Safe age for Kids to ride in Cobras?

[Bannon]

Hey folks,

Except for the obvious answer. "Never!" I am wondering at what age is "legal" for a child to ride in a Cobra. Normally kids have to sit in the back seat until they are something like 12. But if you have no back seat. I.e. a pickup truck or a 2 seat car, can they ride earlier than 12? I.e. if they have a booster seat that would normally fit them correctly in the belts are they legal to ride? Have seen some kids on joy rides at the track before which sparks my question.

And save the flame posts. I would never do anything that was not safe with my kids. Just wondering if anyone knew the answer?

Thanks,

JB

[patrickt]

I chose seven, and the four point belts seem to fit ok then.

[fordracing65]

Its not even safe for adults.

[jhv48]

As long as you can properly anchor the child seat, any age is appropriate.

[TimeForACobra]

To save a bunch of copy and paste...
For Maryland, check out: Maryland Kids In Safety Seats
For a quick overview of all the states, check out: Safety belt use laws

Here in Maryland, for my 6 year old, I can use a booster (which is not required to be strapped to the car) and the existing 4 point harness.

Hope this helps.

[FWB]

my daughter has been riding with me since she was 7, at first i tried to use a booster seat, but it placed her forehead right at the top of the windshield.
too high....., the shoulder harness could not be adjusted tight enough for my liking without the booster.
i bought a seat pad, very thick, one piece, covering the seat back and cushion. this enabled the adult racing belts to be snugged up to keep her safe.
she will be 12 this year and can work the belts better than me. i think i may have some issues when she turns 16......she's already pissed she can't be in the car on the drag strip....

she hangs her head over the door and tells me to hit the gas when we go for a ride.........likes loud pipes

a real gashole in the making

[Jamo]

I've taken my grandson for rides since he was 3...with the baby seat facing backwards...now he's 5 with his own Recaro seat facing forward. Short, fairly slow drives. Loves the wind, sun and noise...falls asleep on occasion. Forget the labeling (although the Recaro baby seat is very cool looking with red stitiching, etc. It's a modern design with good anchor points...I like it cuz it's a bit taller than most so his head is below the frame.

He wants a full shield helmet so he can be like the Stig.

He's already a Gashole...has the sticker on his electric Gator's windshield to prove it.

[cobrakidz]

For a car with no top I say after booster seat age, I just didn't feel right about any earlier. I started my son in the GT350 at around age 2.

[JBo]

I'd say it depends on the IQ and mental age of the driver.

[SunDude]

In addition to seat belts and booster seats, remember to give the kiddies some hearing protection.

[patrickt]

And then the question becomes "at what age do you let them drive your Cobra?"

[Murky781]

Patrickt.... I think that photo pretty much represents how we all feel when we drive our cars!!

[PSB]

I've had my kids riding in my Cobra since they were 3. Carseat is a little bit of a pain to put in with the racing harness, but I can get it just as tight as the seatbelt in my daily driver. Only problem I have is I have two kids, and I can't take them both at the same time, so they're always fighting over who gets to ride in the Cobra

As loud as the car is, you'd think it'd be hard to sleep, but it always seems to knock my 4-year-old out:



Pete

[Varmit]

The last two pics are classics........love them!!!!!

Mine are grown, but are always asking "Dad when are you going to let me drive the Cobra"

[DonC]

Here's a photo of a kids car seat that was with Cruise Colorado last year. The child was about 5 and had is own hearing and eye protection, a floppy brimmed had and a bunch of sun screen. Made the whole 6 day trip without a problem.
DonC

[Bannon]

Thanks for the advice folks. Love the posts. Glad I am not the only "crazy" one for wanting to take my kids for a ride. Older one is 5 and with booster may pass my safety test. Going to have a hard time explaining to the 2&3/4 year old why he won't be able to ride yet. Ear protection is a given. They both already have earphones from Daddy taking them to the Monster Truck show... No, eh... It was not my idea... they begged me to take them. And that's all I have to say about that.... ;-)

[JoeT]

she's 8 in this picture....This will be the 4th year with the car, so my youngest was 5 oldest 6 when they started riding with me.



any ride over 25 miles seems to end with a nap on the ride home. Sunscreen and earplugs are musts though

[Bannon]

Joe. Great shot! Any road trip over 25 miles in the family van results in all members of my family other than me snoozing away.

[twin turbo]

My question is should you have passenger roll bar protection with kids?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by twin turbo

My question is should you have passenger roll bar protection with kids?

Only tall ones.