pretty certain that it is not possible without MB child seat (which does it automatically). last time i checked, there were no MB child seats available for a child as old as that.
safest place for her is in the second row.
I think you may be correct, Bruce. I may have to try to devise a means to "overide" the system.
And I agree about the safest place location.....just try to explain that to a 4.5 year old when it's just the 2 of you in the car! [:D] That was fine at 4...but now she's "a big girl!".
The automatic disablement of the airbag is done by proximity of a chip that is present on the babysmart (tm) seats made by Britax and sold through MB. If you can put your hands on such a baby seat, you can steal the chip and chip your booster seat <b><u>BUT it would still be a very bad idea!</u></b>
1) As it would be untested, would you engage your responsibility as a parent not knowing if in case of an accident the air bag would or would not deploy.
2) Don't know where you live, but your state may have legislation in place that stipulates that kids cannot ride up front until 13 years of age.
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And I agree about the safest place location.....just try to explain that to a 4.5 year old when it's just the 2 of you in the car!
Parenting is not about saying yes to her every request, it is your duty to say <b>no</b> in this case! If you know the safest place is the rear, why even consider indulging her unreasonnable request? Seems you had the tools to make the right decision all along!
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Is it not the case that the air bag is dangerous if the child is sitting in one of those rear facing child seats? Or also in a child seat which sits the child further forward than an adult would sit.
Maybe it is safe if she sits normally on the seat (or on a booster seat) restrained with the seat belt.
As far as I'm aware, the problem is that an airbag is generally rated to "secure" an adult in place. Even then most adults sustain some injuries relating to the air bag (of course far less than without). It would do serious harm to a child and therefore they recommennd that it be turned off. The booster seat (that I have) both raises and moves my daughter forward....although I did move the seat all the way aft when she sat there.
Maybe someone more familiar with air bag design can shed some light on the subject. At what age/weight/height is it reasonable for a child to sit in a passenger seat with an air bag enabled? Does it relate to the child's size when they no longer need a booster seat?
Check you state's position on when a child can sit in the front.
For reference, (statistically) female drivers under 5'5" are at high risk of injury and sometimes death, caused by the airbag. THe reason is that frailed individuals will slip from under the belt as the airbag deploy.
As far as average weight/height adults sustaining injuries from the airbag, they are relatively minor. The pyrotechnics and speed of deployment will leave them with abrasions of the skin (face, hands, arms when in short sleeves) and depending on the position of your hands on the steering when they deploy, the bag can propulse your arm and writs against the A pillar causing diverse fractures.
They save lives, but would pose a very serious risk to your 4.5 y.o. I know you love her to death, and the best way to keep loving her so much is to keep her in the back. She can understand that.
The automatic disablement of the airbag is done by proximity of a chip that is present on the babysmart (tm) seats made by Britax and sold through MB. If you can put your hands on such a baby seat, you can steal the chip and chip your booster seat <b><u>BUT it would still be a very bad idea!</u></b>
1) As it would be untested, would you engage your responsibility as a parent not knowing if in case of an accident the air bag would or would not deploy.
The car actually monitors the health of the SRS very thoroughly. There is an indicator in the instrument panel to show that the babysmart system is activated, and if there are any problems with the SRS system, the SRS light will come on, warning you about the system.
And it's not actually a "chip", but two separate transponder modules, each about 4" by 2" IIRC. Their position relative to the seat is fairly critical, which is why I don't recommend this, unless you are aware on how to ensure everything is operational. When I retrofitted the modules to a convertible seat,I bought a Britax (non MB branded), and it actually had the mount points for the modules in the seat base, so it was a simple matter of mounting them in the new seat, using existing hardware. I posted some pics on the SLK forum, probably more than a year ago.
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