Howdy Everyone! We are working on a research project investigating Tween (8-12yr old) seat belt use. If you have children in this age range, please click on the link and complete our survey. Also, please forward it to any friends and associates with children this age. Thank you for your help with this!

http://mays.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0Vqfpqo4msyeCmo&SVID=Prod

There are parents who don't require their kids to use their seat belt?

robert

never mind

[This message has been edited by txbbqman (edited 4/6/2010 12:43p).]

Unfortunately, yes!

If anyone knows how to make the link and actual link, please do so. Thanks again everyone!

Parents that don't buckle in their kids should be thrown under the jail just because they are stupid.

http://mays.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0Vqfpqo4msyeCmo&SVID=Prod

FIFY

Done.

And yes, I still see mothers holding infants in the front seat. Even more worrisome when there is a passenger-side airbag. What could seem like a relatively minor fender-bender could become a fatality. This is more than refusal to follow the law, this is outright child endangerment...

Done. The survey definitely implies that my 12-year old should be sitting in the back seat (I thought this was a seat belt usage survey?). Question: What are the current age/weight guidelines for front seat passengers?

Done

Answered right after you posted, just didn't reply here. Do people really let their kids ride with no seatbelts/child restraints? Blows my mind.

It is suggested that children do not sit in the front seat until they are at least 13. This is due to the airbag and where it could possible hit them if it were set off.

Brazos Valley has a program called "Please Be Seated". There are post cards available at both Libraries, County Health Department, DPS, and TxDOT. When you see a child riding in a car not properly restrained, you fill out the post card with the license plate number, date, time, cross streets, and mail it in. The address is already on the post card. The person to whom the car is registered will then receive a letter from TxDOT stating the current laws and that they were spotted with their child not properly restrained.

Sounds like I need to make my wife and daughter trade places. My wife is significantly smaller (both height and weight) than the 12-year old.

I responded. Thanks.

Another imortant point is that older children who have outgrown child safety seats require booster seats. Lap/shoulder belts usually do not fit children properly until they are 4'9" inches tall, have a sitting height of 29 inches, and weigh at least 80 lbs. My 10-yr-old rides in the back seat with a backless booster seat.

The booster seat standards are ridiculous, as not all of us drive Expeditions and Lincoln Town Cars. My child has fit comfortably in the back seat of my car with the seat belt in its appropriate place since he was 5. At well under 4'9", and sitting on a booster seat, his head would be touching the roof of the car. That cannot be safe.

[This message has been edited by badger92 (edited 4/7/2010 10:54a).]

Interesting set of questions. If I recall correctly, seatbelts are now required for every occupant in the car, regardless of age or whether the passenger is in the front seat or back seat.

In my explorer, there is a tag that says children under 12 shouldn't sit in the front seat due to the passenger side airbag. However, my son has been taller than me for quite some time, so the height/weight issue went away last year. He alternates between the front passenger and back seat (depending on where his older sister sits), but he wears his seatbelt no matter which seat he's in.

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The booster seat standards are ridiculous, as not all of us drive Expeditions and Lincoln Town Cars.

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My 5-yr-old rode in a Ford Taurus in a booster seat and had plenty of head room. It is not a standard, it is now Texas state law (effective Sept 2009)

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My child has fit comfortably in the back seat of my car with the seat belt in its appropriate place since he was 5. At well under 4'9", and sitting on a booster seat, his head would be touching the roof of the car. That cannot be safe.

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That's great that the adult seatbelt was appropriately placed on your young child. However, this is not the case for most 4-8 yr-olds. Serious injuries can occur if the seatbelt crosses the neck and/or abdomen of the child. The belt should go across the shoulder and be low over the hips. Using a booster seat with a lap/shoulder belt instead of just a safety belt reduced injury by half for 4 to 8-year-olds in a recent study.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Study+reaffirms+benefit+of+car+booster+seats-a01612030248

Question: How do you encourage your child between the age of 8-12 to sit in the back seat?

Answer: I tell them to. If they don't mind, consequences follow.

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Question: How do you encourage your child between the age of 8-12 to sit in the back seat?

Answer: I tell them to. If they don't mind, consequences follow.

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+1

I've never given my kids the option, the driver simply tells everyone else where they will sit. No "encouragement" needed. Who are these wimpy parents who let their kids tell them what to do?

Interesting debate going on here! What do you think happens when your kids ride with other adults?

Songstress, how are you ensuring the validity of your results if you let participants self select?

If they ride with another adult, I send the booster seats with them.