Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a brand-new baby and I'm looking for a new car. Trucks are cheap, and I've always wanted one, like maybe a Ford Ranger. The trouble is, I can't find any info on kids and trucks. Are they safe? Can you put an infant car seat in them? Should I forget the idea and go with a car? In other words, would I be "sporty new '90s-style mom" or "killer mom risking child's life in deathtrap on wheels"? -- Susan

Tom: Unfortunately, the latter, Susan. Pickup trucks are not safe for little kids.

Ray: The bottom line is that kids, and especially kids in child seats, should always be in the back seat. There are two reasons for this. One is that there's no air bag in the back seat that can blow up in an accident and snap the little kid's neck (and yes, we know that some trucks now have on-off switches for the passenger air bags -- if you remember to use them).

Tom: But as important, if you're in the back seat, in an accident, you'll hit ... .the front seat! If you're in the front seat, you're closer to the windshield, the dashboard, the engine compartment and whatever you've crashed into. So the back seat is intrinsically a safer place than the front seat.

Ray: And since pickup trucks don't have back seats (and the cargo space behind the seats in "extended cab pickups" doesn't count), they're not really safe vehicles for kids. So go with a car, Susan. Or at the very least, a truck with a real back seat, like a Ford Explorer.

Don't get stuck with a lemon. Be an informed shopper. Read Tom and Ray's guide "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Secrets Only Your Mechanic Knows." To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1998 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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