Children in car seats are safest sitting in the rear center seat of a vehicle and should remain in the back seat until they are 13. But that's impossible if you drive a two-seater coupe without rear seats.
The type of car you drive, the safety features that come with it and the age of the child are a key factor in deciding whether you can ride safely with them in the front. Always stay up to date with your state's laws and the owner's manual in your car so you will know how to properly install a car seat, if appropriate, in the front passenger seat.
What are the laws for riding in the front passenger seat?
According to Michigan Compiled Laws, it’s appropriate to put a child in a front-passenger seat if there is no rear seat in the vehicle.
It would be ideal to just put them in the rear seat of a two-
or three-row vehicle, but there are still situations where it's safe to place them in the front seat, with a catch.
The 2020 Corvette Owner’s manual states that children in rear-facing car seats should not sit in a two-seater car as the passenger airbag can cause severe injuries to the child.
How do you install a car seat in the front passenger seat?
Before putting a car seat into a two-seat coupe, check to make sure it's recommended to have such a seat in your two-door. Check your owner's manual first. If it's allowed, you should be able to find information on the proper way to fit a car seat into your vehicle.
You can install the seat using LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) or connect the base through the seat belt.
It’s not ideal to put a child in a rear-facing car seat in the front seat due to the passenger airbag. It's safer to put them in a front-facing seat with the airbag turned off.
With their seat fitted properly and safely, you can take your child anywhere in any car.
Keenan Thompson is a car culture reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Keenan at kthompson@freepress.com. Follow him on Instagram at @keenanautos. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Can a child ride in the passenger seat of a 2-seater car?
