If you look at this video from Porsche, it shows a small boy in a car seat riding in the front seat of a 991 cab. It looks like the video was taken in Cali. I can't say I'm familiar with all the child seat laws in every state but my understanding was the child had to be 10 or 12 to be in the front seat.
Are there exceptions to that rule for 2 door cars, or cars with little to no backseat? For example if you had a Cayman or Boxter, with no back seat you must still be able to transport your child.
Maybe if you deactivate the airbag in the passenger side then it is legal??
Hoping someone here has some ideas.

 

My kids (10/11/12) have been riding up front. I see the 'passenger airbag off' message up by the ceiling light when my daughter is riding, and my sons are 5' 5" and 5' 8" and heavy enough, so it really should be fine, and it's definitely legal here in Virginia, where the age cutoff for special restraints (booster/baby seat) is pretty young (through age 7) and that's it, specifically no height or weight requirement.

That said, most parents think (incorrectly) that there's a height/weight piece, so people typically have them in the seats until the recommended height/weight for their seat is hit based on the manual, or based on the owners manual for the car, etc.

I'm sure it varies state-to-state, and I suspect CA is more uptight than VA (where we can no longer let kids ride in the open back of a pickup, for example!). Not a problem, I don't have a pickup.

 

Thanks for the reply. My daughter is 5. Which looked close to the age of the kid in the video, which is what got me wondering if I could let her ride up front on occasion if she was in a car seat.
I thought I read somewhere that you could deactivate the airbag on the pass side, which is what I'd do if she was up there.

 

Hmm, assuming it's legal in the booster and you can find the way to deactivate I'm sure she'd enjoy it, but I know my wife wouldn't have let me put any of ours up front at that age and still gives me the evil eye even though I've showed her that the airbag is off when appropriate on our SUV as well as the 991 now, but you know how it is. So... I've just become used to some extra evil eye.

 

Oh yea I can already see the evil eye coming my way just for asking! But that video caught my attention. One thing I have noticed is that with a child seat or booster in the back there is no way whe wind deflector can be used.

 

Looks like European plates? I was curious too -- so I looked up the text from the CA DMV Handbook:

Any child who is under the age of eight years and who is less than 4 feet 9 inches tall, must be secured in a federally-approved child passenger restraint system and ride in the back seat of a vehicle.

Proper child passenger restraint system installation can be checked by contacting local law enforcement agencies or fire departments that may provide this service or refer you to a Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technician in your area. As your child grows, check with these agencies to confirm that the car seat is the correct size for your child.

A child who is under the age of eight years and who is less than 4 feet 9 inches tall, may ride in the front seat of a vehicle only in the following instances:

There is no rear seat or the rear seats are either side-facing jump seats or rear-facing seats.

The child passenger restraint system cannot be properly installed in the rear seat.

All rear seats are already occupied by children under the age of 12 years.

A medical reason requires the child to ride in the front seat.

A child may not ride in the front seat of an airbag-equipped vehicle if the child:

Is less than one year of age.

Weighs less than 20 lbs.

Is riding in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system.

Children eight years of age and older, but under 16 years must be properly secured with an appropriate safety belt. Children under eight years of age, who are less than 4 feet 9 inches tall must be properly secured in an appropriate child passenger restraint system that meets federal safety standards. However, children under eight years of age, who are 4 feet 9 inches tall or taller may be secured with an appropriate safety belt instead of a child passenger restraint system.

 

I may be wrong but I was told and read somewhere in the manual that if there is under a certain amount of weight on the passenger seat, the passenger airbag is deactivated. I noticed it when an airbag off light came on and I looked it up. Let me check and revert.

 

I was thinking the same thing but have not checked my online manual yet to confirm. Since I dont yet have the real manual to go with the car. But its coming soon!! It would make sense that that's the case as I've been in other cars that do that.

 

Checked manual and it does say that the passenger seat is weight sensitive and airbag will deactivate under a certain weight and to check that the airbag light is off etc.

 

For what it's worth, in my GT3, my kids ride in the front seat in a Recaro booster with side head restraints. The passenger air bag deactivation light goes on. The kids are 6 and almost 9. I have never had an issue with the police. I don't do long drives with them in the front seat of this or any other car, but given that there are no back seats in the GT3, the booster was my short distance solution. My only issue is the fighting that occurs between siblings who want to ride in the car.

 

my 4 year old dayghter ride sint he back seat of my 2012 991 in a recaro booster seat. It is the only one I could find that was narrow enough to fit in the standard back seat. She sits behind the passenger seat and has plenty of room if I slide the front seat up slightly. She evens fits with my wife riding in the front seat too.

The seat is a bit upright so if she takes a nap her head falls foward... Doesn't look to comfortable....

Just my .02

 

Thanks for the car seat recommendation. I'll give that one a look. I have a Britax that I hear also works in the 991 back seat. So I'll see when I get the car.

 

Your situation may be different because you do not have back seats in the GT3. So I believe that makes it 'legal'. Since the 991 has back seats and my daughter is not the right age yet it doesn't appear she is supposed to ride up front yet, even if I can disable the airbag.
She will be so disappointed!

 

I used to have a Recaro child seat in the back of my 993 and my daughter loved it. Those Recaro child seats looked like mini jet fighter seats.

 

My 5 year old daughter sits in a 5 point harness in the back. No worries about airbags or legalities. The car is small enough that she almost feesl like she is in the fron seat. Plus you can find a 5 point harness seat with LATCH. There is not LATCH in the front seat.