Safest way to travel with 6 in a pickup?

[prestonbunch]

We have a Dodge Ram 2500 megacab as a tow vehicle. There are five of us -- hubby and I and three kids, ages 6, 7 and 9.

In August we're going to a music festival about four hours away. DD9 is bring a friend along. We are trying to decide the safest way for all six of us to travel in the pickup. The middle of the front seat only has a lap belt. My DD6 will still fit in a five-point harness booster seat, but I'm not sure it's safe to strap it in with only a lap belt.

Any family of six here have any advice for getting everyone there?

[mtofell1]

srt20 wrote:

mtofell1 wrote:
I may be missing something.... and with the number of people saying the same thing I must be so please someone explain to me why putting mom in the middle and a kid in the passenger seat is recommended over kid in the middle? It would seem to me the safer place for a small/med child is in the middle, away from a side impact. And, possibly out of the "line of fire" of the airbag as someone points out.

To the OP: I'm potentially in the same quandary. I have myself and wife, 14 year old, 5 year old and twin 4 year olds. I don't know where I'd put everyone if/when we all pile in the new 6-seat truck. I was somewhat dismayed when I got the truck that it didn't have a shoulder belt for the middle/front seat.

Obviously, there's no perfect solution or it would have been found prior to the 3 pages of opinions here. I'd probably check with the local fire department as they often have child safety seat clinics or people "in the know". You might also just keep poking around the internet for someone who knows as opposed to this group of guessers.

Your missing something. Take your own advice and get educated.

Hey smart guy... It's "you're" not "your" and this type of post is the EXACT reason internet forums digress into pissing matches. You offer nothing to the topic except a flame and gas. I raise real questions and you are no help.

Maybe take YOUR own advice and get educated.

[srt20]

mtofell1 wrote:
I may be missing something.... and with the number of people saying the same thing I must be so please someone explain to me why putting mom in the middle and a kid in the passenger seat is recommended over kid in the middle? It would seem to me the safer place for a small/med child is in the middle, away from a side impact. And, possibly out of the "line of fire" of the airbag as someone points out.

To the OP: I'm potentially in the same quandary. I have myself and wife, 14 year old, 5 year old and twin 4 year olds. I don't know where I'd put everyone if/when we all pile in the new 6-seat truck. I was somewhat dismayed when I got the truck that it didn't have a shoulder belt for the middle/front seat.

Obviously, there's no perfect solution or it would have been found prior to the 3 pages of opinions here. I'd probably check with the local fire department as they often have child safety seat clinics or people "in the know". You might also just keep poking around the internet for someone who knows as opposed to this group of guessers.

Your missing something. Take your own advice and get educated.

[toedtoes]

In the middle, the child may be in line of the driver seat airbag. By turning off the passenger side airbag and putting the child on that end, there is no chance of getting hurt by the airbag.

[mtofell1]

I may be missing something.... and with the number of people saying the same thing I must be so please someone explain to me why putting mom in the middle and a kid in the passenger seat is recommended over kid in the middle? It would seem to me the safer place for a small/med child is in the middle, away from a side impact. And, possibly out of the "line of fire" of the airbag as someone points out.

To the OP: I'm potentially in the same quandary. I have myself and wife, 14 year old, 5 year old and twin 4 year olds. I don't know where I'd put everyone if/when we all pile in the new 6-seat truck. I was somewhat dismayed when I got the truck that it didn't have a shoulder belt for the middle/front seat.

Obviously, there's no perfect solution or it would have been found prior to the 3 pages of opinions here. I'd probably check with the local fire department as they often have child safety seat clinics or people "in the know". You might also just keep poking around the internet for someone who knows as opposed to this group of guessers.

[Francesca_Knowl]

APT wrote:

Francesca Knowles wrote:

Dividing the family between two cars actually DOUBLES the chances of an accident occurring that will affect the family.

That is the most useless statistic I have heard yet! To that end, only half the family would be affected!

That may be true in your family, but in my family, any catastrophe that befalls one/any affects us all.

[APT]

Francesca Knowles wrote:

Dividing the family between two cars actually DOUBLES the chances of an accident occurring that will affect the family.

That is the most useless statistic I have heard yet! To that end, only half the family would be affected!

The cost of fuel for the van is about $80 round trip. Small potatoes in the realm of RVing, or attending the music festival. Anyway...have fun!

[the_happiestcam]

Safest way to carry 6 in a pickup Get a pickup like this

[toedtoes]

Fast Mopar wrote:
Yabba dabba doooo!!!

Marty, the smallest person should only be in the front middle if he/she meets the age and/or weight requirements for riding in the front of a vehicle with air bags. I think in this case the smallest person was only 6 or 7 years old, so that will not work. Maybe you can turn off the passenger side air bag, but I have watched enough crash test videos to see that someone riding in the middle can be affected by the driver's air bag. It is clearly a safety issue. Air bags generally save lives, but they can cause a lot of harm to small people.

That's why I suggest turning off the passenger side airbag and putting one of the older kids in the passenger seat with Mom in the middle.

[Fast_Mopar]

srt20 wrote:

blt2ski wrote:
hmmmm, 100K+ miles with 4 kids, spouse in a crew and ext cab truck, with NO air bags mind you!......hmmmmmm..... must have been one unsafe dad I were.

Put the smallest person per say in the front middle, after than, where ever folks will go. You WILL survive just fine! trust me.

Marty

That's all fine and dandy, but this isn't the 70s. We have the tech, we have the knowledge,why wouldn't they take advantage of it? Why would you give bad advice? Odds are they will be fine and not have an accident. But nobody can guarantee that!

If you want to do things your way, great. It's a free country. But the OP came on here looking for advice on how to be as safe as possible in their situation. They obviously weren't looking for advice that "might" have been acceptable when Fred Flintstone was driving.

Yabba dabba doooo!!!

Marty, the smallest person should only be in the front middle if he/she meets the age and/or weight requirements for riding in the front of a vehicle with air bags. I think in this case the smallest person was only 6 or 7 years old, so that will not work. Maybe you can turn off the passenger side air bag, but I have watched enough crash test videos to see that someone riding in the middle can be affected by the driver's air bag. It is clearly a safety issue. Air bags generally save lives, but they can cause a lot of harm to small people.

[blt2ski]

srt20 wrote:

blt2ski wrote:
hmmmm, 100K+ miles with 4 kids, spouse in a crew and ext cab truck, with NO air bags mind you!......hmmmmmm..... must have been one unsafe dad I were.

Put the smallest person per say in the front middle, after than, where ever folks will go. You WILL survive just fine! trust me.

Marty

That's all fine and dandy, but this isn't the 70s. We have the tech, we have the knowledge,why wouldn't they take advantage of it? Why would you give bad advice? Odds are they will be fine and not have an accident. But nobody can guarantee that!

If you want to do things your way, great. It's a free country. But the OP came on here looking for advice on how to be as safe as possible in their situation. They obviously weren't looking for advice that "might" have been acceptable when Fred Flintstone was driving.

Better pick a different time frame! THis was the 90's and 2000's i was doing this! ALL the seats had belts, the outer four had shoulder straps. The 96 CC had an emanual trans of all things. that made the middle front a bit smaller in legroom. Did the same with my 05 dually a few times too. Altho by then, eldest were over 20, and only had my youngest two to worry about, so they sat in the outer back. The 88 ext cab had them all in child seats. Boosters were just coming of age and popularity at the time.

I would do the same today if my kids were smaller. If the air bags were turn offable, I would do that where and if someone was too small etc. Just as I did back then, but the 88 and 96 did not have airbags, the 05 did.

Marty

[Francesca_Knowl]

I wonder if this is the appropriate place to mention that the single most important piece of child safety equipment in any vehicle is....drum roll please....THE DRIVER.

Slow down, turn off the cell phone, pay attention to the road- best way to increase the odds that "protective restraints" will never be put to the actual life-or-death test.

[Francesca_Knowl]

I wonder if this is the appropriate place to mention that the single most important piece of safety equipment in any vehicle is....drum roll please....THE DRIVER.

Slow down, turn off the cell phone, pay attention to the road- best way to increase the odds that "protective restraints" will never be put to the actual life-or-death test.

[srt20]

blt2ski wrote:
hmmmm, 100K+ miles with 4 kids, spouse in a crew and ext cab truck, with NO air bags mind you!......hmmmmmm..... must have been one unsafe dad I were.

Put the smallest person per say in the front middle, after than, where ever folks will go. You WILL survive just fine! trust me.

Marty

That's all fine and dandy, but this isn't the 70s. We have the tech, we have the knowledge,why wouldn't they take advantage of it? Why would you give bad advice? Odds are they will be fine and not have an accident. But nobody can guarantee that!

If you want to do things your way, great. It's a free country. But the OP came on here looking for advice on how to be as safe as possible in their situation. They obviously weren't looking for advice that "might" have been acceptable when Fred Flintstone was driving.

[blt2ski]

hmmmm, 100K+ miles with 4 kids, spouse in a crew and ext cab truck, with NO air bags mind you!......hmmmmmm..... must have been one unsafe dad I were.

Put the smallest person per say in the front middle, after than, where ever folks will go. You WILL survive just fine! trust me.

Marty