Kids riding in the TC?

[T3PAIR]

What are your thoughts on letting kids ride in the TC while barreling down the road? Did you ride in one when you were a kid? Would you let kids ride in it now?

[seaeagle2]

When I was in college in the early 80's, I worked in a small town on the Olympic Pennisula for the summer. There was an accident on Hwy 101 involving a TC, there were kids in the overhead and it wasn't pretty. I never let my daughter ride in the camper when we had one.

[billyg]

Hi There is one stat. I can agree with. Every accident I have been involved with since 1975 has been less than 5 miles to my home. None were my fault. I'm on the roads everyday and its amazing to notice all the things people are doing behind the wheel except concentrating on driving. It's only going to get worse that's why it looks like we need cars that can drive themselves. What ever happened to enjoying a pleasant drive? Now its like 4000lb bumper cars. Bill

[Less_Stuff]

FYI
Some years ago our neibours had a very nice Truck Camper and a Boat.
On vacation they had an traffic accident and their oldest son was killed. He was riding in the camper.
Needless to say they never got over it.

[languiduck]

Never mind, changed my mind.

[69_Avion]

languiduck wrote:

69 Avion wrote:
I'm still living with the broken nose after 50+ years.

That's a long time to have a broken nose.

My son plays football, has broken several fingers and his hand. He's 13 now. We wrapped the injuries up good and tight and he went out and played each time.
He's been beaned in the head by a baseball, twisted ankles, bloody noses...you get the idea. He is a boy.
I guess for his safely I shouldn't let him play sports and I should go buy him an Xbox or something so he can sit at home in safety and pass the time like most other kids in the USA.
No wait, there's very little about America I agree with, and I find myself going against the grain 90% of the time. But I digress...we'll keep living life and not worrying about "what if."

This is how my family lives, and we will have no regrets no matter what happens:

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

Abusive or reckless? NO! Risky and breathless? Hell YES!

Does your son play football without a helmet?
Does he ride ATVs or Motorcycles without a helmet?
I doubt it, but he may. Life is about choices and consequences. Riding in a TC is much worse than riding in a car without a seatbelt. It is your choice. Something may never go wrong. I would like to think that parents can make educated, informed decisions. Some do, some don't. The kids may be paying the price for the parents that don't.

I have a hard time believing that this thread has gone on this long.
This isn't rocket science.

[languiduck]

69 Avion wrote:
I'm still living with the broken nose after 50+ years.

That's a long time to have a broken nose.

My son plays football, has broken several fingers and his hand. He's 13 now. We wrapped the injuries up good and tight and he went out and played each time.
He's been beaned in the head by a baseball, twisted ankles, bloody noses...you get the idea. He is a boy.
I guess for his safely I shouldn't let him play sports and I should go buy him an Xbox or something so he can sit at home in safety and pass the time like most other kids in the USA.
No wait, there's very little about America I agree with, and I find myself going against the grain 90% of the time. But I digress...we'll keep living life and not worrying about "what if."

This is how my family lives, and we will have no regrets no matter what happens:

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

Abusive or reckless? NO! Risky and breathless? Hell YES!

[davidaf]

Couple years back wife was all over me to let her go sleep in the TC while underway. I said no 100 times finally I gave in "fine go ahead, I give up". She lasted 30 minutes and said it was entirely too crazy and uncomfortable while bouncing down the road. She's never asked again.

[run100]

This is a very interesting topic and one worth discussing.

As I teach my children, you don't need to be paranoid in life, but it is wise to be cautious, think ahead and be prepared. If you own any type of insurance policy, you are already somewhat practicing such a mentality - although in some cases, you're simply adhering to what's required by law. You are also acknowledging that bad things can happen without warning. I always chuckle when thinking about our life insurance, because we're betting we're going to die and the insurance company is betting we're going to live.

I love having fun and being adventurous, but try to minimize unnecessary risk. For example, I've been an avid cyclist since I was a kid, but NEVER ride without a helmet. Yes, it's been put to use a few times, though some would say it doesn't seem to have prevented damage to my brain. 🙂

Anyway, the same thought applies to the decision about placing a person inside a camper (especially one not equipped with any safety devices, such as seat belts) when on the road. Between point A and B, my kids can do almost all the same things while belted inside the truck that they could do inside the camper. The huge difference is the amount of effort engineers put into keeping occupants safe inside a motor vehicle. True, there is still risk, but in the event of a high speed collision, I believe the occupants stand a far better chance of walking away without an injury when inside my truck, than riding inside the camper. In other words, riding in the camper is an unnecessary risk, that doesn't significantly add to ones enjoyment, but does expose the passengers to the threat of life altering injuries,or death, if involved in an accident.

NOTE: My statement is assuming there are enough seats for each passenger (as in our case).

After reading through this thread, some may come away with a different perspective that could potentially save a loved ones life, or prevent significant injuries. For others, they may not view riding in the camper as an excessive risk. We each have choices to make, but should also realize, the safety of passengers under age 18 is truly the adults responsibility.

[wnjj]

69 Avion wrote:
Years ago, before extended cabs and crew cabs were readily available, riding in the TC was not uncommon. There weren't many options back then.

Today, many folks have the ability to allow all passengers to actually ride in the truck. Having something go terribly wrong because I wanted the kid to "have fun" isn't something I am going to gamble with. We all make choices, and we all live with the consequences. I'm still living with the broken nose after 50+ years.

Doesn't the same apply having them in the truck at all if the entire trip was for having fun? What about ATV's? I'm teaching my 7-year-old to ride one pretty much entirely for fun. It isn't so clear cut and there are many more gambles/options in life that people are choosing not to notice.

What everyone does is estimate what they believe to be the real risk versus the reward. My cousin recently took his family of 7 on a trip across several states with some kids in the camper. The alternative was not going. The kids are better off for it.

For what it's worth, my kids have not ridden in the camper because the need/desire hasn't happened yet.

Also, the reason all of the passenger options weren't available in trucks was not a technological one. People simply weren't looking for that (i.e. mentality has changed).

[69_Avion]

Years ago, before extended cabs and crew cabs were readily available, riding in the TC was not uncommon. There weren't many options back then.

Today, many folks have the ability to allow all passengers to actually ride in the truck. Having something go terribly wrong because I wanted the kid to "have fun" isn't something I am going to gamble with. We all make choices, and we all live with the consequences. I'm still living with the broken nose after 50+ years.

[wnjj]

Like someone said, there's a line between reckless and risk. If my childrens' safety is my only concern, why would I take them anywhere in the car other than a hospital?

Playing the what-if game can lead down a dangerous slippery slope of not "living", in my opinion.

Some things are different than years ago but it's mostly how people think that has changed. "Zero tolerance" is an irrational goal for most things.

[run100]

Generally, I evaluate questions like this based on cost/benefit. Unfortunately, life is highly unpredictable . . . nobody really wakes up in the morning with a plan of being in an automobile collision that day. But, the fact is, each week there are enough traffic fatalities to fill a 737 and 10's of thousands of injuries. Last weekend alone, there were 6 fatalities in the Phoenix area.

So, as a parent, it is my obligation to do the best job possible to ensure my family's safety in case of one of these unanticipated events. For me personally (and we each must make our own choices), I believe it would be irresponsible and negligent in allowing anyone to ride in the camper (especially since its not designed with the safety of its passengers in mind) while barreling down the road. If you've ever seen an rv after a collision, you have likely observed that they pretty much disintergrate.

Agreed, it would probably be a fun and memorable experience to ride in the camper during our family vacation, but I would also live with the memory of my bad decision if someone was injured or killed in an accident. The benefit does not outweigh the cost.

Happy travels, have fun and be safe.

[T3PAIR]

JimK-NY wrote:
Be sure to keep at least one kid in the truck so you have a spare in case of a major accident.

That is hilarious! With our four boys, they all resemble each other close enough anyway! 😉

[JimK-NY]

Be sure to keep at least one kid in the truck so you have a spare in case of a major accident.