Your Texas Truck May Be A Hazardous Place For Passengers

We love our trucks in Texas, but there's a problem.

It seems like everybody in Texas owns a truck. I am often amused by seeing trucks with impeccably clean beds, meaning the owner probably got a truck just to get a truck and not necessarily because they need a truck. Then again, why not have one just in case?

There's actually a pretty good case for not buying a truck unless you need a truck. If you carry passengers on a regular basis, and we're talking the back of a crew cab, your passengers aren't as safe as you think they are.

Without getting completely caught up in the weeds here, USA Today is reporting that the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety has rated the back seats in most crew cab trucks as "poor" in front crash tests. So is it fair to say the back seat is a "death trap"? It's probably more appropriate to say that while front-seat passenger protection has improved, back-seat protection has not.

Here's a big caveat too. The report states that even with the back seat being less safe than the front seat, it's still better for children to ride in the back than to be exposed to airbags.

All of the major brands were included in the tests. The poor rating was assigned to Chevy's, Fords, and Dodges, with only Toyota Tundras being rated "marginal". If you have frequent passengers in your trucks you are advised to watch their posture and make sure that they are belted properly.

My guess is that in 2025 and beyond, you'll see added safety measures added to crew cab trucks.