I’m pretty sure this is going to be a contentious Autopian Asks, but I think it’s still an interesting question. We, as automotive enthusiasts, love whatever specific kinds of cars the Car God has decided to afflict upon us, and those cars aren’t always the safest cars. Whether it be by age or design traits or build quality or whatever, we often find ourselves hopelessly smitten by vehicles that we’d really, really prefer not to be in a wreck in. And many of us have kids, kids we wish to take places and share the joy of our car obsessions with. When the cars we have and love aren’t really all that safe, how do we reconcile that? Or do we?
Let’s be honest here, when it comes to safety, most of the really interesting and collectible cars are, by modern standards, unsafe. Hell, pretty much anything from before the 1990s is an absolute deathtrap by modern standards. But that wasn’t that big a deal, since parents didn’t start to actually love their kids until, what, the late 1980s or so?
Ubiquitous airbags and anti-lock brakes and lane departure warnings and advanced crumple zones and all of that sort of thing are all relatively new. Would you take your kid in a car that lacked such features?
I would. I mean, I did. And, still do. I’m not saying this is a decision anyone should emulate (and I recognize economic factors that might make this less of a choice and more of a necessity), but that’s just what I seem to have done. Before my son Otto was born, my cars were a 1973 Reliant Scimitar GTE, a 1973 Volkswagen Beetle, and our “modern” car, a 1982 VW Rabbit Convertible. When we knew Otto was coming in 2010, we decided to sell the Rabbit and get a “modern” car, a 2000 VW Passat Wagon, the V6 AWD one.
That car had airbags and was decades newer than anything we had; it seemed a relatively responsible thing for a new parent to do. And then, the same week when the boy came into the world, the fuel pump failed.
So, Otto’s first automotive trips were strapped into a safe, approved child seat belted into an unsafe, unapproved little archaic car with a design that was basically from 1938: my Beetle.
We eventually got the Passat fixed and used that as well, but I also frequently drove Otto around in the Beetle, and he loved it.
It was noisy and bouncy and looked like a giant toy, all pluses when you’re a toddler. We drove all over in that Beetle, though I would avoid taking him on long highway trips in it, for whatever that was worth.
Other parents would give me the stench-eye sometimes when they saw me pulling him out of that little yellow car, as they unloaded their children from Audi and Volvo SUVs. More than once in the pre-school pickup line I got some condescendingly “concerned” questions, and at least once got a very self-righteous lecture that suggested that maybe I was unqualified to have children at all.
Then again, plenty of other fellow parents were delighted to see a bright yellow old Beetle around, and the kids all loved it. I’d let them climb in and on it, honk the horn and enjoy that funny, distinctive Beetle smell. I feel like I got more positive responses than negative, though I’m sure things would be very different if, heaven and hell forbid, I actually was in a serious crash with him in the car.
Even though I drove my kid in an objectively unsafe car for years, and still do, I’m conflicted: Am I being a terrible parent? Am I being selfish? Is the fun we have together in the car and the way the car brought us together, and gave my son an appreciation for cars, is that worth the danger I was putting him in, potentially?
I don’t know. I know what the technical “correct” answer is – keep your kid as safe as possible, however possible – but if that’s your only rule in life, you and your kid will miss out on a lot, and you’d probably never let your kid walk on a sidewalk or ride a bike on a public street or climb trees or eat candy or pills they find on the street, and who wants that?
I’m kidding about the found candy or pills. Those are for adults.
I’m really curious to hear all of your opinions, by the way – do you take your kids in your beloved, unsafe cars? With restrictions, and, if so, what are they? Am I actually a terrible parent, or just a partially terrible parent? There’s a lot to discuss here.
When I got my 65′ Mustang back on the road I often drove my kids in it. After owning it for 16 years I did install seatbelts in the back where there were previously none. I also installed an 8ga metal plate over the drop in fuel tank and installed a metal bulkhead between the trunk and cabin.
Grandpa’s 1930 Model A Ford is still in the family. I rode in the rumble seat many a mile with Grandpa when I was a kid and I learned to drive in it. I did a complete frame off restoration on it back in the 80s and then drove my kids around in it. My kids learned to drive in it and drove their kids around in it and now one of them has learned to drive it!! This is a car with mechanical brakes, no turn signals and only one small tail light. We all take chances in life, we can’t wrap our kids in bubble wrap and expect them to survive in this world
That’s a tough one. I mean any car without a way to properly install a carseat for the little kids or lacking 3 point belts in back is right out. But what I’d accept? Tough.
I grew up on Soviet Kazakhstan and my father was in construction.
I remember how the GAZ-53 truck will come pick me up from school everyday.
sometimes if there is someone already in the cab I would ride in the bed and there would be empty (I hope there were) air tanks rolling around and it was fun to keep my feet on them to keep them from rolling as we were driving. holy shit…great memories
I remember my dad picking us up from school in his grain hauling truck as he had just dropped a load of corn off at the mill. Must have looked a bit funny to see 4 kids scrambling into the back of the truck and then it driving off.
My FiST is about as unsafe as my current cars get. But I’ve given them rides around the block on my Honda Monkey and will put them on the back of my motorcycle for short rides when they are large enough. I took my nephew for a short ride when he was like 12 or 14. . .
If you never live, then you just die.
There is no car I would consider to dangerous, just by age etc. I might start to worry about that if I have to issue warnings like “don’t fall through the floor hole”.
1930 Model A business coupe. No seatbelts. 25 Years ago, was driving back from Pep Boys on yet another run for parts to fix my worst automotive purchase ever – 1991 Explorer that I custom ordered no less – when my oldest, age 8, was fiddling with the door handle. The door opened while we were doing 35 mph. Without looking and seemingly beyond my cognitive control, my right hand swung down and clamped his left thigh. He closed the door immediately and we looked at each other, both wide eyed. We vowed never to tell his mother.
I’m a helicopter parent. The kind that encourages their kids to learn to fly a helicopter.
Took my 14 yo son on a 1500 mile road trip from MA to OH with the 86 Vanagon a few summers back. Some misfires and stalls along the way but we made it and had a great trip. Other than that the Vanagon trips with the family have all been to fairly local campgrounds.
Had the kids 3 across in the single cab 92 F250 a few times, twins sharing the center lap belt. Always short trips for things line boating.
Other than that, they’re always in something that at least has a few air bags