Why rearfacing car seats are 5 X safer

Why is it so much safer to drive your child around in the rear facing position? We’ll go over the two possible scenarios during a frontal collision. This is the type of collision that’s most common and usually has the most serious consequences. During a frontal collision, the head is always catapulted forwards and backwards. The shock of that first movement is always much bigger than the shock of the second movement.

Scenario 1: frontal collision in a front facing car seat

In a forward facing car seat (with the child sitting in the same direction as the driver), the head is catapulted out of the car seat first. This causes a lot of pressure on the neck and shoulders. After this, the head shoots back again, back in the car seat. That second shock has a smaller impact, but the damage of the first movement has already been done. Additionally, debris flying around could injure the child. There’s also a chance that the child slips between the belts of the car seat.

Scenario 2: frontal collision in a rear facing car seat

In a rear facing car seat, the head first presses into the car seat’s padded headrest, backrest and sidewalls (SIP). The car seat functions as a cocoon that absorbs the majority of the impact and protects the child from debris. Additionally, the impact of the movement is evenly distributed throughout the child’s body. The pressure is therefore not only focussed on the neck and shoulders. The second movement pushes the child away from the car seat, but that shock is much smaller.

In a rear facing car seat, the pressure on the neck and shoulders is no less than 5 times smaller than in a front facing car seat. So: 5 times safer!

BeSafe is the main promoter of rear facing car seats. The company’s nickname being ‘The rear-facing company’ isn’t a coincidence!