Are the safest car seats in the back?

The old driver’s wisdom says: the safest places in the car are located behind, since the most frequent accidents occur in a head-on collision. And one more thing: the right rear seat is the farthest from oncoming traffic and therefore is considered the safest. But statistics show that these assumptions are no longer true.

Rear seat safety statistics

According to a study conducted by a German independent agency (accident study insured customers), injuries to the rear seats in 70% of comparable cases are almost as severe as in the front seats, and even more severe in 20% of cases.

In addition, the proportion of 10% of injured passengers in the rear seats may seem small at first glance, but it should be borne in mind that in most car trips there are no passengers in the rear seats.

Seat and improperly fastened seat belt

In this area, the company also conducted research and evaluated statistics. According to representatives, passengers in the rear seats often occupy a position that leads to a higher risk of injury in the event of an accident.

For example, passengers lean forward during a call or fasten their seat belt under their armpits. As a rule, passengers in the rear seats do not use the seat belt as often as the driver or front passenger, which significantly increases the risk of injury.

Security technology

UDV also identified inadequate rear-seat safety equipment as one of the main reasons for the increased risk for second-row passengers. Since safety equipment is primarily aimed at the front seats, they are sometimes not worried about the second row due to the fact that such safety systems are resource-intensive.

Example: while seatbelt pretensioners, seatbelt restraints or airbags are standard for the driver or front passenger seat, this combination of safety is either not available at lower price categories (depending on the vehicle model), or only at an additional cost .

Airbags or curtain airbags that extend the entire length of the vehicle and protect the rear passengers are found in an increasing number of vehicles. But they are still part of the optional extras, not the standard ones.

Is the front row safer?

By the way, on many vehicle models, the safety systems are still focused primarily on optimal driver protection - although, according to ADAC crash studies, every third serious side crash occurs on the passenger side.

Thus, the driver's seat can be rated as the safest place in terms of safety in many models. This is often explained by the human factor: the driver instinctively reacts in such a way as to save his life.

Exception: children

Children are an exception to these results. According to the recommendations of many experts, for them the safest place is still the second row. The reason is that they need to be transported in child seats, and airbags are simply dangerous for children.

It is this fact that makes the seats in the back of the car the safest for children. Many studies show that the (unpopular) rear seat in the center is the safest, as the occupant is protected from all sides.

Questions and answers:

Where is the safest place in a taxi? It depends on which situation is considered dangerous. In order not to get infected with the virus, it is better to sit in the back seat diagonally from the driver, and in case of an accident - directly behind the driver.

Why is the safest place in the car behind the driver? In the event of a frontal collision, the driver instinctively turns the steering wheel so as to dodge the impact himself, so the passenger behind him will receive less injuries.