I was just commenting on one of those GenX influencers' posts, in a thread about the car seat and seatbelt situation during our childhood. I recall when I was about eight or nine the only vehicle my family had was my step-dad's single cab pickup truck.

When we went somewhere as a family, my step-dad and my mom sat in the cab and my brother and I sat in the truck bed, totally exposed to the elements. This was in Southern California so at least we didn't freeze, but the wind was deafening. We were told to sit with our backs leaning against the cab because that was the safest place to be. Seatbelts? In the back of the truck? Lol. Looking back now it seems absolutely insane. Two little kids sitting in the back of a pickup barreling down the freeway at speed.

These days children have to sit in child car seats until they reach a certain weight. My niece and nephew sat in child seats until they were around seven or eight years old.