Why Rear Facing Is Safer:

When a new baby is born one of the most important items of baby equipment parents buy for them is a rear facing infant car seat. But sadly most babies in the UK will only use that car seat for a year or even less. All nursery stores sell forward facing car seats that can be used for babies who weigh 9kg or over, and most parents think that this is the only option once their baby no longer fits in the infant carrier. Some even think that moving their baby into a big seat is a milestone to look forward to.

But in the event of a car accident, a child under the age of five in a forward facing car seat is five times more likely to be seriously injured or killed than in a rear facing one!

Babies And Small Children Are Not Little Adults

A baby’s head accounts for 25% of its body weight, while an adult’s head is only 6% of the total body weight. And children’s bones are still very soft, it takes about 15 years for the human skeleton to fully mature. The development of the skeleton happens at roughly the same rate in all children, no matter how big they are, so a bigger baby is no safer in a forward facing seat than a small one of the same age.

The bones in the neck of a small child are not developed enough to protect the spinal cord. When they are involved in a car crash in a forward facing car seat, the weight of the head combined with the immature skeleton, can cause the spinal cord to stretch up to two inches. If it stretches just half an inch it will snap. This is known as internal decapitation and causes paralysis or death. A toddler’s ribs are also very soft.

In a forward facing car seat the force of the crash throws the child forward while the five-point harness holds the torso back in the seat. This can bend the ribs and damage the child’s internal organs. In a forward facing seat the torso is held in place by the harness, but the head, arms and legs are thrown forward with great force. In a rear facing seat, the whole body is protected by the seat’s back rest which absorbs the impact protecting the child’s vulnerable neck and head.

In a crash at 50km/h, the neck of a forward facing child is subjected to loads of 180-300kg. In order for a child to avoid injury, these loads should never exceed 130kg. In a rear facing seat the neck loads are only 40-80kg. Using a rear facing car seat reduces the risk of serious injury or death from 40% to just 8% compared to a forward facing seat.