Much attention has been paid to the safety of children in cars. One of the aspects is the optimal location of the child seat. Factors such as the size of the car, availability special system fastenings, the character of the child.
The classic location for a child restraint system inside a standard car is in the second row of seats. According to the European Safety Institute (Euro NCAP), it is the safest for child restraints. If possible, it is better to place the seat in the middle - then the small passenger will be in the center of the car at an equal distance from possible dangers.
If the child behaves calmly and does not require much attention while driving, then it is better to place the seat behind the driver. When an emergency situation occurs, a person first avoids being hit, and, as a result, the closer the satellite is located to him, the greater the chance that he will not suffer. If a child periodically needs attention or it is important for him to see mom or dad, then it is better to place the seat diagonally from the pilot. Then it will be easier for the parent to control the baby or give him something if necessary.
In very small cars that have virtually no trunk, you can install Baby chair on the first row. In this case, it is necessary to turn off the airbag, since during a possible collision it can open and harm the child. Some luxury coupes and convertibles also have child restraint mounts in the single passenger seat.
No matter where the seat with the child is located, recent tests show that it is better to position it with its back, in the direction of travel. In this case, the risk of injury to the neck, back and head during a sudden stop is reduced by 90%. If a serious accident occurs, the child will be protected from glass.
It is also worth paying attention to the fact that each automaker can recommend a specific model and brand of child restraints. This means that the manufacturer has carried out certain tests and the proposed combination gives the optimal result. These same recommendations are followed by various safety testing institutes.
And remember: the safety of our children is in our hands. The presence of a child seat in a car does not in itself guarantee full protection child. It is important to comply with all requirements for the location and installation of the holding device, which are specified in the instructions.
Child safety when traveling in a car is not limited to purchasing a high-quality car seat. The child car seat must be installed correctly. And here many people have a number of reasonable questions about installation: in the back seat or next to the driver? If in the back seat, where is safer: left, center or right?
There are many options, so which one should you choose? Even specialists from well-known car manufacturing companies cannot answer this question unequivocally. European road safety researchers cannot answer this question either. So let's try to figure it out ourselves. The car seat must be installed in such a way that it is comfortable for both the child and the parents. It must be remembered that any place in the car is equally dangerous.
Front seat installation
According to traffic regulations, it is not prohibited to install a child car seat in the front seat next to the driver. Children love this position, because you can feel like an adult, look at the road and follow the traffic. For parents, having a child in the front seat is also convenient - you can watch the child, and even play with the child or feed him while standing in traffic jams.
But we are powerless against statistics. American scientists from the University at Buffalo analyzed the traffic situation and accident statistics and found that the chance of surviving an accident while in the back seat of a car is 2.4-3.2 times higher.
German research statistics show that childhood injuries decreases by 5 times when the car seat is placed “backwards in the direction of travel”. But this is when we are talking about car seats-cradles. It will not be possible to place a car seat with a child over three years old with its back facing the direction of travel. The child will be in even greater danger: the baby may be harmed by a deployed airbag.
You should also pay attention to the general statistics on road accidents - front seat is the most dangerous place in a car and it is at least careless to expose a child to danger.
Left back seat
Opinions vary regarding this location of the child seat. The advantage of this arrangement is that the driver, when avoiding an impact, turns left, and the place behind the driver is the safest. But there are also disadvantages: the child is dropped off on the roadway, and the proximity to oncoming traffic adds danger to this place.
Right back seat
According to statistics provided by European researchers, the place that is located in the opposite corner from oncoming traffic is considered the safest. It takes the least amount of impact in an accident. Many parents choose this place because it is easy to put the child in and out of the chair from the sidewalk, rather than the roadway. For an older child who is able to unfasten his seat belts and get out of the car, this place will also be the safest, since the child will immediately step onto the sidewalk. The only minor drawback is that it is difficult for the driver to see the child in the rearview mirror. But you can install an additional mirror.
Center seating in rear seat
If the car allows it, it is better to install the child seat in the center. The level of safety of this place is in the large space and the absence of compression in a collision.
According to data cited in the American journal Pediatrics, babies are least likely to be injured when they are in a car seat in the middle of the back seat. Almost five thousand accidents that occurred in 16 states were studied. The following figures were obtained. The risk of injury to a child who is in the center at the time of the accident is 28%, on the left side - 31%, on the right - 41%. The risk also depends on the age of the child. For children under one year old it is 39%, after three years it decreases to 18%.
Research from the University at Buffalo also found that the rear center seat is 16% safer than any other seat.
Considering all the above pros and cons, parents can independently choose where it is better to install their child’s car seat.
Every family that has the good fortune to raise a small child is obliged to follow the “short hand” rule for his safety. It means that you should not let the child go further from you than the hands of an adult can reach. This way you will always be able to control the situation when it comes to small children. This rule is also valid (with some reservations) in the case of transporting a child by vehicle.
Common truths from the traffic police
Since almost every family with children has their own car, adults simply have to know where the most safe place in the car for the child. Discussions on this matter are being held on various Internet forums, in European communities, as well as among compatriots.
The statistics are very varied, but I still want to hear an official answer from representatives of those in power. According to Russian legislation, small and not so toddlers under 12 years of age must be transported exclusively in a car seat (otherwise a fine!). But there are no clear instructions on where to install it; the parent must decide this issue on their own.
Five years ago, as part of the all-Russian project “Little Big Passenger,” the following recommendation was nevertheless issued: “The safest place is in the middle of the back seat, that is, in the center of the car.” Although some European experts on the issue of child car injuries are of the opinion that traveling in a car is, in any case, a dangerous thing. Therefore, no matter what position you choose, the main thing is that everyone is comfortable. Even with a car seat, the danger is also great, it’s just that the percentage varies.
Choosing a seat in the car depending on the category of the car seat
In order for children to truly occupy the safest place in the car, it is necessary to take into account the age and category of the purchased seat:
- It is recommended to install bassinet chairs for the smallest (categories 0 and 0+) in the back seat, with the headboard facing away from the door. The cradle in this case is perpendicular to the movement of the car. If the mother is driving, then this type of car seat for infants is often fixed in the front passenger seat, but against the direction of the car. The seat belt should be below the child's shoulder and there should be no airbag in this area.
- Seats of categories 1, 2, 3 can be fixed both in the front and in the rear. For the first, a five-point belt is required. In this case, children sit in the direction of travel of the car. The only difference is in the fixation of the main belt (for 1 - just above shoulder level, for 2 - through the center of the shoulder). Boosters (the third category of seats) do not have a back or side walls.
It must be remembered that the safest place in the car to install a child car seat will only be truly safe if the seat of any category is correctly installed and secured.
Attaching a car seat to the front passenger seat
Statistics inexorably tell adults that this option is the most unsafe for transporting not only children, but any passenger. This is explained by the fact that when danger threatens, the driver, as a rule, moves the vehicle to the left in order to protect himself from a collision. Accordingly, the right front corner of the car is the first to be exposed to impact.
In a frontal collision, the child will also be in imminent danger, especially if the airbag deploys. Therefore, it is impossible to call this fixation option “the safest place in the car in case of an accident.” Although there are still advantages: it is convenient for the mother to observe how the baby behaves, he is in the field of view and in the “short arm”.
Location of the car seat in the rear seat behind the passenger seat on the right
Encouraging statistics indicate that this option is very acceptable. The seat in the right rear receives the fewest impacts in an accident, because it is located in the opposite corner from oncoming traffic. To make it convenient for parents to see their child (after all, this is almost impossible in the rearview mirror), you can install an additional mirror in the car interior. This will make it easier to monitor the actions of the little passenger.
The benefits don't stop there. The right side is the safest place in the car in the sense that it is correct to seat the baby and drop him off from the sidewalk rather than the roadway.
It’s safe for a child behind the driver - a debunked myth
For a long time, it was believed that children should sit in the back left. This is true in three respects:
- As a rule, manufacturers of most car brands make the left side stronger.
- In the event of an accident, the driver automatically moves his left side away from the impact.
- In the rearview mirror you can clearly see what the child is doing. And the accompanying person in the front passenger seat can easily reach the baby with his hand in this position.
But there are also three elements that indicate that behind the driver is not the safest place in the car for a child in a seat:
- Children have to be seated and dropped off not from the sidewalk, but in close proximity to the roadway.
- In addition, oncoming traffic flow is located very close to this place.
- In case of any problems with the child, it is difficult for the driver, who is alone in the car, to reach the seat behind him while driving.
The favorite for the safety of the child seat location is the golden mean
Listening to the advice of both domestic and foreign experts, it is best to seat your precious child directly in the middle of the back seat sofa. If you visually imagine the location of the child seat inside the car in the back, in the middle, then it is obvious how much free space there is around it.
In the event of a crash, this seat is 16% safer (according to statistics from case studies at the University of Buffalo) than all other child seat positions. This is indeed, if not the safest place in the car for a child seat, then certainly to the greatest extent among the variations discussed above. It is surrounded by space that is not compressed during a collision (including lateral ones on both sides).
Methods for attaching a child seat in a car
When purchasing a seat to transport your child in a car, you should carefully study the instructions and attach it strictly according to it. Two methods are being considered:
- The car seat is secured in the selected position with the seat belts included with the vehicle. There are situations when the belts are not long enough. In this case, you absolutely cannot lengthen them yourself. It is better to contact a car repair shop or an authorized dealer for such a service.
- A less popular option - the System - has metal guides built into the child seat with special locks and fasteners at the ends. Durable brackets are installed directly into the car seat.
Although, when choosing the second option and fixing the chair with it, the fact is fully confirmed that the safest place in the car is in the back in the middle. The risks in this case are much lower than when fastening with seat belts, despite the fact that the Isofix system is less popular. This is due to the fact that not all cars are equipped in this way.
How to place children in a car if there are several of them
In many cars, the middle seat in the back is not suitable for a car seat (for example, due to the built-in folding armrest). In addition, if there are three children in a family, then it will be problematic to place three car seats at once in an average car.
It is best to place two children in the back seat as close to the center as possible. Or act on the principle: the younger, the more necessary it is to protect the baby’s trip. Therefore, parents should rationally decide where the safest places in the car will be for each of their little passengers.
