When can a baby sit in a car seat in the front?

[UTH]

I seem to be finding many conflicting things online about age of the child, height of the child etc

Wondering if/when I could have a car seat in the front of the Corvette legally?

[vaud]

All the time. I always used to take my kids to nursery in an MX5.

Some manufacturers don't provide Isofix in the front (e.g. some Volvo) but it is still allowed.

[UTH]

EmailAddress said:

Anytime.

It's not recommended.

Must face backwards.

Disable any airbags.

Push seat back as far as possible.

So the seat has to face backwards, even in the front seat? Any idea what age that's up until?
I think the airbag in the car is automatic based on weight, so obviously a no go if the seat activates it.

[kambites]

Yep. My daughter first traveled in my Elise when she was a few weeks old.

The rules changed recently but I think the current seats have to be rear facing until the child is about 10kg in the UK. From a safety perspective, the longer they stay rear-facing the better.

Edited by kambites on Wednesday 14th June 12:39

[UTH]

vaud said:

All the time. I always used to take my kids to nursery in an MX5.

Some manufacturers don't provide Isofix in the front (e.g. some Volvo) but it is still allowed.

Interesting, so as long as the seat can be secured (facing backwards using the seatbelt, which is what our seat does in the back of my Evo) then it's ok, with airbag off?

[UTH]

EmailAddress said:

DO NOT DO THIS WITH AN ACTIVE AIRBAG

You will break or pulverise a smaller person in a deployment.

The only reason for the stigma around front seat children is the survivability statistics are greatly increased for rear passengers. As the safety cell is effectively at the centre for the rear seats.

Yeah understood. It's pretty unlikely I'll end up doing this anyway, but on the off chance I'm left for a weekend with the daughter and a quick trip to my Dad's place in the sun was on the cards, doing it in the Corvette would be nice.

I've looked into it and it looks like passenger seat airbag will NOT switch on without someone 70lbs or over is sitting in the seat properly. A car seat won't turn it on.

[budgie smuggler]

UTH said:

Yeah understood. It's pretty unlikely I'll end up doing this anyway, but on the off chance I'm left for a weekend with the daughter and a quick trip to my Dad's place in the sun was on the cards, doing it in the Corvette would be nice.

I've looked into it and it looks like passenger seat airbag will NOT switch on without someone 70lbs or over is sitting in the seat properly. A car seat won't turn it on.

What year of Corvette is it? It may have a switch to disable it in the glovebox

[vaud]

UTH said:

Interesting, so as long as the seat can be secured (facing backwards using the seatbelt, which is what our seat does in the back of my Evo) then it's ok, with airbag off?

Yes.

The rule is:

• Rear-facing child seat – you are required to deactivate all front airbags.
• Forward-facing child seat – you need to move the passenger seat back as far as possible to maximise the distance between the child and the airbag.

So the test will be if you have deactivated. I don't know if in an accident more force would be generated that would activate the bag?

The reality is the risk is fairly minimal.

[UTH]

budgie smuggler said:

UTH said:

Yeah understood. It's pretty unlikely I'll end up doing this anyway, but on the off chance I'm left for a weekend with the daughter and a quick trip to my Dad's place in the sun was on the cards, doing it in the Corvette would be nice.

I've looked into it and it looks like passenger seat airbag will NOT switch on without someone 70lbs or over is sitting in the seat properly. A car seat won't turn it on.

What year of Corvette is it? It may have a switch to disable it in the glovebox

2015, C7. Looked on the US forum, looks like there's not, but the pressure sensor is very clever and designed to stay off for this reason.....supposedly.

[UTH]

vaud said:

UTH said:

Interesting, so as long as the seat can be secured (facing backwards using the seatbelt, which is what our seat does in the back of my Evo) then it's ok, with airbag off?

Yes.

The rule is:

• Rear-facing child seat – you are required to deactivate all front airbags.
• Forward-facing child seat – you need to move the passenger seat back as far as possible to maximise the distance between the child and the airbag.

So the test will be if you have deactivated. I don't know if in an accident more force would be generated that would activate the bag?

The reality is the risk is fairly minimal.

Yeah good point, I imagine that the baby seat would sit more on the sidewalls of the car seat whereas the sensor is in the middle, so it would in theory be impossible to activate it, even with crash forces at play?

Anyway, this is probably a once a year situation if that lol.

[vaud]

UTH said:

Yeah good point, I imagine that the baby seat would sit more on the sidewalls of the car seat whereas the sensor is in the middle, so it would in theory be impossible to activate it, even with crash forces at play?

Anyway, this is probably a once a year situation if that lol.

Personally I would do it. The US is so litigious that if it had ever caused issues, Chevrolet would have been sued a lot and the advice would be never to use a car seat in the front?

[Pica-Pica]

Front passenger seat airbag switches (on/off) are frequently located at the side edge of the instrument panel assembly, only accessible when the front passenger door is open.

[3yardy3]

I take my 3 year old out in a Pontiac Trans Am regularly, only since he was 3 though.

I read online only in the front if the car does not have rear seats or seat belts. The Trans am only has lap belts in the rear so its the front for him.

[UTH]

3yardy3 said:

I take my 3 year old out in a Pontiac Trans Am regularly, only since he was 3 though.

I read online only in the front if the car does not have rear seats or seat belts. The Trans am only has lap belts in the rear so its the front for him.

Corvette no rear seats, so guess that's fine then? For some reason I was under the impression there was a law that said kids under a certain age in a car seat could only be in the back of a car.

[vaud]

UTH said:

2015, C7.

I looked up the user manual and actually it says no for rear facing (2015 MY)

[UTH]

vaud said:

UTH said:

2015, C7.

I looked up the user manual and actually it says no for rear facing (2015 MY)

Blimey. Odd that even the guys on the US forum didn't come across that then. I wonder why, is it because they don't guarantee the airbag would be disabled?

[s94wht]

UTH said:

Yeah understood. It's pretty unlikely I'll end up doing this anyway, but on the off chance I'm left for a weekend with the daughter and a quick trip to my Dad's place in the sun was on the cards, doing it in the Corvette would be nice.

I've looked into it and it looks like passenger seat airbag will NOT switch on without someone 70lbs or over is sitting in the seat properly. A car seat won't turn it on.

I would absolutely NOT depend on that, no chance. Can't you take a fuse out?

[UTH]

s94wht said:

UTH said:

Yeah understood. It's pretty unlikely I'll end up doing this anyway, but on the off chance I'm left for a weekend with the daughter and a quick trip to my Dad's place in the sun was on the cards, doing it in the Corvette would be nice.

I've looked into it and it looks like passenger seat airbag will NOT switch on without someone 70lbs or over is sitting in the seat properly. A car seat won't turn it on.

I would absolutely NOT depend on that, no chance. Can't you take a fuse out?

Yeah that's been mentioned on the forum, but that fuse disables all airbags, which might not be wise either.

Probably best I just don't bother at all, on the rare occasion I would have considered it.

[Krikkit]

Stupid of them not to just fit a proper disabling switch like almost every car in history... From the owner's manual:

Chevrolet said:

A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the passenger frontal airbag inflates. This is because the back of the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inflating airbag.

A child in a forward-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the passenger frontal airbag inflates and the passenger seat is in a forward position. Even if the passenger sensing system has turned off the
passenger frontal airbag, no system is fail-safe.

No one can guarantee that an airbag will not inflate under some unusual circumstance, even though the airbag is off. Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat, even if the airbag is off. If securing a forward-facing child restraint in the front outboard passenger seat, always move the seat as far back as it will go. It is better to secure child restraints in the rear seat.

Consider using another vehicle to transport the child when a rear seat is not available.

[Cloudy147]

Re: airbags, I’ve had cars with the weight check for the passenger and also the ones with the glove box switch.

In my cases, I’ve found that if an airbag is OFF, there is a light somewhere on a console or dash which tells you it is off. But there isn’t always a light which tells you it’s ON.

Therefore, if you can’t visually see something that says the airbag is OFF, i would always assume it is still on!

Personally I wouldn’t risk it with such a small person. The risk of crashing might be low, but that risk is largely in the hands of the many idiots that we share the roads with, and impact upon that risk materialising could be catastrophic.

It’s only a couple of years to wait for a front facing seat (they grow up so fast!). It’ll be worth the wait when you start going out for daddy-daughter days, with the nursery rhyme choons bangin’ out on the stereo.