Ryan, my oldest sun (now 16) spent so much time riding shotgun in my ol heaps that he thought it was normal. I drove my chevelle SS almost daily, and as you, did a day care pick up. I too drove almost over cautious. We got through it all ok
Ryan, you nailed it. I drive my old cars whenever I can, and when the kids are along they're in their car seats & belted properly. We live in a semi-rural area, but there are still plenty of nut jobs with their heads up their phones here & idiots passing Amish buggies on two lane roads over blind hills. You do what you can to drive for the other guy in addition to yourself. I haven't noticed any stink eyes at the school drop off, but wouldn't much care anyway.
Damn, Ryan! When are you going to teach the kids to drive so you can suck a beer outta a bottle in the back? Seriously, it appears a lot of us survived the "brake test" when we were enjoying the panoramic view from above the back seat......but modern society and the obvious need for some 8 term lawmaker to tell us all how to live our lives has won over. We all love our kids and want to protect them at all cost, but the ability to do so "up to standards" in our choce of vehicles is increasingly difficult. Where is the balance? I sure don't have the answer, but I do have an answer for the down the nose Volvo crowd..............................
Ryan, Seriously excellent write-up. Like everything else we do in life, what and how we drive means weighing risk v benefit. It's a no brainer that driving something vintage, or riding in something dadda built is just a way better experience than in the sterile Volvo you mentioned. And to a degree, we accept a higher degree of risk for that. We do it every day. But we do what we can to control those factors we have control over (like installing seat belts and driving defensively in the case of vintage steel). Nothing puts a smile on our faces like a ride in the DUETT, our non-sterile Volvo wagon that put the three-point in seat belts. No, despite setting the trend way back when, it's not nearly as safe as anything made in the present day. I'm mindful of that, I do what I can, and I pray for God's good graces. Now if I could only figure out a way to toggle off the passenger side airbag on the Boxster, then I could show them a completely different side of motoring...
I have twin 3 year old boys. First time I strapped them in (second row, with car seats) to my 60's suburban my wife wasn't scared about their safety. She thought they'd be bored! No DVD player in the ceiling like her car. It was bloody hot too. No ac, they'll be miserable she said. Wrong. They loved it. Listening to the glass packs cackle. Looking out the window. Exploring the many, widely dispersed ashtrays. Wind in their hair. Their comments were - Daddy, where did you get this old farmers truck? And - Daddy likes his old cars. Not bored for a moment and pretty safe I think. Those damn car seats look like a NASA launch pod..
I have chime in here..... Those infant car seats are like a NASA pod. My family and I had a horrific crash with my youngest strapped in a"pod" he was the only one to come out of it unscathed. I understand it wasn't an old car with crush zones built in. It was worse than what most people will away from. Not going to say they are invincible in their child seats, but they are safer than us adults using just a lap belt. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
Great write-up Ryan. I think it's sad that so many people have become so self-righteous about others these days. The funny thing is, those same Volvo drivers that think you are being unsafe with your kids in an old car, are statistically more apt to be in an accident, than anyone else on the road. That's right, a study done a few years ago, found that the driver's of these "safe" vehicles, found the driver's to be far more complacent about actually driving safely and more apt to be in an accident in the first place. No vehicle is safe, if the driver is so distracted with their cell phone, texting or any other non-driving activity, because they think they will be okay in an accident, because they have that "safe" air bag cocoon around them. We already have sensors in the Volvo trucks to apply the brakes if the vehicle in front of them suddenly slows down or is too close, plus now they are developing a system that will have cars "automatically" follow the "Professional Truck Driver's truck", so the car driver won't even have to pay any attention to the driving.
Good topic.... Growing up in Alaska in the mid 80's, our family car was usually an oldie....one being a '57 Belair 4dr hardtop....my lil brother "fell" out a passenger door one time in Anchorage when my mom turned onto the freeway.....no seat belts in them ol things... These days I put a seatbelt in any old car for my kids.....momma would beat my ass if I took 'em for rides without 'em... And my 6 yo son LOVES to go out and "tear it up" in one of our old cars....haha.
My son was around 18 months old when I first got my '48 Dodge truck roadworthy, and he's been in it (riding shotgun) nearly every day since. He loves it to the point where there is tantrums if we have to take a different car "No mummy's Nissan, wanna go daddy's truckie"... I'm at a loose end now, we are about to have our second child so the old 3-seater bench seat won't fit take us all any longer. Time to search for a new project, I think...
I finally got the belts in the truck (Christmas present from my 3YO grandson) and because of that it might be the best thing I've done to it. He loves being where he can see instead of low in the back of some new car or SUV. I encourage anyone that has a little one to take out for a ride to do the same thing. It's great fun for them and you. He wanted to put them in as soon as I opened them Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Some good points brought up here and some not so good. I am planning to put the latch system in my 39 merc. I have yet to put belts in my other cars, but it is on my list of stuff to do before the little ones ride with me. Not having a way to secure a kid seat has kept me from driving my old cars to car shows the past couple years since I cant bring the kids with. So I usually end up driving a late model instead. I figure it is better to bring the kids and get them involved with the hobby then just me going with my car. On a side note this was good timing for this write up since my son, Lincoln was born last night.
Congrats on the new lil one! How's momma doin? Also, cool name. It seems like a lot of folks on here have good names for their kids, my boy's name is Admiral.
They are both doing great! Thanks for asking. Yeah I got to name this guy, if you can't tell. I will not see them until next week since I'm over seas though. Guess he couldn't wait another week for me to get home. Admiral! makes me feel like I would have to salute the little guy, cool name!
You go girl, you hit this nail right on the head. Being safe is paying attention not babbling into your bluthing or sending you BFF the latest office BS. Driving is a privilege and should be considered so, having kids in a top off the line child cocoon with sixteen air bags encompassed by 3 tons of steel & plastic powered by a 900 HP V6 supercharged wankle with GPS satellite missile tracking gizmo SUV don't make it safer than an old car. Too many times I've had SUV's and mini vans full of kids blast past me then cut off a line of traffic to zip on to the off ramp all while reading a Txt mssg or something. Those kids wont be any safer in that mini van than riding in my 49 Chevy with lap belts because of the driver not so much the car.
I came across this thread,and reminded me of car accident our family was in 1974 , we were t boned in the drivers side by a 1969 chevelle doing 60-65 mph,we were in 1973 impala 4 door (big car) the driver of chevelle ran a stop sign while being pissed drunk ,he said the light was green (there was not even a stop light )majors injury to all 4 of us , there was not straight panel on our impala, sure wish we would have had air bags then, so 2 years ago a friend of my buys a real nice 55 chevy pickup and wants me to change the trans to 5 speed from auto ,so I help him , I take the truck for a maiden voyage, I sit in the cab and I look around ,and all I can see is pig iron and glass and say ,no wonder when you got wrecked in these old vechicles you usually didn't survive.don't get me wrong ,I sure am a old car gearhead, but I know that they sure are not as safe as any newer car,thanks
Glad to hear it! New babies are tons of fun. My son was named after his great great grandfather on my ex-husband's side. He digs his name, and will even salute back haha.
I learned how to drive in NYC in a '63 Dodge Dart, you HAVE to pay attention there while driving or you're liable to get smooshed by the other cars. People are in a hurry up there, and there's no time for craziness. I live in Tulsa now, where congestion isn't as much of an issue, but it seems that the awareness of other drivers is wayyyyy lower.
Great read Ryan. I think anyone with kids or grandkids on the HAMB can relate, I know I do having two kids myself (7 and 8). Being a firefighter/engine driver I see accidents all the time and have had countless classes on vehichle extrication and see the engineering that goes into new cars that make them extremly safe. They are designed to absorb a great deal of the kinetic energy that is created when an impact occurs. That being said, having the latest, greatest, safest car it is no substitute for good safe driving practices. I use all the defensive driving techniques I've learned in other countless classes at the fire department driving the kiddos around in my 63 pontiac as I do driving a 21 ton fire apparatus in emergency mode.
OF course the problem with that is how EXPENSIVE and WASTEFUL all these new super-safety measures are. I was just involved in a LOW-SPEED collision which wrote off my 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan! I had just turned a corner, so was going a little under 30mph, lost control on the ice (minus 40 here yesterday!) and slid into a truck coming the other way. No injuries of course, the airbag didn't go off and the van is still driveable, but the collision pushed the ENTIRE front-end of my vehcile over and pushed in the entire door and part of the cab on his truck! What used to be the front "frame rails" are now "crumple zones" and man - did they crumple! Not only did they absorb the impact, they absorbed BOTH our vehicles - one that I was planning on keeping for another 5 years, was pristine and very useful. An older, solid-framed, solid bumper car would have a bend bumper at the most. Sometimes progress can be helpful, but more often than not, it's a pain in the ass - and the pocket book.
Im installing 3 points and center lap belt in the 56 F100. I want my gkids to know and enjoy riding around with me.
Yeah, just keep in mind that "no injuries of course" part and maybe you'll be thankful your car took the hit and not you or the other guy. Medical rehab can easily be far more expensive and regretful than even writing off a whole car, easily. Some of you guys think because new cars get damaged easily that is a flaw. It is not a flaw, they are designed to do that to keep people safe. And it costs the makers more money to do that, not less, so they aren't doing it to save cost. They do it to try to help save your ass when the time comes. It is called engineering. If thick metal was all it took to keep us safe, we'd all be riding around in tanks and semis. What do you think it is like when 2 semis head-on each other? I'm personally not sure, and don't want to find out. There is always going to be something bigger and stronger than what you've got that could bend up your ride like an alum. can. It is a bit better if it was designed to do that vs. no real thought put into it whatsoever which is the way it was up until the mid to late 60's. Still, I love driving my old truck. But I do it respectfully and with defense in mind as others have noted. But, i'm not going to pretend it is somehow better than my newer OT car with airbags, etc. That is just stupid to even think that. Yes, and I rode in the backs of pickups when I was kid going down the highway at 70mph too many times to recall and I'm still here and all that kind of stuff. My father was even drinking and driving about at least half the time. For the people who lost out on the gamble though, they are unfortunately not around to tell us about how they feel about it. Just because we survived doesn't mean it is a wise thing to do. Still, when I get my truck in better shape and the kids get a little older, we'll be doing some drives. But, we'll be doing it as safely and as respectfully as possible knowing the limitations and accepting the risks of the situation, just like with any car.
I think hot rodders are better equipped to make these kinds of decisions than your average driver. We understand structural elements, support, vehicle driving, handling, and a whole bunch of other things your soccer mom van driver just doesn't think about. When we had our first kid my wife said we should take our car seat (in her DD) to the fire station to have it properly installed. I reminded her that nobody cares about our kids more than we do, and as a guy with a "mechanical" mind along with extensive safety training and engineering experience I am FAR better suited for this job than the 20 year old down at the fire house. That approach is for people who simply don't think about the "built" environment. Well we know our cars better than just about anybody! Here is an example where logic overrules law. My son should legally still be in a booster seat, but he's right on the edge at 7, almost 8 and about 65 lbs. When you put him in a booster in my old truck, his head is in the middle of the rear and side windows and right in the top of the dash pad. These are all danger zones, plus the booster slides around and is not "tight" as it should be with the seatbelt. I studied this at length one day, and chose for him to ride with no booster. His head is now at the right elevation and he's secure in the seat bottom. I could get pulled over and hastled, but the bottom line is he's safer this way and I'll argue that as a father all the way to court if I have to.
Leevon, that's all well and good, but the fact is your son would still be even safer in a modern car of reasonable equivalency for size, etc., with or without the booster seat. That is not really even close to being debatable with actual facts. Installing a car seat properly isn't all that hard and doesn't require a 'builder' or even a fireman to figure it out. Anyone with normal common sense can do it, especially with the clips. Yes, there are some people who can't even manage to open up a milk carton without help. But, saying the fireman who actually have training for it and do it as a service all the time can't handle it is not a very persuasive argument. BTW, the booster seat size requirement is so the shoulder strap isn't too high up and doesn't cut into his neck, not about sliding side to side. if he is tall enough to prevent that, then yo are good. If not, maybe not so good. If not shoulder strap then I guess not an issue, but then that isn't that great either. It is good your truck sounds like it actually has a dash 'pad'. Mine is just hard metal with a sharp edge = not good for noggin bumps.
As the father of two girls (8 & 4) I believe this may be my favorite post ever on the HAMB. I couldn't agree with you more!
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