Do you drive with your kid(s) in the car?

[AceAndrew]

13 hours ago, seansuth said:

 

Hoping BlueDevil can chime in...

 

 

Sean, why don't you PM him?  That is to say, he's very helpful through direct email/pm's.

Edited July 26, 2017 by AceAndrew

[Harv]

Me and my Bee!

 

john

[resra]

This is a good clip....

 

 

[Andersson]

Toast is the word, had one of those 900 turbos in the late 80´s. New turbo and exhaust and it went like stink. Still driving around with my kids though, afraid of wild boars and the mighty moose.Trying to stay at home in the early and late hours with my 2002.

[theNomad]

Yes, 

I put in seatbelts in the rear and changed the front belts as well. 

Kids like riding in it. I try to be as careful as I can be of course but what's the point in spending money and time on something they aren't allowed to ride in? I could just get a motorcycle and say see ya later.

 

[Redtail]

20 hours ago, Ian said:

There are factory mounting points for the 3-point harness in the C-pillar.  There is a template to locate the mount in the C-pillar behind the headliner without destroying your headliner,  but I can't find the template at the moment, but I'm sure someone on the FAQ will have it.  I think the BlueDevil harness is a current repro for the old factory 3-point that used to be an option.

 I believe there were mounting points in the c-pillar from '72 on (please someone correct me if I'm wrong) but when I put my 3-points in last year BlueDevil recommended against using them. The set of belts I bought have a reel that mounts right to the parcel shelf like modern BMWs. There is a correctly sized hole in the right spot (at least there was on my '73) so all you need to do is poke a hole in the vinyl then use the correct backing plate on the underside of the shelf. The bottom mounts are the same and the belts are really easy to install, and well worth it.

[Simeon]

Here is my blog post on installing 3 point inertia reel seat belts in the rear. 

 

If you have s good poke Around with your fingers and maybe a needle to prick holes for probing, you should find the C pillar mount if it's there.

 

 

[Dudeland]

On 7/25/2017 at 6:21 AM, bob02 said:

 

 This is tongue in cheek humor, right?

 

 Bob

Sort of.  I do think about what would happen in a crash.  My car is very solid, original and rust/accident free (thankfully) , so whatever BMW intended to happen in a crash, will happen.  I see these crazy cars with 175+hp in them and I am scared to think of what would happen if things went bad . Now we all know that 80MPH in a 200HP car and 80MPH in a 100HP car is virtually the same (assuming the same weight of motor is in both cars), so I don't think that one is inherently safer than the other.  But what 200HP does is get you going faster light to light,  which is where things can go wrong,  i.e you can potentially out drive the brakes or your skills.  

 

Of course the statistics say that highway (speed) front collisions is the one to look out for, so your child should be in the back seat,  which i agree with.   What if I am not on the highway (ever) with my child, and we just whip around town in it?.  I am more concerned about a side impact in this scenario. Everybody runs lights like crazy in my town. In this case having a cage, with a side impact bar may help. I am not sure that I have a leg statistically, but it may help me feel better when i see my child in the back seat. 

 

God please keep my child safe. 

 

 

 

 

 

[floatinghead]

When my boys were in car seats ( before boosters),  I installed a static lap belt in the center position in the rear seats so would only take on kid at a time.  The seat was locked down solid and knowing they were harnessed in and in the center, i felt that was the best place they could be.  Plus, they could put there feet out near the e-brake and liked the view better much better than the back of the seat.  Now they are too big for that  (7 and 9), so i do a  booster in the front and only short trips around town.  No freeways yet.  Looking to install shoulder belts in the back.

[WVGranat]

Bit late to the party I know (had reply ready yesterday, but accidentally deleted it).  

 

It's all a risk, you decide.  But pay attention to what data points we have: there are crash and crash testing pictures and insurance information(note what Allan from Canada reported on page one, it's the usual advice) which pretty strongly suggests that the front seat is the right place for survivalbility.  That's a touring up there in that picture, so a little less rigid than a sedan, but honestly they are not that different, that back seat is heavily compromised.  If you roll over, the B-pillars are usually the only ones not severely compromised.  

 

Don't just assume that because modern cars suggest the rear seat, that it is somehow the best place. Only the doors got side impact beams, the rear metal just has the one triangular gusset down low by the wheel.  So if you need the room sure, but if its just the two of you,well  I have always opted for the passenger seat.

 

Having said that, yes I my toddler rides in the front in his Recaro seat, and my 8 yo sits in the rear if I am taking them both out, and I generally DD mine 3-4 months of the year so it happens.  Just understand the risks.  Much like Abe I can remember awesome times in the back seat of my friends dad's 2002 and 2002 turbo in the 70's ripping down the autobahn or around the alps, the lap belts loosely fastened around us.

[FunElan]

I grew up in the 90s (yes, I'm a little younger than some of you here) riding shotgun in my dad's Lotus Elan, which is basically a surfboard with doors. If I didn't have those experiences, I never would've been interested in cars and never would've bought my 02 at age 15 in 2007. I had the option of many other cars that were safer, but I prefer to not make life decisions based on fear. I've kept that in mind and have been lucky to experience a fair amount considering I'm still on the younger side. Would I put a toddler in an 02? Probably not, but there's nothing quite like sharing your hobbies and experiences with your children while they're young...

[BarneyT]

Great topic...my wife Victoria and I  had long talks about this when our two boys were young and came up with ...not in the car/2002 till old enough / big enough to not need booster/seat, around town only and not on the highway...fast forward to oldest son turning 15 he starts talking of my 2002 being his first car....well we all know that can't happen...we he/I agree to buy him a 2002 and fix it up before he turns 16...we do it, 75 Verona after a few months car looks much better than I ever thought possible...mom not all that happy but agrees he can drive it the four miles to the high school, around austin and back but not out of town (austin/Dallas) ...well he drove the wheels off the car thru high school and we got him a vw with air bags to go off to college...now 12 years later in the next month are so I'm giving him the 2002 (74 granda) he wanted when he was 15...he is now 27 I'm sure we will still worry as he drives it to go scuba diving/ snow boarding and the other dangerous things he does it's part of being a parent...I came to my 2002 at 20 after having a motorcycle wreck, I always felt the 2002 was much safer and was happy with that...Barney

[Redtail]

1 hour ago, BarneyT said:

...I came to my 2002 at 20 after having a motorcycle wreck, I always felt the 2002 was much safer and was happy with that...Barney

I also got into classic cars after multiple motorcycle crashes age 19-23. Only now after I have kids do I understand the relief that my parents must have felt when I gave up 2 wheels to move on to 4 - even if they were 4 old wheels.