4 ms·

Agreed... so whinny. I spent an hour [edit: today] arguing that the speed limit should be reduced to 25 mph. So many problems would be solved if we did that.

Agreed... so whinny. I spent an hour [edit: today] arguing that the speed limit should be reduced to 25 mph. So many problems would be solved if we did that. But, when my Golf dies, I will be a full-size truck or an expedition. What can I say? I have kids and car seats suck.

Symbiote 4y ago
Would you mind explaining why the car seat makes the difference here? (I'm unfamiliar with modern American trucks, it's a long time since my last visit.)
- sbaiddn 4y ago
  Three car seats for kids aged 1.5 to 7 don't really sit side by side in a mid-size SUV like a Sorrento. Its stupid, really. Hefty, booster seats from reputable brands seats have integrated cup holders. Cup holders. Also, consider that a 1.5 year old's rear facing car seat is a steel reinforced monstrosity. The thing is so big, I cant install it behind the driver seat because I cant extend the seat back (Im 1-1.5 stdev above average american height). So, the third kid's booster chair with a seat belt aligning backrest (needed for the younger kids so that the belt doesn't sit on the kid's neck) simply doesn't fit. Not if you want to reach the belt buckle. For short trips I usually just have the oldest go booster-less. For longer trips I install the chair while she's sitting, buckled on the chair. I then lift her and the seat and muscle them in. Finally, I can pull the straps to tighten the booster chair to the backseat. My SUV is not small. There's plenty of room. But we all drive like maniacs (guilty as charged, btw) so our kids need these massive steel reinforced cocoons. So, why trucks? Trucks, and SUVs on truck frames (ford expedition, suburban), are wider.
  - Symbiote 4y ago
    Thanks. I haven't seen cupholders on a booster seat before! It looks like European child seats and booster seats are a bit narrower, or at least narrower versions are available. You are obviously stuck with what's sold in the US though. I do remember a period as a child when my mum would sit with me in the back, so a rear-facing child seat could go in the front seat.
    - sbaiddn 4y ago
      Ya, thats kinda (rules aren't clear) not allowed in the US because of air bags. Apparently if the airbag went off it would blow up since its unable to expand (?). Or something.
      - Symbiote 4y ago
        The problem is the force of the airbag expanding rams the baby face-first into the passenger seat, and they are seriously injured or killed. Hence the big warning sticker. Most (possibly all) European cars come with a switch to turn off the front passenger airbag. It's a legal requirement to use this switch appropriately in the UK, presumably in the same way it's a requirement for the driver to ensure all children are wearing seatbelts. It should possibly also be used if a smaller child (under 12-ish) sits in the front seat, although I can't find an official recommendation on that — they're more keen to emphasize that children are safer in the back. It seems in America, only trucks and sports cars without rear seats have this switch, but it is possible to have one fitted if you can justify it (i.e. several children).

Symbiote 4y ago

Would you mind explaining why the car seat makes the difference here? (I'm unfamiliar with modern American trucks, it's a long time since my last visit.)

sbaiddn 4y ago
Three car seats for kids aged 1.5 to 7 don't really sit side by side in a mid-size SUV like a Sorrento. Its stupid, really. Hefty, booster seats from reputable brands seats have integrated cup holders. Cup holders. Also, consider that a 1.5 year old's rear facing car seat is a steel reinforced monstrosity. The thing is so big, I cant install it behind the driver seat because I cant extend the seat back (Im 1-1.5 stdev above average american height). So, the third kid's booster chair with a seat belt aligning backrest (needed for the younger kids so that the belt doesn't sit on the kid's neck) simply doesn't fit. Not if you want to reach the belt buckle. For short trips I usually just have the oldest go booster-less. For longer trips I install the chair while she's sitting, buckled on the chair. I then lift her and the seat and muscle them in. Finally, I can pull the straps to tighten the booster chair to the backseat. My SUV is not small. There's plenty of room. But we all drive like maniacs (guilty as charged, btw) so our kids need these massive steel reinforced cocoons. So, why trucks? Trucks, and SUVs on truck frames (ford expedition, suburban), are wider.
- Symbiote 4y ago
  Thanks. I haven't seen cupholders on a booster seat before! It looks like European child seats and booster seats are a bit narrower, or at least narrower versions are available. You are obviously stuck with what's sold in the US though. I do remember a period as a child when my mum would sit with me in the back, so a rear-facing child seat could go in the front seat.
  - sbaiddn 4y ago
    Ya, thats kinda (rules aren't clear) not allowed in the US because of air bags. Apparently if the airbag went off it would blow up since its unable to expand (?). Or something.
    - Symbiote 4y ago
      The problem is the force of the airbag expanding rams the baby face-first into the passenger seat, and they are seriously injured or killed. Hence the big warning sticker. Most (possibly all) European cars come with a switch to turn off the front passenger airbag. It's a legal requirement to use this switch appropriately in the UK, presumably in the same way it's a requirement for the driver to ensure all children are wearing seatbelts. It should possibly also be used if a smaller child (under 12-ish) sits in the front seat, although I can't find an official recommendation on that — they're more keen to emphasize that children are safer in the back. It seems in America, only trucks and sports cars without rear seats have this switch, but it is possible to have one fitted if you can justify it (i.e. several children).