I agree completely with this, and I too was a bit taken aback by the
idea of anyone, child or adult, using a portapotty while a vehicle is in
motion, or sleeping on the bed -- though in the old days, we simply
stretched out.  As a small child, I slept many times stretched across
the back bench seat of a car.  I don't recommend this now.

So far as the rear seat belts, GoWesty sells rear seat 3 point belts and
a tether kit for child seats.  I'd check them out with safety personnel
before trusting them, but they are available.  I suspect GoWesty may
actually have reports from safety agencies, as they would be litigation
averse (or should be).

David McNeely

On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 8:41 AM, Steve Williams wrote:

> I don't want to be a killjoy, and certainly I spent many happy hours
> in the way-back of a Beetle as a toddler, traveling across the
> country with my parents.  Heck, when I was 10, my Mom drove a
> squareback VW from California to Iowa with three kids and a weeks-old
> baby in a bassinet balanced on the back seat.
>
> But those VWs also had no seat belts in the back seats, and attitudes
> about child car safety have changed.
>
> In California, at least, children under 6 must be in an approved car
> seat or booster seat unless they've grown to 60 pounds.  I doubt a
> booster seat can be used properly without a shoulder harness, and I
> don't know whether the Vanagon's rear lap belts can properly secure a
> modern car seat.
>
> The laws may grandfather vehicles that lack the necessary
> equipment.  I know I wouldn't worry about being ticketed for carrying
> passengers in the rear seat of my '67 Beetle with no seat belts.
>
> But I wouldn't let a 4-year-old sleep unrestrained in the back of a
> Vanagon or ramble around on the floor.  And I certainly wouldn't put
> a child in the front passenger seat.  I'd want to do some research
> into the safest way to restrain a child when only lap belts are
> available.
>
> Sorry to be a downer.