> The idea was that you didn't want young kids opening the driver side door and stepping out into traffic. I always heard that was sort of a retroactive justif

> The idea was that you didn't want young kids opening the driver side door and stepping out into traffic. I always heard that was sort of a retroactive justification, and the real reason is that a driver's side sliding door would have interfered with the fuel filler. The second-generation Chrysler minivans solved that problem by introducing a mechanical interlock, so that you couldn't open the driver's side slider while the fuel door was opened.