[Christiansok]

I agree with some of the people here that defensive driving on your part can only do so much. Some of the drivers on the road are just, well....unpredictable, and its a shame.

I will have to disagree with most everyone else sharing their stories of growing up with these vehicles, riding around without seat belts and turning out just fine. It's great that you survived child hood in these vehicles but not really relevant to the vehicle's safety. There are plenty of people around today that grew up in these vehicles to tell about it but there are people who didn't live to tell about it who can't share their stories here. A vehicle's safety only comes into question once you get into an accident. If you never get into an accident it isn't an issue, but when you do it becomes very, very important. Riding around in your dad's pickup standing on the front seat is a great story...until you get into an accident.

Without a doubt newer vehicles are safer but I wouldn't hesitate to let a child ride in your truck. However, I would wait until they're 1.5-2 years old like most people here. That's just my 2 cents, thought I'd share it because it seemed the discussion was getting off track with all the stories.