Security technology in cars, especially the new versions, is getting better. So, which car seat is the safest for passengers in the event of an accident?
Research from the University at Buffalo in the United States several years ago said that the safest car seat is in the back of the middle.
They found that back seat passengers were 59% to 86% safer than front seat passengers and, in the back seat, people in the middle were 25% safer than other back seat passengers.
"With factors such as vehicle type, vehicle weight, occupant age, weather and light conditions, air bags, deaths per crash, the middle rear seat was still 16% safer than any other seat in the vehicle," said Dietrich Jehle, lead author of the study.
However, in a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in 2019, the risk for passengers in the back seat is increased. Why is that?
Rear passengers have less protection from airbags or seat belts, not on par with passengers in the front seats. Airbags even if there are on the side, not in front so that the important part of the passengers is not protected.
The study concluded that the manufacturer has put a lot of effort into increasing protection for the driver and front seat passengers, but has made little effort for the safety of rear seat passengers.
The study also showed that chest injuries were the most common in collisions involving rear-seat occupants because of how the rear-seat seat belts work. While head injuries are the second most common injury. So hopefully, car manufacturers are increasingly concerned about the safety of passengers in the rear.