door safety

luckytaquito · 03-10-2010, 10:38 PM

its finally warming up enough for the top to come off, but i was wondering about what safety hazards there might be with having the doors off vs doors on. spring break is almost here and it would be nice to be breezy but i am worried for my sisters who are a bit younger and i tend to haul all over town. its the curse of being the older brother, but hey i cant complain

anywho i ask cuz my mom thinks theyll fly out and i kinda want proof to show her otherwise so facts would be nice as well as experiences. thanks in advanced and sorry i couldnt find another thread with this so links are great too

TennesseeTJ02 · 03-10-2010, 10:46 PM

there are always safety hazards but just wear seat belts, it should be fine for the most part.

JeffinWesternWA · 03-10-2010, 10:46 PM

wearing seat belts, not a problem, ...getting HIT by anothe vehicle a problem,... Doors can help save lives, ...so, am I the only one who ordered my JK w/ side air bags BTW???? (haven't seen another so equipped)....

luckytaquito · 03-10-2010, 11:02 PM

i was aware that jeep doors did not have the same safety components as regular car doors. is this not true? side air bags are helpfeul too i guess but dont got em so im s.o.l. there

**seatmech32** · 03-11-2010, 12:20 AM

Seatbelts should ALWAYS be a must with doors on or off. Getting T-boned would be a problem but that's where your driving skills come into play. Jerk the wheel, speed up, hit brakes, etc. If you have a lift that would also help since most cars would go under enough to not be a direct hit on you or the passenger. Taller vehicles may be a problem. Just be safe and drive smart.

**asknight** · 03-11-2010, 12:34 AM

It's unsafe for cell phones and sunglasses that you put on the passenger seat! Put them in the cup holders or the glove box.

**RogueSpear2023** · 03-11-2010, 01:54 AM

Where you seat belts and you will be fine the doors offer no increased safety in and accident, just protect you from the elements as Chrysler clearly states everywhere in the Jeep.

PhulesAu · 03-11-2010, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RogueSpear2023

Where you seat belts and you will be fine the doors offer no increased safety in and accident, just protect you from the elements as Chrysler clearly states everywhere in the Jeep.

the doors offer the illusion of extra protection, tell your mom she's seeing things.

Little Green · 03-11-2010, 08:29 AM

Lift it and put some rock rails on the thing. My wife won't let my kids ride without doors. I bought Tube doors from bestop. She is fine. She is also misguided as those doors(nor the stock ones) would prevent injury in the case of an accident. I got hit on the side of my rockrails. Moved my jeep 2 or 3 feet sideways and it didn't put a scratch on my rails. Tube doors will give your mom and sisters some comfort.

JEEP_GREEN_4DR · 03-11-2010, 09:52 AM

Riding in a Jeep - Doors or no doors - without a seatbelt on is suicidal.

BlackBellamy · 03-11-2010, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckytaquito

its finally warming up enough for the top to come off, but i was wondering about what safety hazards there might be with having the doors off vs doors on. spring break is almost here and it would be nice to be breezy but i am worried for my sisters who are a bit younger and i tend to haul all over town. its the curse of being the older brother, but hey i cant complain

anywho i ask cuz my mom thinks theyll fly out and i kinda want proof to show her otherwise so facts would be nice as well as experiences. thanks in advanced and sorry i couldnt find another thread with this so links are great too

The quote in my signature comes from the warning sticker and was written by lawyers so that Chrysler doesn't get sued as much when people lose their vertebrae because they get t-boned.

A lot of people look at that sticker and say oh yeah the doors just keep the rain out even Chrysler says so. But in fact the doors do provide protection. Not as much as modern doors with airbags and etc, but they do help.

There are no "facts" you can show you mother to prove you can drive your little sisters around with no doors. And common sense will tell you and her and anybody else that having a piece of steel on your side is always better than open air. You are making life a little more dangerous for your sisters, no doubt about it.

Why don't you do this. When you have your own children, make the decision for yourself and choose what kind of level of protection you want to provide your offspring. But when you wheel your sisters around, keep the doors on. Do it so when you do get into an accident or something happens, at least you will have peace of mind that you did everything you could.

**LilViper95** · 03-11-2010, 11:51 AM

When I was 16...many years ago...I was driving a YJ that got hit broad side (my own stupidity, I pulled out into the path of an oncoming car before I learned my jeeps blind spots) at around 60mph on the pass side. The force of the impact ripped the door off the jeep very quickly. My jeep rolled onto the drivers side, after the wreck we found the door quite a ways down the road. In my opinion the door did absolutely nothing to protect me and would have done little to protect a passenger had I had one (it may have even injured them as it was ripped from the Jeep)
I am sure that there is a small level of added protection by having them on, but I fully agree with the warning that is on the inside of my soft top. "The top and doors on this vehicle are designed only for protection against the elements. Do not rely on the top and doors to contain occupants within the vehicle or to protect against injury during an accident. Wear seatbelts at all times."

**mark02tj** · 03-12-2010, 09:02 AM

LilViper - while the passenger door did not protect you did the driver's door not protect you from the pavement when you rolled? My guess is that it did, especially if it was a full door and the window was rolled up.

Not trying to get into big debate about it, but I have to agree with the post above that says basically to respect mom's wishes. He's a teenaged (ie - inexperienced) driver and will make mistakes on the road.

And, yes, I take my teenage kids with me in my heep with the doors and top off. And I've also taken them flying with me in those "dangerous little airplanes". Both of those involved long "discussions" with their mother.

**DaFuzz** · 03-12-2010, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seatmech32

Getting T-boned would be a problem but that's where your driving skills come into play. Jerk the wheel, speed up, hit brakes, etc.

....Assuming you have time to react!

Kedive · 03-12-2010, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LilViper95

When I was 16...many years ago...I was driving a YJ that got hit broad side (my own stupidity, I pulled out into the path of an oncoming car before I learned my jeeps blind spots) at around 60mph on the pass side. The force of the impact ripped the door off the jeep very quickly. My jeep rolled onto the drivers side, after the wreck we found the door quite a ways down the road. In my opinion the door did absolutely nothing to protect me and would have done little to protect a passenger had I had one (it may have even injured them as it was ripped from the Jeep)
I am sure that there is a small level of added protection by having them on, but I fully agree with the warning that is on the inside of my soft top. "The top and doors on this vehicle are designed only for protection against the elements. Do not rely on the top and doors to contain occupants within the vehicle or to protect against injury during an accident. Wear seatbelts at all times."

I would agree with you on the TJ and YJ doors offering no protection in a T-bone. But on the JK's I am fairly certain they were designed to offer protection in case of that type of accident.

Also if your mom wants you to ride around with doors on when you are driving your sibblings around I would suggest doing what your mom says.