vehicle with a good passenger rating is able to provide a great deal of protection to a 12 year old with the seat in the full forward position. Nevertheless, it is not a good idea to have the passenger seat in its full forward position - especially with a small occupant.
Do I recommend putting children in the front seat in 2017?
If they're at least 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, and your vehicle is 1998 or newer, absolutely!
If they're smaller but large enough to be in a booster seat, ONLY if you have advanced airbags and ONLY if they are at least 9 years old and mature enough not to lean forward to fiddle with the dash. And if your state law says it's illegal, keep them in the back.
Also, move the seat to its full rearward position if you allow a child age 9 to 12 to sit in the front seat. Children under age 9 should always be in the back seat.
Perhaps in the future, children who are even younger will be able to sit in the front seat as non-advanced airbags (especially first-generation airbags) disappear from the road and further refinements to airbag technology are made. As of January 2017, I would estimate that a recommendation for children to return to the front seat would be plausible around the year 2030. At this point, the average 25 year old car will have advanced airbags. The "first-generation" airbags will be 33 to 40+ years old at this point, meaning they will have long been scrapped or relegated to classic cars.
In the 1990s, when airbag dangers first surfaced, it was the then-new cars that were considered the most dangerous for children. Many parents who drove older cars without airbags continued to allow children to ride in the front seat. Today, those cars with the most dangerous airbags are the older cars, and it's far less dangerous to put a child in the front seat of a new car than a 20 year old car. Perhaps, when non-advanced airbags are nearly extinct, the recommendation may become to allow children to ride in the front - UNLESS the car is very old.
Three-point seat belts were mandated in the front seats of new cars* in 1968, whereas the back seats could get by with just lap belts until the end of 1989. *Light trucks, vans, and sport utilities weren't required to have three-point belts until later.
A child in the front seat is closer to the parent and less likely to get accidentally left in a hot car. It's a tragic fact that deaths from children left in hot cars has risen greatly since the advent of passenger airbags.
(I might as well use this opportunity to remind parents of young children to double check the rear seat every time they exit the vehicle to ensure that no children have been left unattended.)
On top of these factors, children enjoy the front seat, and a child in the front seat can help facilitate parent-child bonding time.
Since the 1990s, all that has changed. Rear seats now come equipped with the same three-point belts that front seats do. In addition, most cars made since the mid-1990s now come equipped with passenger airbags. These airbags, which in some vehicles deploy with over one ton of force, can cause serious or fatal injuries to children who are under 4'9" and/or 100 pounds. Parents have been wise to move children to the rear seat.
The automakers have also been making their airbags safer. Airbags made since the 1998 model year have been "depowered", meaning they inflate with 20-35% less force than earlier airbags. This has made a huge difference in the danger of airbags; 90% of child airbag deaths were in pre-1998 models.
Since the 2007 model year, federal regulations have required advanced airbags in new cars, but a few vehicles had them as early as the late 1990s. Most advanced airbag systems deactivate the passenger airbag if there is less than a certain amount of weight on the seat, typically around 65 pounds. The bags also have "dual stage" deployment; in moderate crashes, only the first stage (which typically contains 60-70% of the bag's force) deploys, whereas in a more severe crash, both stages deploy. If the occupant is under a certain weight (typically around 110 pounds), only the first stage will deploy regardless of crash severity. If your car has this feature, it will be marked somewhere on the dash.
However, in 2017, the recommendation that children sit in the rear seat still stands. But it probably won't last forever. Volvo, long considered one of the automotive industry's safety leaders, demonstrated a concept child seat in 2015 that is positioned in the front seat. The rationale is that a parent can keep a closer eye on the child. It was controversial when it was shown, due to the airbag concerns - despite the fact that the concept vehicle, as well as the vast majority of cars made since 2007, automatically deactivate the passenger airbag with insufficient weight in the seat.
The glaring problem with the design of this child seat is that it replaces the front passenger seat, and an owner must go to the dealership to have the seat replaced. An integrated seat that can serve both functions, an add-on car seat, or a user-switchable seat design would be preferable.
There are also legal hurdles to deal with. Laws are written to reflect the technology that is current when they are passed. Some states have laws requiring children under a certain age or size to be seated in the rear, and while a few of these states make exemptions if the passenger airbag is deactivated, those that don't are doomed to obsolescence in the future. At one time, side curtain airbags were not feasible due to an interior padding requirement. NHTSA rescinded this requirement in 1998, allowing side curtain airbag fitment.
Prior to 2011, NHTSA conducted their 35 mph full frontal crash test with dummies the size of an average adult male in both the driver and passenger seats. Since 2011 NHTSA has conducted this crash test with a passenger dummy that is the approximate size of an average 12 year old - and the seat all the way forward. Manufacturers have been quick to optimize their airbag designs. In effect, this means that a post-2011 vehicle with a good passenger rating is able to provide a great deal of protection to a 12 year old with the seat in the full forward position. Nevertheless, it is not a good idea to have the passenger seat in its full forward position - especially with a small occupant.
Do I recommend putting children in the front seat in 2017?
If they're at least 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, and your vehicle is 1998 or newer, absolutely!
If they're smaller but large enough to be in a booster seat, ONLY if you have advanced airbags and ONLY if they are at least 9 years old and mature enough not to lean forward to fiddle with the dash. And if your state law says it's illegal, keep them in the back.
Also, move the seat to its full rearward position if you allow a child age 9 to 12 to sit in the front seat. Children under age 9 should always be in the back seat.
Perhaps in the future, children who are even younger will be able to sit in the front seat as non-advanced airbags (especially first-generation airbags) disappear from the road and further refinements to airbag technology are made. As of January 2017, I would estimate that a recommendation for children to return to the front seat would be plausible around the year 2030. At this point, the average 25 year old car will have advanced airbags. The "first-generation" airbags will be 33 to 40+ years old at this point, meaning they will have long been scrapped or relegated to classic cars.
In the 1990s, when airbag dangers first surfaced, it was the then-new cars that were considered the most dangerous for children. Many parents who drove older cars without airbags continued to allow children to ride in the front seat. Today, those cars with the most dangerous airbags are the older cars, and it's far less dangerous to put a child in the front seat of a new car than a 20 year old car. Perhaps, when non-advanced airbags are nearly extinct, the recommendation may become to allow children to ride in the front - UNLESS the car is very old.
Nice Article.
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