# Do you let your 13-15 yr old in the front seat?



## AnnieA (Nov 26, 2007)

I recently found an article online from the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia where they had partnered with State Farm and the majority of it was talking about using booster seats but there was a small section regarding 13-15 yr olds in the front seat and how it isn't safe for them. I have now since lost the article after I printed it off







: and now I can't find the link.

DH and I don't want DSS13 in the front seat yet but we are having trouble finding the right things to document why it's safer for him to stay in the backseat. Any help or ideas?

Do you all let your 13-15 yr old in the front?

Thanks!


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## treqi (Dec 31, 2006)

I think at 13 its up to the kid you can provide them with lots of great info but I wouldn't force a 13yo to sit in the back if the were adamant about sitting in the front..........I guess at 13 I was bigger than most full grown women so for me it didn't matter.......


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## Canadianmommax3 (Mar 6, 2006)

my son is 12 almost 13 and almost as tall as i am. He does sit in the front. If it's safe for me why isn't for him. He also weighs more than i.


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## wendy1221 (Feb 9, 2004)

I think it would really depend on their height. I was the same height at 12 as I am now, but I know a lot of kids are still short at 12 and don't reach adult height until 15 or older.


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## yamilee21 (Nov 1, 2004)

My 13 year old niece spends a lot of time with us and she sits in the front often enough - she is slightly taller than I am, and weighs almost as much as I do. A smaller, thinner child that age I would most likely keep in the back.


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## aja-belly (Oct 7, 2004)

at age 15 i had a permit to drive with a liscenced adult in the front seat with me. i can't imagine how much more dangerous it would be to let a teenager drive having never been allowed to sit in the front seat and at least observe driving....


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## Kessed (Nov 28, 2007)

Here you can get your learner's permit at 14...

So that kind of means you get to sit in the front seat.

I cannot imagine relegating a teenager to the back seat - way to help them grow up...


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## intorainbowz (Aug 16, 2006)

I only have a baby, but I do let young adults of that age sit in the front seat. I have no problems with this. I follow the directions about having the seat back as far as possible (within reason, we are not squashing anyone behind them).

At a certain point children grow into young adults and we need to treat them as such.


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## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

My 12 yo is taller then me. 15 year olds are learning to drive! Personally, I worry about short people. I'm 5 foot 2 and I'm a bit concerned about airbags since I can't push my seat very far back (though dss in the passanger seat can).


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## pigpokey (Feb 23, 2006)

It is safer for everyone to be in the back seat properly restrained but unless *you* sit in the back seat any time a back seat is available, I wouldn't push it on a child old enough to be properly restrained 10 inches or more (is it 10 inches? twelve?) from the air bag and old enough to not be required by law in your jurisdiction to be in the back seat when a back seat is available.


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## Ms. Mom (Nov 18, 2001)

Check your state law on this. In my state it's at age 13 or when they hit a certain weight/height (I don't remember the exact numbers, just know my son had passed them). I do let my 13 year old sit in the front seat but not my 10 year old daughter (no matter how much she begs). When she is near 13, I'll evaluate her size and the current laws and base my decision on that.


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## AnnieA (Nov 26, 2007)

Thanks for all the reponses! After I posted this, I did some more poking around on the internet and found some more info. I wasn't able to locate the original article that I found but it was the reason that this whole thing started. In the article, it said that even though 13 and 14 year olds may be the same size as some adults, because their skeletal structure is changing so rapidly, it is more dangerous for them to sit in the front than an adult of similar height/weight. My DSS is 5'1" but he only weighs 84 lbs on a good day so I was nervous about putting him in the front before I found that article and then even more so after reading that.

I did find yesterday online where there was a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2005 that basically said that airbags pose a larger threat to 13 and 14 year olds than they do to 15-19 year olds and they recommended keeping them in the back. The NTHSB took a look at the data and decided to keep their recommendation at 12 and under in the back seat.

I want him to get the experience needed to know what to do when he turns 15 and is able to start taking driver's ed but I want him safe in the meantime. AGHH!


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## Jes'sBeth (Aug 30, 2004)

I would have been MISERABLE if I had been required to sit in the back seat so long. Even as an adult I get carsick in the back seat unless I'm in the middle and I can see forward. I don't just mean for long trips either... a short jaunt around the block can have me feeling horrible! Of course there were no airbags, no boosters and no carseats to speak of when I was a kid either, however, I have no problem with having a 13-15 yr old in the front seat.


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## Dar (Apr 12, 2002)

Once my kid hit five feet tall, she was in the front, and that was well before she was 13. We didn't have a passenger side airbag them... but I really think having her up front with me made it much easier for us to converse about things, and for her to learn to navigate (and read the mapquested directions to me). It's just more pleasant, and I feel less like a chauffeur and more like we're traveling together.

I think it's misleading to look only at statistics for death or injury. There are many things that may _slightly_ increase risk of injury, but also increase quality of life - like bike-riding, or playing sports, or takng a plane trip to see a friend. We all need to decide when the benefits outweigh the risk, but I think it's important to look at both...

dar


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## Rockies5 (May 17, 2005)

my 9 and 10 yo are both my height, so when they want (it's rare) I let them sit in the front.


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## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

Does anyone know where to find state laws about this? I didn't realize there were any age requirements.


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## wonderwahine (Apr 21, 2006)

I dont care about age, I care more about the 4'9 100lb guideline


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

My teens are plenty tall enough to sit in front. My 14 yr old is taller than I.


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dar* 

I think it's misleading to look only at statistics for death or injury. There are many things that may _slightly_ increase risk of injury, but also increase quality of life - like bike-riding, or playing sports, or takng a plane trip to see a friend. We all need to decide when the benefits outweigh the risk, but I think it's important to look at both...

dar


Exactly. Statistically, we should all be walking. Driving in a car is more dangerous than flying in an ariplane or taking a bus or the subway etc.


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## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wonderwahine* 
I dont care about age, I care more about the 4'9 100lb guideline

What's that guideline from?


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## wonderwahine (Apr 21, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Flor* 
What's that guideline from?

according to the ads on tv, its our states guidelines for car seats/boosters and the back seat.


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## Mom4tot (Apr 18, 2003)

My 12 y/o is 5 feet tall (maybe 5' 2 now) but weighs only 80 lbs or so. She rides in the front when we go out alone. Honestly I am rethinking it as we have passenger side airbags.


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## Marcee (Jan 23, 2007)

My 12 year old is 5 foot 6 and weighs 122. So I let him sit in fron occasionally.


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## Ms. Mom (Nov 18, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Flor* 
Does anyone know where to find state laws about this? I didn't realize there were any age requirements.

Usually on your states website. For me it's on Michigan.gov.org


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## mirlee (Jul 30, 2002)

My nearly 13 year old niece is taller than me by about 2 inches and nearly 100 pounds. I have no problem with her riding in the front seat. If she can't ride in the front seat, then neither can I. I'm 5 ft. tall and about 115.


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## quarteralien (Oct 4, 2006)

Why is it as cars get "safer" they are getting less safe for children? Why have this airbag at all if it's more of a hazard than a help to a significant portion of the population? I truly don't understand.
And I agree with pp's. We're all safest out of the car, or if in the car, in the backseat. Why isn't that applied to everyone as well?


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## True Blue (May 9, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *quarteralien* 
Why is it as cars get "safer" they are getting less safe for children? Why have this airbag at all if it's more of a hazard than a help to a significant portion of the population? I truly don't understand.
And I agree with pp's. We're all safest out of the car, or if in the car, in the backseat. Why isn't that applied to everyone as well?

Because children are not little versions of adults. Their bodies are not developed the same as ours. Same reason they are finally taking drugs off the market that were only tested in children. Their bodies aren't the same as ours even if they are the same size.


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## quarteralien (Oct 4, 2006)

But my main question is why are cars today being made when we know they aren't as safe for children? Why not make them safer for children as well as adults?


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## True Blue (May 9, 2003)

The backseat IS the safer place.







Personally, I'm glad we don't have to listen to fights about who gets to sit up front anyway LOL!!


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## daisyrock1 (Mar 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *True Blue* 
The backseat IS the safer place.








Personally, I'm glad we don't have to listen to fights about who gets to sit up front anyway LOL!!

AMEN!


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## AnnieA (Nov 26, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *True Blue* 
The backseat IS the safer place.







Personally, I'm glad we don't have to listen to fights about who gets to sit up front anyway LOL!!

AHHHH! What a great way to look at it! Now that you say this, I totally remember the knockdown drag-out fights that my sister and I used to have about whose turn it was to sit in front. Sooooo glad I don't have to listen to that! Of course we do have the "middle backseat vs. back backseat" fights. Oh well!


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## debrown (Jun 18, 2005)

Just wanted to note that it's not ILLEGAL to put the kid in the front seat; it's just not recommended. Big difference for those who have 4 kids and a car with a back row for only 3.


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

My BIL is 13. He weighs probably as much as me, although he's short-- not even 5'. He sits in the back unless there are 4 kids in my 5 person car.


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## yamilee21 (Nov 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aja-belly* 
...i can't imagine how much more dangerous it would be to let a teenager drive having never been allowed to sit in the front seat and at least observe driving....

That is a good point. My husband was driving at 13 1/2 (the law back home where he grew up allows permits at 14, but there isn't any enforcement, so 11 and 12 year old drivers are not unheard of) - it's crazy to think that teens can legally drive if they aren't even supposed to be sitting in the front seat!

I totally agree with quarteralien about the safety of cars - the goal should be to make them safer for all ages, not add safety features for adults that are dangerous to children, and then count on other products (car seats, boosters) to handle the safety issues where children are concerned.


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## LotusBirthMama (Jun 25, 2005)

Well, we have 3 kids, 2 of whom are still in carseats. Our car seats 5, but the room left over btw the carseats is teeny. DS1 (10) rides back there when both front seats are occupied, but he rides in the front when he has the chance. He is 115 pounds and about 5'1" tall.


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## TCMoulton (Oct 30, 2003)

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/de...rams/kiss.html

Actually in Illinois the guideline is 4'9" and under 80 pounds for when children should be restrained in safety seats. It does state that the safest place for a child under 12 is the backseat but the only law regarding children from 8-15 is that they must be restrained by a safety belt at all times.

Honestly, if my child was 14 or 15 and about to start driver's education I would want them to spend as much time observing other drivers from the front passenger seat as possible before they take the wheel.


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## DavinaT (Jun 28, 2005)

Just to put it in context, the law here is 14 but we have no drivers ed in school and you can't get a provisional license until you are 17.
However, I'm with Jes Beth on this. I suffered from car sickness all thru my childhood and still do as a passenger unless I'm up front or pulm in the middle in the back. So when my Gran was on a trip (and she always got the window seat but ddn't like being in front ) it was either be up front with my Dad (who also got car-sick as a passenfger so i guess I inherited it!), starve for the whole journey (unlikely) or be pysically sick all over the car







.
Besides, even at 13 I was 5'7 of my curent 5'9 and as tall as my Mam.


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