"My brother drives with his kids in the front seat and my niece and nephew are only 5 and 3. Is this safe?"
Children younger than 13 years should always ride in the back seat. Your brother is absolutely putting his children in danger and is breaking major kids' car safety rules. Yes, you might feel like a meddler for giving your brother a lecture, but your young niece and nephew are surely worth an uncomfortable conversation on car-seat safety.
You’re acting out of love and concern and your brother should realize that he’s making a mistake when he drives with little kids in the front seat — and seat his preschoolers in back from now on. Here's why.
Why shouldn't children sit in the front seat?
Driving with little kids in the front seat just isn’t safe, even if that most precious of cargo is buckled up. Front-seat riders are more at risk in a front-end collision. And, ironically, children can be seriously injured by the very feature that saves adult lives: the air bag.
Air bags offer great protection to teens and adults but are extremely dangerous for smaller, lighter people (little kids, that is) when they inflate. That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids ride in the backseat until they're at least 13 years old.
If having kids in the front seat is absolutely unavoidable — say, you're transporting more little kids than rear seats — then air bags should be disabled before a child sits up front, and the seat should be moved as far back as possible.
It’s important to step in and give your brother a refresher on car safety tips. You can also remind him that he could get a real ticket, not just a reprimand from his savvy sis: All 50 states and the District of Columbia have child safety seat laws involving child restraints or booster seats. Since the age when kids can be strapped in with just a belt vary from state to state, so verify your state's laws.
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Car-safety musts for children
- All kids under 13 must ride in the backseat.
- All kids under 4’9” tall must ride in a car seat or booster seat that's appropriate for their height and weight. Check the label for details on your own seat.
- All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by the car safety seat’s manufacturer. That's until at least the age of 2, but many children aren't ready to face forward until age 3 or 4.
- As soon as children are big enough to face forward, they should use a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness for as long as possible, until they reach seat height and weight limits (for many car safety seats, that's up to 65 pounds).
- Kids who are too big for a forward-facing car safety seat need a booster seat to position their safety belts correctly. Continue to use a belt-positioning booster seat until your child reaches 4’9” tall and is between the ages of 8 and 12.
- Safety seats and booster seats must be properly installed. Find a certified car-seat technician to inspect your car seat installation with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (866-SEAT-CHECK) or get them checked at your local police department. It’s also essential that you use toddler car seats properly, so educate yourself about where the straps should be (the lap belt needs to fit snugly across the upper thighs, and the shoulder belt should go across the middle of the chest) and how to make sure they’re tight enough (you should be able to fit two fingers but no more than that between the straps and your child’s body).
- Everyone in the vehicle, front seat and back, must buckle up before the driver moves the car.
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