Thread: Safety Seats for trucks?
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Old 05-13-2008, 06:20 AM   #29
Trina
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Default Re: Safety Seats for trucks?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ivybendorf View Post
Ok, here's a Q for ya, Trina:

My husband has a 2000 Ford Ranger XLT. Compact cab. Currently we have properly installed car seats in the minivan, inspected and all, but DH is talking about putting car seats in the back of the truck, too. Safe, or pass? We can install them correctly, if that helps.

If your DH's truck had a full cab, yes, your kids would be safe in properly installed car seats, however, that's not the case for a compact cab.

Taken from SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. Safe Ride Helpline in the FAQ section:

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.
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