Hello All,
What is your knowledge and opinions on the safest place in the car for mounting child seats? We have probably all heard various recommendations and so have I, but the recommendations are not always 100% consistent and vary depending on the source. One thing that is usually suggested is that back seats are a safer place for a child seat than front seats. But which of the rear seats - driver side, passenger side or the one in the centre?
Points to discuss:
- Rearward-facing seat recommendations vs. forward-facing seat recommendations?
- Isofix-mounted vs. seatbelt-mounted? It seems to make sense that Isofix (if equipped with the top tether) should work better than seatbelt-based mounting, as Isofix has been designed for this purpose. Crash test (e.g. ADAC) suggest that it is not always the case though.
- The middle back seat seems a good choice because it is close to the geometrical centre of the car, so the crumple zones around the seat are the largest then. Provided that this seat is equipped with Isofix or three-point seatbelt.
- The back seat on the passenger side seems to be a good choice because: the backrest of the front passenger seat protects the child from objects that might fall into the vehicle during a collision; the seat is on the pavement side so when the car is parked, the seat can be accessed safely; this seat is always equipped with a 3-point seatbelt, and usually also with Isofix.
- Some argue that the place behind the driver seat is the safest because the driver "instinctively avoids" collisions which might affect their side of the vehicle. But I have not seen any research to support it and in my opionion it is a myth. What is your view?
- The influence of side airbags / curtain airbags on a child positioned on one of the sides of the rear seat?
A couple of links to start with:
http://www.webmd.com/children/news/2008 ... s-car-seathttps://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesa ... rt-924.htmhttp://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-livin ... t-20043939Comments very welcome!