Questions concerning child carrier
 

Have questions concerning a child carrier in the front seat. Is it legal to place a one or two year old in a child seat facing forward in a early porsche (non-airbag). If it is legal, would you do it? The better half says it's not safe. Thanks.

My better half won't even let mine in the cars.

There are plenty of guys that put the little ones in the back seats, look up Dan Byers...there is pic of his kids back there.

My oldest is three now and by the time the car is running again, she'll be at least three and a half. I'd probably let her sit up there.

Other views intrest me as well on this one though.

I don't see why it is unsafe.

A forward-facing child seat fits well in the 911's front seat, and can be secured properly. Use an "H" clip on the seat belt, get the child seat snugly belted down, then move the 911's seat forward an inch to really tighten the belt.

The 911 is structurally sound. In 2003, forum member swbsam had a major accident on a mountain road. He went head-on into a stone cliff at quite a high speed (he recalled it was 45 mph - I suspect it was around 55 mph since the speed limit was 55, no-one drives a 911 at 10 mph under, and the way the accident happened there was no braking at all). Anyway, that is a very severe accident, since stone doesn't crush. The car was a total write-off and swbsam's legs were injured, but if you look at pictures of the car (link below - warning: really not pretty) the front passenger seat stayed well clear of the dashboard. A child in the front passenger seat would not have been killed by crush damage.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=123457&highlight=swbsam +accident

Certainly a older (15+ year old) Porsche is overall not as crashworthy as a modern and larger car. That's progress. But unless you want to make a rule that the children never ride in a car smaller than a mid-size or older than 10-15 years, I wouldn't see any reason to bar them from the 911.

Assuming the driver keeps in mind the value of his cargo, of course.

The laws are different from state to state. In CA as of this year it is illegal to put a child in the front seat of a car (in a car seat) if there is a back seat. Of course - my 911's back seat isn't big enough for our child's car seat (Rear facing) and my 911 doesn't have an air bag. So I called the local police department and asked them. They said that if the car seat didn't fit back there then there was no way they would give me a ticket; your mileage my vary.

Now - as far as the wife is concerned - Well - I don't drive the porsche much lately. She loves it because the kid is right next to her. Now she doesn't really drive much just here and there really so I don't think it's a big deal. When he is old enough to face forward I Will try the car seat in the back seat.

I always find it funny when men don't share their cars with their wives. Man - the more I share it with her the more she loves it. The more she drives it the easier it is to say "Hey, the car needs this." When I bought it I told her it was "ours and I expect you to drive it."

SmileWavy

This is from the DMV website http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/pgs46thru47.htm

"A child under the age of six weighing less than 60 pounds may ride in the front seat of a vehicle when:

There is no rear seat or the rear seats are either side-facing jump seats or rear-facing seats.

The child passenger restraint system cannot be installed properly in the rear seat.

All rear seats are already occupied by children under the age of 12 years.

A medical reason requires the child to ride in the front seat.

A child may not ride in the front seat of an airbag-equipped vehicle if the child:

Is under one year of age.

Weighs less than 20 pounds.

Is riding in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system."

Most child seats will, indeed, not fit properly in the rear seat of a 911. (Although some will fit fine.)

Personally, when my kids were little (2 y/o) they rode in the rear seat of the 911, in a child seat that was cinched down very tightly and always stayed in the car. The reason for choosing the rear over the front was convenience - not having to remove and reinstall the child seat all the time.

Every family is different and their views on what is "safe" and "not safe" diverse. I have always taken my kids in my 911 for both short and long trips. They love it. Now my 911 is just a 2 seater. RS interior has deleted the rear seats and a harness bar with fixed seats make access to the rear not good or safe for a passenger. So now I just take one at a time. It is actually better as this way each child has time with their dad by themselfs. Kids are ages 7-1/2, 5 and lastly 13 months. So booster seats and car seats are used. My wife even gets a ride once and awhile. ;) If I felt the car was unsafe for passengers, of any age, then I woulndt own my 911.
I couldnt see owning and having a passion for something and not being able to share that with your family, especially your kids.
This is just my opinion.

I do it all the time.

Worst case, if I am in a horrible head-on crash, the car will be crushed to the front of the bottom seat cushion... and my child will still be untouched (his/her feet rest on the cushion). Meanwhile, that same accident will leave me with no legs....

When I was a kid, we didn't use seatbelts (and I am still here). I am offering tenfold the protection (even in my Porsche) for my children.

I am glad I'm not the only one wondering about this. My little guy is 16 months now and I am looking forward to taking him for his first ride in the 911. Hopefully, this thread will convince my wife that the car is just as crashworthy, if not more so, than our Blazer. Obviously, I won't be driving like a maniac with him in the car.
Thanks guys,

My little girl goes in the back.... I found a car seat that fits nicely in the rear sears. It's a Cosco Pepper. I found it at Target. My car has a 3-point seatbelt in the back. I also use an H clip. Wife gave the OK...

Second girl is 5 months now. So another 3-4 months before we can buy another forwrd facing seat to put back there. The only problem is now the access to the seats because my Recaro seats don't fold....

The joy of taking the little ones around is the only thing that prevented me from going with roll cage and harness system in my 911.

Matteo,

Can you be more specific on which Cosco seats you bought? I can't find one called "Pepper". I have 2 year old twin boys, so I am looking to install 2 car seats in the back (forward facing). I currently have 2 of the gigantic Britax Marathon seats in my Escalade, and I am pretty sure they will not fit in the rear of my 996.

If anyone else knows of any specific car seats that will fit in the rear, please chime in!

I just checked every available avenue - I cannot find it either.
Matteo?

I carried my both kids from their early age (now both grown men and don't fit there at all) on the back seats facing forward. Always thought that the tall back front sits would protect them in case of a front impact. There are several manufacturers out there that makes child sits to fit the P-car rear sits. Don't forget to protect their heads from the sun coming through the rear windshield - I learned that the hard way... Enjoy your car with your kids and later on they'll become Pelicanes

I bought this seat at target. It's very simple... i.e. very limited padding. The color of the cover is black on the outside and has a tan/black tartan on the inside.

Let me surf the web for a second and try and see if I see something similar.. I will report back.

Found it

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_5/601-2828404-1171368?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B00009E F0C

This is what we have in the car. It works great and I will convert to a booster when they are older... U can't go wrong for $50...

Good luck!

Thanks so much! I will check it out! I can't wait to take the boys for a spin!

BTW
We have the Brittax in my wife's Cayenne and I tried every possible way to put them in the 911 with little luck.

I am wondering if taking the rear seats off would make it more dangerous....

DDMommy

the Porsche dealer sells a car seat that fits the back of a 996. It will certainly be more expensive than the Cosco one... but maybe it fits better. Also is the 996 equipped with latch?

Matteo,

I looked online at the Porsche seats . . . I'm not sure my boys will tolerate the big shield thing in front. And yes, I could get 10 of the Cosco seats for the price of one of those Porsche seats. Their safety is non-negotiable, but I was hoping to find something that works other than the Porsche seat.

Was it difficult to make the Cosco seat secure? I may just go buy one, test it out, and if it doesn't work, return it . . . .until I find one that fits!

I'm not even sure if it has LATCH . .I'll have to check. I can honestly say that I didn't intend to cart the boys around in it . . .but things change. Does anyone else out there know if a 1999 996 has LATCH?

my daughter used to ride in the front seat in her child seat all the time.

Bill

i'm in the process of installing 2 child seats in the rear seats of mine. I thought of putting one in the front, but the NHSTA(.org) says all children under the age of 12 should be put in the rear seats.