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It's true. I don't know why you're getting downvoted. You simply can't put carseats/boosters three across in most smaller or even mid-sized vehicles. They're

It's true. I don't know why you're getting downvoted. You simply can't put carseats/boosters three across in most smaller or even mid-sized vehicles. They're too wide. To stay legal (meaning use carseats/boosters), you have to get a vehicle with a third row or something enormously wide.

D13Fd 5y ago
Exactly. To be clear, I did fit three across in the rear of the Outback, but my state does not permit a carseat in the front seat (plus there needs to be room for a 2nd adult). So we had no real choice, we had to get something with third-row seating.
jeffbee 5y ago
The practical needs of families with three or four children can’t explain the demand for large vehicles. That family arrangement is pretty rare.
- in_cahoots 5y ago
  Even with two kids it starts to add up. Two car seats in a compact car basically means you can’t fit an adult in the third row. It means you can’t squeeze in a third seat for play dates or carpool. With a double stroller you’re going to be hard-pressed on packing space for even a weekend vacation or camping trip. Most of the families I know with two kids (myself included) have one smaller car for the daily commute / school, and a second larger car or SUV for road trips and weekends.
  - jeffbee 5y ago
    Even 4-person households cannot explain the popularity of large SUVs in the U.S. The majority of households have either 1 or 2 people. 78% have 3 or fewer people.
    - sparrish 5y ago
      2020 census says average American household has 4.38 people in it. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/families/2020/cps-2020/tabavg1.xls https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/familie... If you got kids, you're gonna need a bigger car.
      - jeffbee 5y ago
        I don't know how you concluded that from the given information. It should be clear that with 128 million households and 328 million people, the average household size cannot be 4.38. The data you want is in census table HH-4. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/families/time-series/households/hh4.xls https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/familie...

D13Fd 5y ago

Exactly. To be clear, I did fit three across in the rear of the Outback, but my state does not permit a carseat in the front seat (plus there needs to be room for a 2nd adult). So we had no real choice, we had to get something with third-row seating.

jeffbee 5y ago

The practical needs of families with three or four children can’t explain the demand for large vehicles. That family arrangement is pretty rare.

in_cahoots 5y ago
Even with two kids it starts to add up. Two car seats in a compact car basically means you can’t fit an adult in the third row. It means you can’t squeeze in a third seat for play dates or carpool. With a double stroller you’re going to be hard-pressed on packing space for even a weekend vacation or camping trip. Most of the families I know with two kids (myself included) have one smaller car for the daily commute / school, and a second larger car or SUV for road trips and weekends.
- jeffbee 5y ago
  Even 4-person households cannot explain the popularity of large SUVs in the U.S. The majority of households have either 1 or 2 people. 78% have 3 or fewer people.
  - sparrish 5y ago
    2020 census says average American household has 4.38 people in it. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/families/2020/cps-2020/tabavg1.xls https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/familie... If you got kids, you're gonna need a bigger car.
    - jeffbee 5y ago
      I don't know how you concluded that from the given information. It should be clear that with 128 million households and 328 million people, the average household size cannot be 4.38. The data you want is in census table HH-4. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/families/time-series/households/hh4.xls https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/tables/familie...