Reply With QuoteDo you mean a 2 door ute? I don't know if it would be legal as it would be classified as a front seat? I probably wouldn't personally.
Obviously a 4 door ute would be fine, coz it'd be like any other car.
BellyBelly Member
car seat in ute
is it safe/ possible to put a baby car seat in a ute? we only have my car and my partners work ute but since i am going back to work, i will finish after my partner and i dont want DD to be stuck at day care if her daddy will be home to get her.
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
Do you mean a 2 door ute? I don't know if it would be legal as it would be classified as a front seat? I probably wouldn't personally.
Obviously a 4 door ute would be fine, coz it'd be like any other car.
BellyBelly Member
yeah i mean a 2 door ute with just the tray at the back.
Registered User
Can a restraint go in the front seat of van or utility?
- It is legal to fit a child restraint in the front of a utility or van provided there is a seat belt and a child restraint anchorage point available.
- Restraint fitting stations can install a variety of devices that can ensure the safe operation of restraints in these sorts of vehicles.
- If there is a passenger airbag in the seating position occupied by a child using a car seat, it is recommended that the seat be moved as far back as possible while still allowing correct seat belt fit.
- If there is a passenger airbag in the seating position occupied by the child, you must not use a rearward facing infant restraint.
this is from vic roads web page!! i hope this help!
Sorry Hollo, just a quick question... where does the harness connect to? We have an Ftruck and there is nowhere behind the seats for the harness to go!
Hollo, a 2 door ute would not have the correct (legal) mounting points for a baby seat. I have seen the odd ute here and there modified to carry a baby seat between the two main seats, but unless you have the modification certified by an automotive engineer I believe it would be illegal.
On the topic of airbags, they can cause horrific injuries to infants and even smaller children, so you'd need to keep that in mind.
Registered User
You may need to put in a bolt behind the seat. We recently had to do this in a work ute, its a duel cab but didn't have anywhere for the seat to attach. We also had to do this in our Holden Rodeo. A few of my friends have an Ftruck & have their carseats in there, I presume they would have done the same.
If you have the seat attached correctly etc then I cant see why not. No everyone has a car, so effectivly you have to be able to transport a child around in a ute if need be so I cant see the law as saying "no", but that's just my opinion. How many days a week? If it's not all the time, you are happy with it & seat is attached properly then I say "why not".
Registered User
We checked into it when we first had Scarlet & it is legal in all states as far as i know but i still wouldn't put her in it because it just felt unsafe to me, But that's just my opinion!
The information we got said it was illegal if the vehicles had airbags at all, But i'm in Qld.If there is a passenger airbag in the seating position occupied by a child using a car seat, it is recommended that the seat be moved as far back as possible while still allowing correct seat belt fit.
If there is a passenger airbag in the seating position occupied by the child, you must not use a rearward facing infant restraint.
BellyBelly Member
it would be 2 days a week. i might ring racq and see if they have any suggestions. thanks.
Registered User
Hi,
My husband has a work ute with all the attachments for a baby seat (facing forward of course not a lying down one) and I rang RACQ and Insurance company and they both said it was legal as long as it was all attached correctly. My DS travels in the front with my husband to and from daycare and he thinks it's fantastic being in the front with dad but we certainly only do it when we have to.
Registered User
If it's only 2days a week, you can attach the seat properly & it's not illegal then if you are comfortable with it do so.
My understanding is it is illegal to place a child of that age in a front seat where airbags are present, but I am not positive. In any event this particular ute may have no airbags so there may be no problem on that front.
As for retro-fitting harness points for a baby seat to the vehicle in the existing front seat, I believe this would contravene ADR (Australian Design Rules which apply to all registerable vehicles in Aust). As I said, if the modification is done professionally, it can be load tested and engineer approved, but that isn't necessarily a cheap or easy option. People modify their cars all the time despite ADR, but when it comes to a modification as important as this, you'd want to be pretty confident in its integrity.
Registered User
I had a 1996 VS ute which had no passenger side airbag and was fitted with a baby seat anchor point as standard. Perfectly legal and safe!
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
Hi Hollo
Basically what everyone else has said. You can get anchor points fitted professionally and they are prefectly legal (your motor registry should be able to provide you with a list of places that can do this and it cost a friend of mine about $120 last year) and if there is an airbag you can get it disarmed which means it won't go off in an accident.
HTH
Registered User
We installed a CRAB BAR in our twin cab ute which was expensivve - but completely legal. It was bout $300 and it was a bar that was actually attached above the rear seat, and went across the rear window.
It has an anchor point on it.
If anyoen is interested - we actually took it out of the ute when we sold it, but it seems that noone on ebay or anywhere like that actually sells them!
Its actually riveted into place, so its as good as a normal anchor point. Contact your local seatbelt fitting mechanics and ask them if they can get a crab bar that suits your rear window.
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