A nine year old girl in the backseat wearing no seatbelt or in the front passenger seat wearing a seat belt but has an airbag?

My ex-wife and I are in disagreement about this. Her backseat has only one working seatbelt which is being used for a car seat for her toddler. Our daughter thus has no seatbelt protection in the backseat. I told my wife to let my daughter ride in the front seat because at least she has a seatbelt but she say's no because if an airbag deploys it could kill her. And it even says on the visor that kids under 12 should not sit in the front seat because of the airbag. We plan on getting the back seatbelt fixed but in the meantime what is the safer choice? My daughter will be 10 this year.
[Edited 5/27/08 10:12am]

Dude, seriously. Both are terrible. And yes, airbags can kill.

Get it fixed immediately.

Put her in the backseat if you have to choose between these two. The airbag thing is no joke.

JustErin said:

Word! SO WORD!!! Dude, let me put it this way. I think it would be cheaper to get your belts fixed up real good than to pay medical or funeral expenses for a child. Get your seat belts fixed, end of disagreement!

Forgot to mention, Seatbelt fixing isn't planned on, it's just done!
[Edited 5/27/08 10:25am]

And don't most back seats have 3 seatbelts? One in the middle?

I agree with everyone else...get that belt fixed!!!

Twiki said:

Flying all around the car and hitting the windshield because of no seatbelt is worse.
Both are bad. both are illegal in some places.
[Edited 5/27/08 12:36pm]

JustErin said:

Thats true! does this car not have one???

I honestly don't know. It's my ex-wifes car. And it's not like I can make her go get the seatbelt fixed. I've already offered to pay for the repair but it's getting her to do it that's the problem. She's very stubborn. It's like she can't imagine ever being in an accident. And I'm the father that worries too much! Granted when I was a kid we NEVER wore seatbelts in the back seat.
[Edited 5/27/08 13:49pm]

dannyd5050 said:

Seriously, if my ex had my kid in his car without belts, I would damn sure make sure that I called the cops on him when he was out with my boy.

JustErin said:

It's your child's life you're talking about. It's his life you're risking by allowing her to do so. It's not even a question that needs to be considered.

The back seat is best if you cannot disable the airbag!!!

Trust me, I've been a Crashworthiness Engineer at TNO (EuroNCAP test facility) for two years. Airbags will kill.

Jochem said:

Wait a minute. You work in the car-safety field and are buying a bike!

Is there something we should know....?

Jochem said:

My friend's brain was all over the curb when they picked up what was left of her, after an accident in which she was sitting in the back seat, with no seat belt on.

They both kill.

plus you might get a pricey ticket!

if there aren't seat belts...walk.

ArielB said:

You are absolutely right.
I'm sorry for your loss

I still thing the best chances are in the back seat though.

mcmeekle said:

I used to work there.
Now I live close to my work (4km) hence the bike.

NDRU said:

I think they'd get more than that if they get caught. It's negligence. risking your child's life.
In any case, the right thing to do is fix the seat belt. If the wife is too lazy to do it, take the car yourself and do it. Don't wait until something bad happens.

Belted in the front seat, with the seat all the way back.

ArielB said:

True, I just wanted to point out that even if the unspeakable doesn't happen, you might as well fix them.

Genesia said:

A choice between two evils. Belted with a whole lot of precaution seems the best.

morningsong said:

Exactly. I mean...fixing the rear seat belt is what you want to do. But in the meantime...

My mom used to let us sit in the far back of the station wagon, and when we drove over the twisty canyon roads, we'd sit on a big picture book & slide all over the place

Of course nobody wore seat belts back then.

NDRU said:

We did too, just a slidding all over the place.

In the front seat it was always the infamous "arm shield" whenever a sudden stop was made.

Once, since my aunt's house was/is on a very high hill, coming out of the driveway is a very steep ordeal, well one day the brakes went out. Luckily she made a very sharp turn at the end of the drive crashing into the brick wall (instead of the house across the street). My little cousin who was sitting up front was thrown under the dashboard. She only suffered a pretty busted up lip and a huge knot on her head, a minor concussion. Thank goodness she wasn't thrown against the windshield. Still after all that nobody even considered wearing seatbelts.

walk