Your baby’s safety is at stake if you are facing his car seat forward.
And if you want to know, why are rear facing car seats safer for babies? You’ve reached the right place.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 91,000 children younger than 12 were reported to have injuries in 2019 in the US during a car crash.
We suppose this ratio is increasing with the rise in population.
The positive side here is that you can keep your baby from falling in this car accident ratio. All you have to do is face his car seat rear.
Read till the end to know why your child should travel rear-facing in the car and until when.
Table of Contents
Why are Rear Facing Car Seats Safer for Babies?
The Majority of Accidents Occur from the Front
Reports suggest that 27.6% of car accidents are frontal. This ratio is more than the rear accidents. This justifies that your baby will be safe if he travels with the car seat rear-faced.
If your car hits from the front, your baby will have a forward collapse facing the front. This will cause his weak back and neck to be injured or broken in the worst case since the crash energy would be immense.
On the contrary, if your baby faces backward, his body will be forced against the frame of the car seat. This support on his head, neck, and spine will keep him from severe injuries that can otherwise occur.
Bar Keeps the Car Seat in Position
Car seats out there come with an anti-rebound bar. This anti-bound bar is intended to absorb the crash force and keep your baby’s car seat in position.
Anti-rebound bars stand against the seat back of your passenger seat. This added safety layer sheds if you face the baby forward in the car.
Pro-tip: Every car seat doesn’t come with this bar integrated. So, consider one with an anti-rebound bar next time you buy it.
Load Legs Becomes a Barrier
Load legs in a car seat have a similar function as the anti-rebound bar. It keeps your baby’s car seat from moving in the event of a crash. This way, your baby sitting inside the car seat has a safe escape.
Rising from the base of the car seat and holding your car’s ground firm, it soaks the impacts of collision. Again, this is not something you can achieve facing the car seat forward.
Also Read: Best Britax Car Seat in 2022
Safety from Severe Injuries
It goes without saying that a car crash can result in minor and deadly injuries. As per research, car accidents have caused head, thoracic, spinal, and abdominal injuries in babies.
There are cases where children got permanent paralysis and deafness due to car accidents. Facing rear, the chances of your baby getting hurt by accident reduces by 90% – which is a big percentage.
Keeps Your Child Flying Through the Window
Although it’s rare, your baby’s harness may unfasten during a crash. And this unbuckling will lead to a series of your baby’s movements from his position.
Suppose your child is riding front-faced. Isn’t there a high chance of him flying out of the window? We wish this don’t happen to any kid, but cases are reported with babies flying out of the car window.
Let’s face it, this will result in drastic injuries and can be deadly. On the contrary, riding backward with the buckles on, your baby’s car seat will stay in position with the help of an anti-rebound bar and load legs.
How Much Should a Baby Weigh to Face Forward in Car Seat?
It is suggested to keep your baby rear faced until he hits his 20 pounds. However, most rear facing car seats come with a weight limit of 30 to 35 pounds. So, we’d recommend using a car seat backward facing until your baby outgrows the weight limit since it’s the safest way to travel for him.
Sometimes, your baby will outgrow the car seat’s height limit before the weight. In that case, it will be uncomfortable for your baby to travel facing the rear. So, once he crosses the suggested weight or height – whatever comes first, allow him to ride the facing front.
Conclusion
Today we answered the query, “why are rear facing car seats safer for babies?”
Let us repeat that the front accidents have more probability than the rear. So, facing your child’s rear is directly proportional to keeping him safe.
Riding your baby rear-faced will also keep his car seat in position in the event of a crash. Car seats come with anti-rebound bar and load legs that are intended to absorb the impacts and avoid immense movement when seats are facing the rear.
Besides, many babies fly out of a car’s window and have deadly injuries facing forward. That’s why we suggest keeping your baby forward-faced until he outgrows the weight or height limit of his car seat.
Also Read: Best Slim Car Seat to Fit in Your Small Car
