I saw something today that made me stop and take a second look. I was surprised at what I saw, but have not decided if it was good or bad.
I was standing at the corner of a four lane 4 way stoplight. Sitting at the light nearest me was a four door Jeep. Nice and shiny black with big tires and wheels. All four doors had been removed. I have seen this before and was not surprised as it was a nice cool morning.
What caught my eye was the baby seat with baby strapped in the back seat.
At first my reaction was that that can't be safe with no doors . But then thought about seeing several Jeep vehicles with soft canvas doors. And previously owning a Jeep remembering that the doors are not very substantial anyway.
Do you think this is a safe practice? Is it legal? Would you do this? I am not condemning or approving. Just curious. JA

Reckless and brain dead......Infant might be strapped in ,but flying road debris can still enter and cause injury.

Back in my younger and dumber days I had a cj5, used to drive it everywhere with no doors, never gave it a second thought, course I never had a baby in there either. I wasn't that dumb.

Not real smart. But I can remember times when my brothers and I would ride in the bed of my dad’s pickup while he drove down the highway.

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A gun has no brain.. use yours

I don't think I could do that with my most precious cargo.

Legality will vary from state to state. It is likely safe enough. People worry too much.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who grew up riding in a car without baby car seats, seat belts, stood on the seat with dad's arm as a brace, rode in the back of an open pickup truck, had parents who smoked in a closed car, rode a bike without a helmet, drank water out of a hose and rubbed dirt on a cut/scrape, walked it off and got back to playing.

All of us who made through all that trauma are OK, for the most part - I'm sure the baby strapped in the back seat of an open Jeep will be OK, too.

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Thread Killer.

Used to take my niece mud running/off roading in the 70's, in a K-5 blazer with the top off. She would be strapped in a car seat in the back seat. I did take special care that limbs wouldn't smack her. I wen't through some enormous mud and slime, but she never got a drop on her. She'll be 41 this year, and these are some of her earliest memories, and fond ones at that. But if I had rolled, she most likely survived, (anything but stumps!) because of the roll bars, but the memories wouldn't be so fond! Ivan

PS: Would I do that with my own kid? Sort of did, Had an old Suburban until 99, went over some really scary stuff with all 4 of mine and a few more, always well strapped in!

If you consider the way most of us traveled in the 50s, 60s and even 70s, it is clear that we were all killed before the age of 17.

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Release the Kraken

When I was a kid we rode in the back of a pickup truck. No one ever thought about "flying road debris" then. No one in my family ever wore a seat belt until I started doing it when I was about 17.

We spend too much time trying to make the world accident proof. The chances of that child being hit by something are so small as to be insignificant. Could it happen? Sure. Then again a meteor could fall out of the sky and crush the whole vehicle.

No, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

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Freedom isn't free.

I saw a guy at Laconia, pull up with his 4 year old daughter on the back of his Shovel head. Makes the jeep look ultra safe.

I hauled my kids all over in the back of a CJ-5, and CJ-7's with and without the tops. In car seats and not as they got older. Not much different than any other convertible except the Jeeps had roll bars.

I'm pretty sure my second kid came home from the hospital in the back of a CJ.

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John 3:16 .

Not as bad as the parents who drag their kids around behind a bicycle in a modified tent on wheels, and run stop signs.

I wouldn't do it.

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Back to back World War Champs.

No idea on Iowa laws and the potential is always there for mishap but having done similar things with kids/g-kids in ATV's, jeeps, pickup beds, motorcycles, etc, etc., I personally wouldn't worry about it.

We do not live under a dome nor does a child live in a bubble! We've become very well an over protective society. As it was stated elsewhere the way most of us have grown up we should all be dead and we're not!
If that person wants to run their child in a jeep in that fashion that's their business.
Because her child seat does not work or fit properly in my Corvette convertible am I suppose to deny my granddaughter a ride in Pops Vette?
I think not? She cruises top down and wears the seat belt!
Just my thoughts on the subject!

Our first child-the wife and I did everything but boil our hands to make sure the baby didn't get any germs. By the time the third one came around the three second rule was in full force and effect.
I realized I had gone to full blown parent when the baby at about 1 year came into the living room gnawing in one of the dog's chew toys with the dog following her with that "Hey that's mine" look. Took it from the baby and tossed it back to the dog. Gave the baby another chew toy to play with and then went back to watching the game.

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Forum consigliere

That baby was much safer that I was when I was standing on the front seat between mom and dad in a 1957 Chevy.....with an all steel dash! Yep, some people get worked up too easily.

If you're that worried about safety, you probably shouldn't ever get into a motor vehicle again.

Huh... Substitute "Guns" for "jeep without doors" and I find this odd in a gun forum. I suppose some may look at the 'irresponsibility' of your guns as open jeep doors.

My jeep has half doors with canvas tops. Half doors are flimsy. Life is dangerous, exciting and to my liking!

That's not safe. The child should have been in a proper baby carrier mounted on the trailer hitch!

My wife and I protected our son from every danger we possibly could
Then he goes and gets all tatt'd up gets into fist fights, dates loose women and drives his mc 150 mph !
If I'd known how it was all gonna turn out I woulda just tossed him in the back of the truck on the way home from the hospital ;-)

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the rules? there are no rules

With all the stuff I did as a kid including riding in a Jeep as a school bus for four years, I shoulda been and expected to be dead by 35.

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Eccentric old coot

Legal, I think it is providing the child was in a proper child seat. Would I do it if it were my kid? sure. My son rode in my AH Sprite from the time he was born, before even seat belt laws. Now I can't legally give my granddaughters a ride in my MG.

And I had my first ride on a Harley when I was 3 years old, on a gravel road no less. Still alive & kicking.

I'm like th OP I have mixed feelings on this subject.

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I Cor. 10:13 "1611KJV"

In the early 50s I was 10 or 12 and my grandpa and his logging friend let me ride 15 or 20 miles on the top of a load of logs. I was about 14 or 15 and my uncle gave me a ride on his Harley at over a 100 mph. Life ain't no fun if you don't have a little fun. Larry

I get more upset at the sight of unrestrained dogs bouncing around in pickup beds...

How many of us in the younger life belted the kids in a regular seat belt then hit the road at 80+ MPH in the 69 Pontiac Catalina Ventura with the 428 cu motor air cleaner lid flipped over? What a ride.

Two weak links in the car seat rig.

1) The seat belt holding the car seat might not be latched because it is often out of sight under the car seat.

2) The buckle holding the kid into the car seat might not be latched from all the Cheerios potentially blocking a good fit.

Having a door to prevent a kid flying out at 65 miles an hour seems like a reasonable precaution.

That said, I can remember we would go driving with me standing on the hump in the back seat of my parents' 1960 Oldsmobile 98. Looked something like this:

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