Interesting point here - esp. for those in NJ. NJ law now requires that all children 8yo and under or under 80 lbs be in a booster seat or other seat-like device. (http://www.state.nj.us/lps/hts/newlaw.html) Booster seats in genreal are not approved for rear-facing installation and I can tell you that you are hard pressed to squeeze three kids - say 6, 7 and 8 yo, across the back seat of anything if they have to be strapped in. Maybe a a concorde or town car would be OK but that's about it.

A number of parents groups have protested stating that this law forces them into minivans or SUVs, not all of which meet the same safety requirements as cars. In effect, they claim their children are seated more safely in a less safe vehicle.

I have two kids - a 4.5 yo girl in a booster seat and a 2.5 yo boy in a reg carseat. For a long time I have believed that all cars were exponentially safer than they were even 15 years ago and then there were only incremental differences between the safest and unsafest car made today. Recently I saw an exceptionally bad accident on Long Island (Southern State Pkwy for those with a death wish.) There was a new Chevy Malibu in pieces at the side of the road and the driver (deceased) being extracted using the jaws of life. The driver of the other car, a 1998 Volvo V70 just like I was driving, was quoted in the paper saying she was saved by the airbag and that her 2 small children, both fine except for some bumps, were properly installed in carseats in the back seat. I saw the Volvo - there was nothing left fwd of the firewall and the driver's side was stove in. I don't know who or what caused the accident but it was something hellacious. I'm glad I bought the car and carseats I did.

BTW, I've driven the following minivans and would rate them entirely subjectively as follows, best to worst - Odyssey, Villager/Nissan bother, Windstar, Mazda, Toyota Sienna (nicely appointed horrible road feel.)