child safety
10-08-2004, 08:22 PM
#1
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child safety
Hello!
This is my first post and I seek advice. I am finally in a financial position to fullfill a lifelong dream of being a Porsche owner. I've been doing some research and the Boxster is the car for me. My concern is child safety. I have a 2 year old son who would be riding with me in the front seat. The Porsche website states that there is a child safety seat available with a deactivation unit for the passenger airbag. The dealers I have spoken to have told me that no such deactivation unit exists. What is the truth and how safe is a child in the front seat? If I have to put my dream on hold for the safety of my boy than that's what I will do. Please put my mind at ease. Thanks!
Scott
Go SOX!!
This is my first post and I seek advice. I am finally in a financial position to fullfill a lifelong dream of being a Porsche owner. I've been doing some research and the Boxster is the car for me. My concern is child safety. I have a 2 year old son who would be riding with me in the front seat. The Porsche website states that there is a child safety seat available with a deactivation unit for the passenger airbag. The dealers I have spoken to have told me that no such deactivation unit exists. What is the truth and how safe is a child in the front seat? If I have to put my dream on hold for the safety of my boy than that's what I will do. Please put my mind at ease. Thanks!
Scott
Go SOX!!
10-08-2004, 10:49 PM
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You certainly can get the seat and deactivation kit, big however. The key word is deactivation, no air bag for the child. No complete safety zone around them either. I think the Porsche SUV would be better if you still have a child to carry. I drove one and it was a nice ride.
10-09-2004, 10:26 AM
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Your dealer doesn't know what they are talking about. I just ordered a Porsche car seat from my local Porsche dealership and had the deactivation bar installed under warranty.
10-09-2004, 10:50 PM
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I have a '99 Boxster, a '98 model son, and a Porsche child seat with deactivation bar. Your dealer is really lame if he doesn't know about this. I paid about $500 for the seat, bar, and installation. Rather pricey, but worth the safety of my son.
My son is older than your child, thus the booster. However, Porsche does offer a seat for smaller children. It will use the same deactivation bar, so upgrading to a booster seat in a couple of years won't cost so much.
As far as safety goes, it is all relative. Is your child as safe in a Boxster as in a contemporaty Volvo sedan? Statistically speaking, NO. Is your child safer in the Boxster than in an early Miata. Yes. Is your child safer in the Boxster with the proper seat and the airbag deactivated (than without)? Yes.
If you are going to take your son for rides in the Boxster, then spend the money and get the proper seat and the bar. You might consider trying another dealer if possible. If you don't feel safe with your son in the Boxster, then keep him out of it. My son enjoys riding in my car, and when he is in the car I drive much more conservatively than when I am alone. Don't drag race or do other stupid things with your son in the car.
Cheers,
Mark
My son is older than your child, thus the booster. However, Porsche does offer a seat for smaller children. It will use the same deactivation bar, so upgrading to a booster seat in a couple of years won't cost so much.
As far as safety goes, it is all relative. Is your child as safe in a Boxster as in a contemporaty Volvo sedan? Statistically speaking, NO. Is your child safer in the Boxster than in an early Miata. Yes. Is your child safer in the Boxster with the proper seat and the airbag deactivated (than without)? Yes.
If you are going to take your son for rides in the Boxster, then spend the money and get the proper seat and the bar. You might consider trying another dealer if possible. If you don't feel safe with your son in the Boxster, then keep him out of it. My son enjoys riding in my car, and when he is in the car I drive much more conservatively than when I am alone. Don't drag race or do other stupid things with your son in the car.
Cheers,
Mark
10-25-2004, 07:42 PM
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I did a lot of research on this last year. There is definitely a deactivation device, but you must buy a complete seat.
I waited for my PCA coupon. Then I bought the least expensive seat available. Happened to be a Booster. I detached the red buckle from the front of the seat and I now use the buckle with my daughter's Britax Marathon seat.
It works great. I would strongly reccomend going this route. Others have disabled the airbags in other ways, but each seems like a bad idea especially considering the cost of a mistake.
I waited for my PCA coupon. Then I bought the least expensive seat available. Happened to be a Booster. I detached the red buckle from the front of the seat and I now use the buckle with my daughter's Britax Marathon seat.
It works great. I would strongly reccomend going this route. Others have disabled the airbags in other ways, but each seems like a bad idea especially considering the cost of a mistake.
10-25-2004, 10:43 PM
#6
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I have been told that small children belong in the rear seat, airbags or not. No rear seat in a vehicle and you need to think long and hard about how much you trust the safety experts, as well as those that do the airbag deactivation work..
The 911 944 and 928 genre each have rear seats that are pretty much only suitable for children. There is a practicality element in having a second car that can take both your significant other as well as small children. The Britax booster seats fit well in the narrow back seats of the other Porsche models. If it were me today seeking out a first Porsche, I would be inclined toward 911, 997 et al. as it can act as a "family car in a pinch".
That said, my 928 does not have air bags and when I need to pick up a kid from preschool, I've recently been putting him/her in the front seat with a booster for the convenience. I am comfortable enough with the safety issues to do so, but I never did this until we hit @ age 4.
My Porsche purchase pre-dated children by a number of years, so I hadn't thought through all of this before. If looking at getting into a Porche today, already having at least one child, I would have to be comfortable enough with the safety issues to consider intentionally putting them in a front seat. If anything should happen that would have made the front seat an unwise decision, heaven forbid, imagine the guilt of putting MY fun ahead of my child's welfare. That thought alone would give me pause to the Boxsters. Then rationalization calculations begin and proceed to estimate that less than 5% of driving miles include any children. Safety raised to the nth power.. carry the 3, less 95% = Boxster. Boxster it is, but the wife would veto and recommend a Volvo or, if particularly generous, a 911.
Anybody know why it is always recommended for children to be in rear seats (aside from front airbag dangers)? Maybe it has less to do with what happens to them in a collision and more to do with them grabbing a steering wheel?
Just food for thought.
Good luck with your calculations!
The 911 944 and 928 genre each have rear seats that are pretty much only suitable for children. There is a practicality element in having a second car that can take both your significant other as well as small children. The Britax booster seats fit well in the narrow back seats of the other Porsche models. If it were me today seeking out a first Porsche, I would be inclined toward 911, 997 et al. as it can act as a "family car in a pinch".
That said, my 928 does not have air bags and when I need to pick up a kid from preschool, I've recently been putting him/her in the front seat with a booster for the convenience. I am comfortable enough with the safety issues to do so, but I never did this until we hit @ age 4.
My Porsche purchase pre-dated children by a number of years, so I hadn't thought through all of this before. If looking at getting into a Porche today, already having at least one child, I would have to be comfortable enough with the safety issues to consider intentionally putting them in a front seat. If anything should happen that would have made the front seat an unwise decision, heaven forbid, imagine the guilt of putting MY fun ahead of my child's welfare. That thought alone would give me pause to the Boxsters. Then rationalization calculations begin and proceed to estimate that less than 5% of driving miles include any children. Safety raised to the nth power.. carry the 3, less 95% = Boxster. Boxster it is, but the wife would veto and recommend a Volvo or, if particularly generous, a 911.
Anybody know why it is always recommended for children to be in rear seats (aside from front airbag dangers)? Maybe it has less to do with what happens to them in a collision and more to do with them grabbing a steering wheel?
Just food for thought.
Good luck with your calculations!
10-25-2004, 10:50 PM
#7
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Truth be told... I usually drive my other car on preschool pick up days, so kids in the Porsche is a pretty rare situation for me.
I could easily see myself driving my little girl around in a Boxster, and safety-wise, my biggest concern would probably be "is the airbag really, really, really deactivated right now?"
Not trying to scare anyone.
I could easily see myself driving my little girl around in a Boxster, and safety-wise, my biggest concern would probably be "is the airbag really, really, really deactivated right now?"
Not trying to scare anyone.
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10-28-2004, 05:58 PM
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I imagine the "safest in the rear" logic is due to the following:
Collisions to the front probably have a much better chance of high speed than impacts from the rear. Two cars head on, car into tree, etc. In any collision, the more of your car between you and the oncoming car (or tree, etc.), the better. It will absorb more impact. Thus, a person in the back is better protected than a person in the front. The likelihood of such a severe impact from the back is less.
That's my guess!
Mark
Collisions to the front probably have a much better chance of high speed than impacts from the rear. Two cars head on, car into tree, etc. In any collision, the more of your car between you and the oncoming car (or tree, etc.), the better. It will absorb more impact. Thus, a person in the back is better protected than a person in the front. The likelihood of such a severe impact from the back is less.
That's my guess!
Mark
10-29-2004, 09:20 AM
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10-29-2004, 10:50 AM
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I have to tell you...after seeing this, my wife is all for the boxster now. Only problem is that she's going to want to drive it. Not because it's a Porsche, but so she can see the baby right next to her....
Stacey
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10-29-2004, 10:59 AM
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Yeah, that would be nice. Doubtful...but nice.
I have to admit though...i was kind of happy when she wasn't all for the Boxster. I don't know if I'm going to want her to drive it. She's one of those play with her hair, talk on the phone, drink her coffee, and curb rash is no big deal drivers. I'm quite the opposite. I'm Trying to get her to go to skip barber...but it's not going well. God forbid it rained while she was driving an open wheel car like it did for me at Laguna Seca.
I have to admit though...i was kind of happy when she wasn't all for the Boxster. I don't know if I'm going to want her to drive it. She's one of those play with her hair, talk on the phone, drink her coffee, and curb rash is no big deal drivers. I'm quite the opposite. I'm Trying to get her to go to skip barber...but it's not going well. God forbid it rained while she was driving an open wheel car like it did for me at Laguna Seca.
10-30-2004, 02:11 AM
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Safety *****
Guys,
For the past few years I transported my daughter to nursery/pre-shool in my Boxster. She lived through the front seat - no air bag situation just fine. I used the Porshe Zoom Seat with the deactivation kit. Ordered it through a Belgian Porsche shop and had a local indi shop activate it (because the local dealers wouldn't).
I urge all of you to resist the urge to succumb to the 'Safety ****' Trial Lawyers Assoc. paranioa that our nation is suffering from. There are risks, and guess what, we all die one day. Better done with the top down and a smile on your face in my book.
Live free or die,
Sean
For the past few years I transported my daughter to nursery/pre-shool in my Boxster. She lived through the front seat - no air bag situation just fine. I used the Porshe Zoom Seat with the deactivation kit. Ordered it through a Belgian Porsche shop and had a local indi shop activate it (because the local dealers wouldn't).
I urge all of you to resist the urge to succumb to the 'Safety ****' Trial Lawyers Assoc. paranioa that our nation is suffering from. There are risks, and guess what, we all die one day. Better done with the top down and a smile on your face in my book.
Live free or die,
Sean