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I have lots of fond memories of riding in the back of pickup trucks in my younger years, before seatbelt laws and social consciousness changed it's perception to taboo dangerous recklessness.

First to mind is a camping trip a couple hours north with my sister and her friends in their early 20's. My friend and I, probably around 11 years old, rode both ways laying on our backs, looking at clouds, and talking and daydreaming the time away.

There were often times where 5 or 10 of us kids would pile in the back for a joy ride, or a run to the grocery store, or if we were lucky out for ice cream.

There was a time where a few of us held on for our lives up and down a giant dirt hill, that was nicknamed a mountain, left after excavation of a school.

I remember piling in with blankets and pillows, and heading to the outdoor theater.

And most recently, being tossed around in the back of Breeze and Kimmy's truck a couple years ago on the way to the drum circle in Treasure Island.

Lots of good memories having innocent harmless fun.

My vehicle was in for repairs this week, and they gave me a pickup truck rental until it was done... a Dodge Dakota. My daughters couldn't wait for a ride in the back, to which I obliged around the neighborhood. My youngest stood up to surf and everything. My oldest wouldn't dare, and would only sit up to look around occasionally, and briefly. They thought it ok, but not nearly as fun as they thought it would be, and quite uncomfortable / painful.

The youngest asked if she could ride back there on the way to dinner, which was fine with me. It's maybe two miles, through the neighborhood, across a highway on a 35mph road, and into the parking lot. It's also past a fire station, and turning just before the police station, which I thought was funny.

My oldest was absolutely mortified that I agreed to let Lindsey ride in the back. It's against the law... I'd get arrested... what if I crash and she dies... people in cars will see her and call the police and give them the license number (which technically wouldn't help since it was a rental)... people at the restaurant will see her get out and call the police and give them the license number... talk about taking the fun out of it! I swatted away her concerns, and Lindsey rode in the back, and we made it safe and sound, and are now fugitive outlaws.

I was curious, so I asked our 20-something waitress / friend if she had ever ridden in the back of a pickup truck. She exclaimed NO, never, it's dangerous, there's no seatbelts, yada yada yada. The magician / friend asked what was new, and Lindsey told him she rode over in the back of a pickup truck. (She did lay down the entire time so no one would see her.) He was shocked - there's no seatbelts, you broke the law, what if you flew out and went through someone's windshield and they got hurt and died - wouldn't you feel bad?

I guess I'm just a bad, irresponsible mom.

Your thoughts? You can pick 3 options.

I have ridden in the back, I would let my kids ride in the back (under my supervision), and I would not call the police...

I remember as a kid my whole baseball team loading up and going to McDonalds after the games.
I also remember laying up in the back window of the family vehicle while on the road.
Heck I do not even know riding in a pick up truck is illegal but I still see people doing it all of the time.

Yeah. You're a bad, irresponsible mom.

Things have changed a lot of course since I grew up. I grew up in the country, and it was nothing to haul a bunch of kids around in the back of a truck. Shoot, I even remember a drunken New Year's Eve in Richmond (college) riding around in the back of a pickup truck in the rain. I wouldn't trade that night for all the tea in China.

If I had kids, I wouldn't let them ride in the back on the highway, but under controlled circumstances, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

But I'd probably be a bad, irresponsible mom too.

Having spent 23 years in law enforcement.....and having handled a fatal accident with a child thrown from the bed of a pick up truck.....you don't need to guess what my opinion is.

I have.
I guess I would again if I knew whoever was driving was trustworty.
If it's an adult, and the adult made a choice to ride in the back, then I have no problem with that, and wouldn't call the police.

If, however, children OR ANIMALS are in the back unrestrained, and unsupervised, then yes, I'd be the busy-body a-hole that would call the police.

Tiki Bar wrote:I And most recently, being tossed around in the back of Breeze and Kimmy's truck a couple years ago on the way to the drum circle in Treasure Island.

Hey, I remember that ride!
(I think we were given instructions to try to be "inconspicuous" or something like that)

Wino you know wrote:I have.
I guess I would again if I knew whoever was driving was trustworty.
If it's an adult, and the adult made a choice to ride in the back, then I have no problem with that, and wouldn't call the police.

If, however, children OR ANIMALS are in the back unrestrained, and unsupervised, then yes, I'd be the busy-body a-hole that would call the police.

Even if the driver is trustworthy.....you and I both know that a good percentage of the rest of the drivers out there.....aren't.

The accident I handled was in a subdivision.....30 mph road.....someone ran a stop sign, knocked the kid out of the truck....he hit his head on the curb.....done.

The memories of that will never leave me......seeing that Mom on the side of the road with her kid.....nope....no kids in the back of truck around me.....ever.

Adults.....just like everything else, choose your poison....but not kids.
We are their stewards.

I'm beside myself that my parents let me do it pretty much whenever I wanted as a kid. We always had a pickup.

I have a pickup and wouldn't DREAM of letting the kids ride back there unless it was around the block or something. This is coming from a person who has a hard time letting her almost 12-year-old daughter go to the park that is 6 blocks away and out of sight from the house with her friend, without parental supervision.

I have major child abduction paranoia.

In Texas people under 18 can't legally ride in the back of a pickup truck. There are exceptions like if it's the only family vehicle and I think a limit on how fast one can drive.

I remember urinating out the back of a pickup while on a roadtrip to WVU, ahhh good times Perhaps as our nanny state expands, we could have a government roadblocks at major intersections to inspect all vehicles to make sure all occupants are properly strapped in.

I wouldn't let mine and I would report it.

It doesn't matter if the person driving the pickup is a good driver, any clown could barrel into the side of the truck and send them flying.

Skibo wrote:I remember urinating out the back of a pickup while on a roadtrip to WVU, ahhh good times Perhaps as our nanny state expands, we could have a government roadblocks at major intersections to inspect all vehicles to make sure all occupants are properly strapped in.

I'm not saying there needs to be a law for or against riding in a pickup. It's just rather irresponsible of parents to let their kids do it. It's bad enough what can happen to kids in an accident when they are properly restrained, much less just floppin around the back of a truck. I'd rather not scrape my kids up off the pavement, thank you.

I saw a child on the back of a motorcycle getting dropped off at my son's school. Must've been about 8 years old. I did not know that was legal.
We roll around in a death trap most of the time so the pick up truck thing does not bother me so much.....but then again at least my death trap has seat belts and airbags.

pbans wrote:

Wino you know wrote:I have.
I guess I would again if I knew whoever was driving was trustworty.
If it's an adult, and the adult made a choice to ride in the back, then I have no problem with that, and wouldn't call the police.

If, however, children OR ANIMALS are in the back unrestrained, and unsupervised, then yes, I'd be the busy-body a-hole that would call the police.

Even if the driver is trustworthy.....you and I both know that a good percentage of the rest of the drivers out there.....aren't.

The accident I handled was in a subdivision.....30 mph road.....someone ran a stop sign, knocked the kid out of the truck....he hit his head on the curb.....done.

The memories of that will never leave me......seeing that Mom on the side of the road with her kid.....nope....no kids in the back of truck around me.....ever.

Adults.....just like everything else, choose your poison....but not kids.
We are their stewards.

Believe me, I know how crappy everyone else drives.
The 14 year old son of a co-worker of mine was killed in a p/u roll-over accident about 10 years ago.

But I said I'D probably ride in the back of a pick up again, and, therefore, couldn't hold anyone else responsible if some other driver saw to my early exit from this world.
And again, I WILL call the police if I ever see kids or animals in the back unsupervised, or, even if they ARE supervised, I'm not real crazy about the idea.

One of my close friends, Theresa, and her 2 children were killed , riding in the back of a pick up....They were thrown from the truck...and her little boy, Wayne, was decapitated..... He was 3.

That was almost 30 yrs ago, and I hate seeing anyone in the back of a pick up to this day.....

I was once in the back of a pickup-with-shell for a short drive up a hill after a hike, getting back to our cars. The part I remember best is one of the other people saying, "Okay, repeat after me: 'My Green Card is in my other pair of pants.'"

I've ridden in the back of a pickup truck, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Just give me room to hunker down and a chance to get a good grip on the side of the box if you're going to be driving highway speeds.

I don't have kids (nor am I likely to), but for short distances and at low speeds and if the driver were someone I trusted, I'd say sure.

As for calling the cops; under certain circumstances I just might. Drunken/impaired driver? Drunken/impaired passengers? Unsafe driving (excessive speed or acceleration) even if the driver wasn't impaired? It becomes a case-by-case basis. I also try not to be too much of a busy-body.

The other thing to remember is that I was born in the '50s, grew up in the '60s, and matured in the '70s. My upbringing pre-dated the idea that daily life was supposed to be safe at all times no matter what. We climbed trees; we rode double on our bikes; we played mumblety-peg with our Boy Scout knives (and snuck the occasional cigarette on campouts); and we occasionally took rides in the back of a pickup truck. As a result, sometime kids scraped their knees; burned their fingers; broke the occasional bone; caught the occasional baseball up alongside the noggin; and yes — every once in while we buried one. But it was part of growing up....we were learning that the real world wasn't padded and had sharp edges.

Despite all that, the world is generally a safe place in which to live — provided one uses one's head. I feel that we are doing the younger generation a huge disservice by raising them with the idea that all the corners are padded, all the hazards are marked, and that Big Brother is always going to make everything OK.

-"BB"-

I have, I am sure I will again, and the kids can ride back there in the back yard. In Ohio, last time I checked, you had to be over 16 to ride in the back. I grew up in the back of a pick up. My 2 sisters and I have been to 46 states all in the bed of a 1986 Ford, with a cap on the back. I still have the truck.... I am sure a few laws were broken back then, and I am positive my parents would be in jail if they tried that now. But it was fun. I used to haul my friends to concerts, including Buffett, in the back of my truck all the time- highways, city traffic, all over. I wouldn't go so far as to call the cops- but I guess even after enjoying my time in the back, that I have to say putting your kids in the back is generally a bad idea.

Bicycle Bill wrote:I've ridden in the back of a pickup truck, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Just give me room to hunker down and a chance to get a good grip on the side of the box if you're going to be driving highway speeds.

I don't have kids (nor am I likely to), but for short distances and at low speeds and if the driver were someone I trusted, I'd say sure.

As for calling the cops; under certain circumstances I just might. Drunken/impaired driver? Drunken/impaired passengers? Unsafe driving (excessive speed or acceleration) even if the driver wasn't impaired? It becomes a case-by-case basis. I also try not to be too much of a busy-body.

The other thing to remember is that I was born in the '50s, grew up in the '60s, and matured in the '70s. My upbringing pre-dated the idea that daily life was supposed to be safe at all times no matter what. We climbed trees; we rode double on our bikes; we played mumblety-peg with our Boy Scout knives (and snuck the occasional cigarette on campouts); and we occasionally took rides in the back of a pickup truck. As a result, sometime kids scraped their knees; burned their fingers; broke the occasional bone; caught the occasional baseball up alongside the noggin; and yes — every once in while we buried one. But it was part of growing up....we were learning that the real world wasn't padded and had sharp edges.

Despite all that, the world is generally a safe place in which to live — provided one uses one's head. I feel that we are doing the younger generation a huge disservice by raising them with the idea that all the corners are padded, all the hazards are marked, and that Big Brother is always going to make everything OK.

-"BB"-

This pretty much sums up where I was coming from. So many of the fun parts of my childhood would now be considered reckless endangerment at least, and be punishable by law. I feel bad that future generations are missing out on the adventures of my mis-spent youth.