Doors off with kids

[Pn221]

It's not safe .But your call. I won't do it with my kids .

Wow you are extremely brave to do that

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[DanW]

It does not do well in side impact crashes, I like the video of the drivers head going through the window.

In a lab, hit by a battering ram, rated by people who don't want you in a bigger vehicle for fear you'll hurt the planet. The insurance data says it does well overall. Would you choose a vehicle that does much worse for medical claims, but gets 5 stars in a side impact? The real world data says the JK is safer than most vehicles on the road. It's insurance cost is low. If it were a rolling death trap, that wouldn't be the case. Btw, the JL came in low with USAA, too, so they seem to be anticipating the same performance. Heck, the JL is just an evolved JK. It isn't as different as many think. It's more tweaked than anything else. Time will tell, though.

Funny story, btw...My neighbor was crowing about the safety rating of a new mini van he just bought. Neither he nor his family wear seatbelts. Amazing.

 

[PavementWarrior]

In a lab, hit by a battering ram, rated by people who don't want you in a bigger vehicle for fear you'll hurt the planet. The insurance data says it does well overall. Would you choose a vehicle that does much worse for medical claims, but gets 5 stars in a side impact? The real world data says the JK is safer than most vehicles on the road. It's insurance cost is low. If it were a rolling death trap, that wouldn't be the case. Btw, the JL came in low with USAA, too, so they seem to be anticipating the same performance. Heck, the JL is just an evolved JK. It isn't as different as many think. It's more tweaked than anything else. Time will tell, though.

Funny story, btw...My neighbor was crowing about the safety rating of a new mini van he just bought. Neither he nor his family wear seatbelts. Amazing.

I am engineer and am looking at the video, the issue is its a narrow vehicle and you can see the heads hitting the side (where depends on front or read). This *will* happen to you in a side hit as well, the new JL added a drivers side airbag, but I believe there is still not rear one.

This accident is not as common as front/read hits so ya bean counters not be impacted as high.


With the doors off or tube doors, the drivers side air bag has nothing to work against, so I would assume its lost its value. Obviously tube door is better than nothing to prevent intrusion into cab, but in both cases you could both get whipped into side/other vehicle and/or get hit directly esp if an arm was outside.

I do agree about your neighbor, not seat belts is dumb.

Obviously driving smart is your best D, and doing simple things like adding LED lights and with no data I would like to think a high quality rock rail to frame might help (again no info to back it up, but the side impact has one more barrier to get past). Also the Jeep is relatively heavy and has solid axles (I had my Jeeps front axles broken in a front small offset accident.. saved my life though).

 

[DanW]

Guys, if it is too much risk for you, don't drive a Jeep. The insurance claims speak for themselves. Most 5 star vehicles do worse in real world data that includes all types of accidents. I'm 6'5, so I'll do well in few if any vehicles in a side impact.

I'll quote Ian Malcom, the chaos theorist from Jurassic Park: "God help us. We're in the hands of engineers!"

 

[ResponsibleAdult]

Not to be a downer, but I just lost my 23 year old daughter in a horrible car accident. Nothing probably would of saved her, but keep thinking if we would of gave her our durango we traded in. That maybe she would of survived. My kids didn't wear helmets when riding bikes either, so I'm not the over protective one. If something would happen and your doors were off, the guilt will kill you.

(((((Biggest hugs))))))

 

[Movingday]

I think the safest and most logical suggestion was front doors off and leave the back doors on for the kiddos. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[drogers]

It took about 10 seconds to Google it, so I went ahead and did it. Here ya go...

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/insurance-loss-information

Look specifically at injury payment and medical payment. I really don't give a shit about property damage, as long as I walk away.

I think the safest and most logical suggestion was front doors off and leave the back doors on for the kiddos. Thanks for all the advice!

I did that for a while, switched to half doors eventually, which is 100% my plan for the JT if/when. Kids didn’t ride in the jeep too often, but they loved it when they did.

 

[SuperSanta503]

Front doors off, rear doors on with the kids is my plan. All it would take is one over-zealous Child Protective Service employee to stir things up. It would probably go nowhere but I don't even want to be put in that position.

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.” -Voltaire

 

[Jammer]

I think it depends on the age of the kids I saw somebody with a one or two year old in a car seat sitting on the Edge by the door where it would be and the doors were off they know how to unbuckle themselves so easy it would be so dangerous. My daughter was when she was younger she could unbuckle the things so easy without doors they could fly out

 

[Cody6597]

I take mine off when we are just tooling around our town or if we are taking a stroll out to the Texas Hill Country of the Lake. I also only have one child and she rides in the middle. We love the doors off!

 

[thehaf]

Personal decision. I've been riding my kids on my motorcycle for years. At least in the Jeep they have a seat belt.

 

[SuperSanta503]

Personal decision. I've been riding my kids on my motorcycle for years. At least in the Jeep they have a seat belt.

Envious and terrified all at the same time. No judgement here.

 

[WXman]

When I had my JKU my son was 5. I would never take the rear doors off because I felt like it was irresponsible. You never know when a 5 year old is going to do something not realizing the consequences. I just didn't feel safe.

Now, my son is 10 and he's a very cautious kid by nature. So the doors are all gone as soon as the weather hits 75°

 

[Yellow109r]

Not to be a downer, but I just lost my 23 year old daughter in a horrible car accident. Nothing probably would of saved her, but keep thinking if we would of gave her our durango we traded in. That maybe she would of survived. My kids didn't wear helmets when riding bikes either, so I'm not the over protective one. If something would happen and your doors were off, the guilt will kill you.

I agree you would sit there blaming yourself and even if it made no difference if the doors were on or not, i would blame myself for not having my doors on... With the cell phones and electronic gadgets of today its not like it was back when we did ride in the truck beds. I have seen drivers watching movies on a ipad that was attached to the steering wheel. The younger generation seem's not to be able to take the social media connection out of therre hands no matter what. Even though im teaching my kidos differently there are 1,000 of kids that arent being taught these things.

You cant stop bad things from happening but you can take every step to ensure the safest outcome of any given situaiton. But maybe thats the military mindset in me. Prepare for the WORST but hope for the BEST


I have a 8 year old and a 7 month old so until my youngest is older the rear will have to stay on when she is in the Jeep, But mostly she rides in the wifes van

 

[EsTxDr]

You cant stop bad things from happening but you can take every step to ensure the safest outcome of any given situaiton. But maybe thats the military mindset in me. Prepare for the WORST but hope for the BEST

Agreed. I'm not what I would consider a helicopter parent by any means but agree with the quote above completely.

As an emergency physician I have seen the devastation caused by seemingly small decisions. I've seen lifelong handicaps in children due to "freakish odds" and small decisions. I've had to tell parents their child is dead and watch their lives fall apart in moments. I go home and I still loose sleep over children I have been unable to save who were involved in auto accidents even with full safety gear in place. The normal guilt you feel over an injury to your child is crushing, adding anything to that is unacceptable for me.

I certainly dont think its irresponsible to ride with the doors off with children, but for me its a risk not worth taking. My 5 year old can unlatch his car-seat in record times, followed closely by my 3 year old. Sure they know not to which works great until it doesn't.

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