RallyJon

I've been giving this some thought. I have a four y.o. boy, normal sized for his age at about 41" and 40 lbs. Looking at him in his booster in the back seat, I wonder how exactly he is any safer than in the front seat.

Issues:
- He's four. Therefore he's constantly straining to see around the front seatback reducing the effectiveness of the side protection and belts.
- Booster seats don't have a lot of side protection anyway. I have a pretty well padded one and I have no illusions of what would happen in a side impact or rollover.
- The seatback is right in front of his face. I slide it up, but he could still hit it.

What about the front seat? OHMYGOD the airbag will knock his head off! But will it really?

In the 1990s, there were 86 children who died during air bag deployments who were front seat passengers. 76 of these children were totally unrestrained or improperly restrained. Four others had special circumstances. So at most, six little kids who were properly positioned to be helped by airbags were killed by airbags in ten years. I wonder how many were saved by them? Hundreds? Thousands?

So I ask you this--putting aside all the mumbo jumbo you read and hear on this topic--and thinking specifically about a child properly restrained in the front seat, with the seat all the way back, wouldn't it be significantly safer than in the backseat?

Todds911

This is sort of a morbid post, but I wonder if the deaths of children properly secured in the front relate to suffocation from the airbag?

I used to debate the same issue when my son was young, but I kept him in the back, as I was uncertain with the airbag issue and it seemed safer in my large sedan - plus, at ages under 8 in my state, it is the law. But now he is nine, and about 120 pounds (future linebacker), which is larger than many adult women, so I let him choose where he wants to sit now.

P.S. Where are you in SE PA? I work in Exton.

CosmosC4S

When my daughter first turned big enough to move out of her booster seat, I always let her sit in the rear. She's 14 now, and not until a few years ago was she promoted to the front passenger seat. Even that, I'd make sure the front seat is all the way back, regardless of which vehicle she's in.

Your son is only 4, it's your call and your decision on what is best for his safety, as long as you don't break the law. My personal opinion, not that I'd recommend it, if he's properly secured, and all the way back, I feel he should be safe. The airbag won't suffocate you, it's the impact that does damage.

As for the front passenger seatback, I think it helps by being a cushion in the event of a frontal crash for the rear passenger.

RallyJon

No, I don't intend to break the law--at least not when he's four. When he's six, I'll definitely think about it though.

My #1 and #2 fears in a crash (left over from my rally days) are head injury in a rollover and basal skull fracture in a hard front end or side hit. Airbags--front and side--are a big help in both. Broken nose and bruised face are pretty far down the list.

Doug996InKC

Hey RallyJon,

My daughter is almost 4 years old. She's about 35 lbs., and I just moved her to the front seat (in a booster) for two reasons:
1. In a rear-end collision, I fear the engine could injure her more than being in the front.
2. She says it's too windy riding in the back (and Daddy doesn't like putting the top up much).

Questions:
A. Is #1 above at all valid?
B. I found a short, red seatbelt underneath the front passenger seat. Does connecting a buckle disable the airbag?

smackboy1

That should be the airbag deactivation receiver for Porsche child/infant seats. The male "buckle" that goes in it, deactivating the front passenger airbag, is attached to the Porsche child/infant seat. IIRC the "buckle" is not the same as a standard seat belt buckle, but I've read that some people have successfully made it work with a standard buckle.

RallyJon

That sounds wise. Better get on his good side now or--at the rate he's growing--by the time he's 12 he'll have you stuffed in the back seat and he'll be driving.

I do know that all modern cars are designed to have the engine go under the passenger compartment in the case of a huge crash that displaces it. I've never seen a Porsche wreck where the engine ended up inside, but I haven't seen too many, so who knows...

007DT

My son is also 4 years old and I will put him in the front seat on occasion (DD BMW) with the seat back. Truly once they are that age and appropriatly buckled in, they are probably safer in the front seat. IMO..

When I had my 993 I'd take him in it too (No rear seat.) Look at the seat I bought for him. It is the best booster I've found because it relocates standard seatbelt based on the childs size (ie, the head bolster is adjustable to height and has a seat belt guide). Plus it has the side head impact bolsters... It's like my new race seat.

The best part it is a Recaro and was $60

Old Pics from the 993 he was about 3.5 yrs old here..

Robin 993DX

My 3.5 year old daughter rides in the front seat with a booster, but I have the passenger air bag kit installed in my 996 and have the air bag disabled.

However sometimes she prefer to sit in the back without the booster. The back seat without booster is almost perfect for her size, but I do worry about her hitting the back on the front seat in case of a sudden stop.

Doug996InKC

Thanks for the education! Now time to find a buckle that will deactivate the bag.... or solder a few wires together.

RallyJon

It is pretty ridiculous that Porsche didn't just put a button on the dash to deactivate it like every other car maker.

Doug996InKC

Good point RallyJon! Maybe this calls for a mod. I'm thinking this switch:
http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/me...Code=POTE996CM

Anybody know what wires on the seat-belt assembly need to be hooked up?

Robin 993DX

RallyJon, you think Porsche is bad. The Ferrari which costs 3 times more money doesn't even have the option for you to add a device to disable the air bag.

At least Porsche added a plug under the passenger seat to allow you to add the deactivition device.

Once the deactivation device is installed you will need to take your car to the dealer to have them turn on the child seat deacitivation function, without turning on that function when the device is activated it will turn off all the air bags including the driver's air bag. When the device works properly it will only turn off the passenger air bag when the special seat belt buckle is plugged in.

aron in toronto

Doug996InKC,

If you have the RED female buckle already installed under the front passenger seat all you need to do is insert a small screwdriver or other thin object in the slot and trip the sensor leaver inside the buckle to deactivate the air bag. To verify the air bag is deactivated the dash air bag light will flash when you when you start your car. To reverse the process and re-activate the air bag you simply press the button on the buckle of the red belt. This is assuming the car's computer was reprogramed by the dealer to acknowledge the buckle when the deactivation bar/buckle was installed.

Of course you could also just use a Porsche branded Britax child seat that comes with the other half of the red buckle to deactivate the air bags.

There are also patterns on the net that show how to modify a WV or 944 seat belt buckle to work with the deactivation bar as well as templates for making your own buckle from flat metal stock.

And lastly there is even an electrical schematic floating around illustrating how to make a switch to turn off the air bags on the net.

RallyJon,

I have a Boxster with the air bag deactivation bar installed so my kids, 6 & 8, can ride with me. Your son "should" be ok in the front as I think you can slide the seat in a 996 further back than the Boxster, but I'd still recommend deactivating the air bag on the passenger side to reduce the risk of injury.

Even with the safety measures I've taken to reduce the chances of injury, I know my kids are safer in the back of my Volvo. In the Porsche, just sitting in traffic you can see the front bumpers of most trucks and SUVs are close to eye level, and I’d hate to think of the consequences of jetting T-boned by an inattentive driver.

Aron

Doug996InKC

Thanks for the wealth of info. Much appreciated!