5 reasons rear-facing car seats are 5-times safer

Introduction

Parents and caregivers are often faced with the decision of choosing the safest car seat for their child. With numerous studies and crash test simulations highlighting the superior safety of rear-facing car seats, it’s crucial to understand why. In this blog post, we’ll explore five reasons why traveling rear-facing is up to five times safer than forward-facing, ensuring your child remains as protected as possible in the event of a collision.

The science behind rear-facing car seats

Understanding the distinctions between rear-facing and forward-facing car seats is crucial for ensuring the safety of your children while traveling. Each type of seat manages crash forces differently, which is vital information for parents making safety decisions.

Rear-facing car seats are optimal for young children up to 6-7 years old because they provide uniform support for the head, neck, and spine. In the event of a head-on collision, the most common and severe type, a rear-facing seat moves with the child, distributing the impact across the entire back of the seat.

One major risk with transitioning to forward-facing too soon is the increased potential for serious neck injuries, which can be fatal. Forward-facing seats do not provide the same level of neck support as rear-facing seats, putting additional strain on a child’s neck during a collision due to their proportionally heavier heads.

Forward-facing seats are intended for older children who have outgrown rear-facing seats. These seats often use the vehicle’s 3-point seat belt to secure the child.

5 reasons rear-facing car seats are 5 times safer

1. Better Impact distribution

When a car is involved in a collision, the forces exerted can be devastating, particularly for children under 6-7 years of age. Rear-facing car seats are designed to distribute these forces evenly across the entire back of the seat, which aligns closely with a child’s strongest physical area—the back. This distribution helps absorb and dissipate crash energy, reducing the impact on any single part of a child’s body. Especially the neck and the lower body benefits from a rear-facing seats ability to out these forces, dramatically decrease the risk of serious injuries.

2. More protection for head and neck

Children’s heads are proportionally larger and heavier compared to their bodies than those of adults, making them susceptible to neck injuries in accidents. Rear-facing car seats support the head, neck, and spine cohesively. This alignment is critical as it helps to prevent the extreme forward motion of the head during crashes that can lead to serious spinal injuries. The integrated support system of a rear-facing seat ensures that these vulnerable areas are protected much more effectively than in forward-facing seats.

3. Increased protection of lower body

One of the risks of forward-facing seats is the ‘submarining’ effect, where a child slides under the lap belt in a crash, which can lead to severe abdominal injuries. Rear-facing seats use a five-point harness that wraps securely around a child’s pelvis and shoulders, thus distributing forces away from the abdomen and preventing submarining. This setup not only keeps the child firmly in place but also significantly lessens the stress on their developing pelvic bones.

4. Better Support for the fragile neck

The neck of a young child is not yet fully developed and is incredibly fragile. In rear-facing seats, the child’s head, neck, and spine are aligned, which significantly reduces the strain on the neck during accidents. This is because the rear-facing position absorbs the crash forces across the back of the seat, rather than directly onto the neck, as seen in forward-facing seats where the head can be thrust forward, putting immense pressure on the cervical spine.

5. Seat ‘shell’ construction protects better at every impact Angle

While most car accidents involve a frontal impact, side impacts can be equally dangerous. Rear-facing car seats offer exceptional protection from multiple angles—not just the front. The shell-like structure of these seats forms a protective cocoon around the child, shielding the head and torso from side impacts and ensuring comprehensive safety from nearly any direction of crash impact.

Conclusion

Choosing the right car seat orientation for your child is not just a routine decision—it’s a crucial safety strategy. Throughout this article, we’ve explored the significant advantages of rear-facing car seats, particularly for children up to 6-7 years old. The science behind these seats shows that rear-facing provides superior protection in several key ways.

Firstly, rear-facing car seats distribute the force of a crash more evenly across the back, the strongest part of a young child’s body. This design significantly reduces the risk of serious injuries, particularly to the neck and lower body. Secondly, these seats offer enhanced support for the head, neck, and spine—areas where young children are most vulnerable. This alignment prevents the dangerous forward motion that can occur in crashes, which is crucial for protecting the spinal column and preventing severe spinal injuries.

Furthermore, the construction of rear-facing seats includes a five-point harness that securely wraps around the child, avoiding the ‘submarining’ effect of forward-facing seats and providing better overall support and safety. Additionally, the protective ‘shell’ of these seats offers comprehensive safety from impacts from almost any direction, safeguarding the child’s entire body.

In conclusion, the overwhelming evidence supports the use of rear-facing car seats as long as possible, to ensure the highest level of safety and protection for our youngest passengers on every journey.