Is it safe for children? Options

[blonde914]

Big discussion this morning over talk radio and putting your kids in the front seat of the car. Even with car seats and seat belts it is the air bag that is the big issue right, besides the weight and height restrictions for seatbelts? Do you take your children in your 914's, and do you think it is safe. Everyone gave me a hard time because I take my youngest in the 914 with me. We use her booster seat and the new seat belts. In our other cars she is always in the back seat because of air bags ect... I don't drive the same when she or any one else is in the 914 with me, I am slow and law abiding. Do you take your kids out in the cars and do you think they are safe. Are there any statistics for these cars and saftey? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving-girl.gif)

[Dave_Darling]

Newer cars are generally safer. That's because much more attention has been paid to crash safety during the design of the car. Much of the extra weight that is in modern cars is due to all of the safety equipment. (The rest is the "convenience and comfort" equipment, in general, if it isn't from the larger drivetrain required to move around that other weight.)

The 914 has very large crumple zones front and rear; much larger than just about any other contemporary sports car. Those don't help if the SUV's rear bumper doesn't touch your front hood until just in front of the windshield, though. There is also very little side impact protection. Even the later cars (mid-73 on) with door beams don't offer that much protection compared to a modern car, or a car with a decent cage.

You may be able to cut the beams out of the 75 doors and install them into the early doors, but it'll be a pain welding them in, in particular. Access is quite tight in there, even with the window rolled up. If you're going to paint the car soon, you might consider just swapping the doors over. You'll have to fiddle with the roof seals (swap to the later ones) but that's not too awful.

But again, I'm not sure how much good it will do you. Most of the truck/SUV bumpers I see are above the level where I think the door beams are anyway.

--DD