What'S The Safest Seat In A Car?

It’s the one place that no one ever (knowingly) wants to sit. Stuck smack dab in the middle like a human sandwich where there is no such thing as personal space. Even worse if you find that dreaded middle seat has a hump like a camel.talk about uncomfortable! But, as it turns out, the middle seat is statistically the safest seat in the car! Why is the middle seat safest? Simply stated, the middle seat is the furthest from impact during a collision, as well as the furthest away from air bags.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that all children under the age of 13 ride in the back seat, ideally in the center. The rear center seat is also recommended as the best place for kids’ car seats. In fact, the AAP found that children in the rear center seat have a 43 percent lower risk of injury than children in the rear window seats.

But, what if I have more than one child? Who goes in the middle then? Your favorite child. No, no, no, we are only kidding. The safest seating position for each occupant varies by a lot of factors, like age, weight, height, type of car seat, type of seat belt, etc.

When you have more than one child, it is typically recommended to place the child needing the most protection in the center.
How do you determine that? Reach out to a local Child Passenger Safety Technician,
They will be able to work with you and help provide education and recommendations for your particular needs, taking all passengers (front and rear) into account.

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What is the safest seat in a SUV?

CARS.COM — Take a second and try to imagine what seat in your car, truck or SUV is the safest in a crash. OK, let’s clarify: Which rear passenger seat is the safest? The ones with side impact airbags? Nope, it’s the one in the middle. At least, it usually is.

But not always.

Related: Car Seat Checks So said Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
It makes sense when you think about it: Curtain airbags notwithstanding, the middle seat puts you farther away from side impacts.
The center position is the safest spot in the vehicle, especially for children.

If you’re a passenger in a three-row SUV, the middle seat of the middle row is the safest bet, Rader said. It gets a bit more complicated, though. Many cars don’t have a whiplash-abating head restraint in the middle seat, but they do offer them for the outboard seats.

That doesn’t really change much, Rader said. The larger issue is still the seat distance from an area of impact. Most serious crashes usually occur from the front or side, so the lack of a head restraint doesn’t offset the benefit of sitting in the middle, he said. And don’t worry about the pinball effect — if you’re properly belted into your seat, having extra space between you and the impact doesn’t mean you’ll be thrown around the vehicle more.

Here’s the exception: Older cars have only a lap belt in the center, while the outboard seat belts are conventional three-pointers. Most models built in the past five years have a three-point seat belt in the middle, and the shoulder element adds significant safety value — so much that if you get into a car without one, you’re better off sitting in an outboard seat, Rader said.

In such situations, is the driver or passenger side less ripe for T-boning than the other? Rader thinks not: “People run red lights from both directions,” he said.

Of course, if safety trumped everything else, we’d wear helmets and five-point harnesses every time we drove our cars the five blocks it takes to get to Target.

What positions survive car accidents?

Abstract – Introduction: This study investigated the survival rates of occupants of passenger cars involved in a fatal crash between 2000 and 2003. Methods: The information from every fatal crash in the United States between 2000 and 2003 was analyzed. Variables such as seat position, point of impact, rollover, restraint use, vehicle type, vehicle weight, occupant age, and injury severity were extracted from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Univariate and a full logistic multivariate model analyses were performed. Results: The data show that the rear middle seat is safer than any other occupant position when involved in a fatal crash. Overall, the rear (2(nd) row) seating positions have a 29.1% (Univariate Analysis, p<.0001, OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.22 - 1.37) increased odds of survival over the first row seating positions and the rear middle seat has a 25% (Univariate Analysis, p<.0001, OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.17 - 1.34) increased odds of survival over the other rear seat positions. After correcting for potential confounders, occupants of the rear middle seat have a 13% (Logistic Regression, p<.001, 95% CI 1.02 - 1.26) increased chance of survival when involved in a crash with a fatality than occupants in other rear seats. Conclusion: This study has shown that the safest position for any occupant involved in a motor-vehicle crash is the rear middle seat. Impact on industry: The results of this research may impact how automobile manufacturers look at future rear middle seat designs. If the rear seat was to be designed exactly like its outboard counterparts (headrest, armrests, lap and shoulder belt, etc.) people may choose to sit on it more often rather than waiting to use it out of necessity due to multiple rear seat occupants.

Where is it safer to sit in a car?

When traveling by car, the middle rear seat is the safest spot, especially for children. This is because the rear middle seat is the furthest distance from a potential collision on either side of a vehicle. This seat also offers a level of insulation if passengers are sitting on either side of you.

What is the least safest seat in a car?

Yes, wearing your seatbelt can save your life in an accident, but so can sitting in the right seat. Check out what researchers discovered. – Gargantiopa/Shutterstock While you might assume that the act of fastening your seatbelt means you’re safe no matter where you’re sitting in the car, the truth is more complicated. Weirdly, the safest spot to sit depends on your age, In research throughout the years—including studies at the University of Buffalo, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and other findings, investigators have found that children younger than eight years old had the lowest risk of death while sitting in the rear seat; the risk increased slightly if they were between the ages of nine and 12.

By the way, all the statistics refer to occupants who are properly belted in to approved seating.) From ages 13 to 54, researchers found no difference in risk of fatality in the rear seats versus the front seats. In research involving older cars and all age groups, the overall safest spot in the car seemed to be the middle back seat.

Here’s how to handle 11 scary driving situations safely. However, when researchers singled out people over 55 in newer model cars, the back seat was actually more dangerous than the front. “That doesn’t mean that the rear seat in newer vehicles is less safe than in older model vehicles,” said Anne McCartt, senior vice president of research with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety/Highway Loss Data Institute,

Why is the passenger seat called the death seat?

The passenger seat next to the driver of an automotive vehicle.

Should you tense in a car crash?

Should I Brace for an Accident? – Victims of head-on or otherwise expected accidents do tend to brace as a reflex. In fact, one study found more than half of victims of head-on collisions locked their arms against the steering wheel or dashboard, pushing themselves against the seat.

This pressure does protect the head and chest from the impact, and typically results in fewer injuries. In essence, your body braces to protect the most vulnerable areas. Pushing your head into the headrest, and your back into the seat helps protect your head and back from injuries. Keeping your body forward-facing will reduce neck and back injuries.

Tensing your body, as though it is going to bear the brunt of a large impact, tightens the muscles for protection of your internal organs.