why is it not safe for a child to sit in the middle of the back seat? I always thought it was safer , like if someone runs into the side of your car he/she would be hurt I always had my son's carseat in the middle thinking i was helping him. now someone said the middle is not safe..ok but what if if someone ran into the back of the car his carseat would not run into the front seat it would just go in the middle of the two front seats right? so what is safer the middle or the side?
2006-11-17 12:45:13 · 18 answers · asked by ladytee 4 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
A side impact would sure tend to have the ability to cause more injuries or deaths if children were in either of the side seats. The middle is recommended by manufacturers. Check out pages 12 and 13, the middle position with an adult in back as well to monitor the baby:
QUOTE
1) Overall Considerations in Selecting a Location
a) The rear seating positions have been shown to be statistically safer for children than the front seating position.
b) We recommend that you use the center rear seat position as the safest location for the Safety Seat. In addition, whenever possible, have an adult ride in the rear with the child in order to monitor the child.
c) If the driver is the only adult in the vehicle and the child requires constant monitoring, then the forward seating position may be used if there is no passenger side air bag and all of the following requirements are met for this location.
END QUOTE
http://www.babytrend.com/instructions/6200FL,1-04.pdf
The adult is not always possible, and certainly if more than one baby is involved things are more difficult, but definitely the center if feasible.
It is interesting is that some car manufacturers do not provide the necessary attachements in the rear middle seat for certain seats :
QUOTE
We are about to purchase Prius #2 and about to have Baby #1. In attempting the install of the car seat for baby #1 in Prius #1, we discovered the only way to securely install the seat is on a side seat in the back as the latches are not availabe in the center. What's worse is it can only be installed on the passenger side as I am too tall to put directly behind me without my knees touching the steering wheel. Before purchasing prius #2, we want to resolve our concerns. our biggest two concerns are:
1. with the seat on a side should we be concerned with side airbags deploying?
2. with the seat behind the passenger, does the vent that cools the battery in that location pose a threat (i.e. heat, explosion in accident, etc.) to a baby that would be facing the vent - we live in Arizona, so our batteries get HOT
Curious if anyone has addressed or resolved these issues? Thanks!!!
END QUOTE
http://www.priusonline.com/viewtopic.php?t=7448&highlight=
If you follow this thread, the California Highway Patrol confirmed the inability to secure this particular seat properly, which implies htey (the CHP) also prefer rear center. So, do research on vehicle(s) and cars prior to purchasing.
2006-11-17 12:46:40 · answer #1 · answered by gare 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration recommends that children should be in carseats placed in the middle of the back seat. If you have more than one child, this option is obviously not possible, but the middle of the back seat is still the safest spot.
2006-11-18 16:23:24 · answer #2 · answered by dolphin mama 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to the police and the car seat manufacturer the middle is the safest. For one thing it is safer in side collisions. For another in most older cars (without LATCH/UAS) the lap only belt is better for attaching seatbelts.
In addition when we got our convertable seat installed in our car by a police officer specially trained to do it, he told us that the car seat can NOT touch the front seat. It is NOT meant to hit the front seat in the case of an accident. It is meant to fall back and down (still attached to the seatbelt) and then back up. Not go back and slam into the seat in front of it. Hitting anything is bad in an accident so why would you want a childseat to hit something. It doesn't make any sense. We had to install in the back passenger side otherwise there wouldn't be enough room for my 6' tall husband to drive. But the other seat we installed in the middle.
Also I have never seen a carseat that could fit between the gap in the front seats in any car. Seriously. Wouldn't fit.
2006-11-17 21:40:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The thinking on not putting the carseat in the middle is that it could potentially fly between the seats and into the windshield, where if it is on the side of the car, it would be stopped by the seat in front of it.
I don't know which is actually safer - you should surf around the 'net and try to find some solid statistics. I'm sure they're out there somewhere.
2006-11-17 20:47:42 · answer #4 · answered by shannonfstewart 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
My understanding is that the middle of the back seat is still the safest position-wise. The problem is that a) there is not usually a shoulder belt, and b) a carseat often does not fasten in as securely with LATCH, tether hooks, and shoulder belts as it would in a side seat.
2006-11-17 21:47:27 · answer #5 · answered by toomanycommercials 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It's because most cars only have belts on both sides none in the middle.But also if you have bucket seats the child in the middle with fly between those two seats in an impact accident.
2006-11-17 20:53:58 · answer #6 · answered by Mother of 2 girls 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'm not sure who that "someone" is, but carseats are safer in the middle. I keep my infant in the middle and older child on the outside. Besides- it is safer to use a lap belt then a shoulder harness seatbelt for an infant's carseat.
2006-11-17 20:47:56 · answer #7 · answered by iampatsajak 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
it is better to have the carseat in the middle. That is what is taught and what is in the directions. If you get twins, then well, you just have to put one on the side. But if you can use the middle seat. it is safest.
2006-11-17 20:47:52 · answer #8 · answered by sr22racing 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I have been a mom for 27 years and a daycare provider for 20 years. I have always been told that the middle of the back seat of a car is the safest for a car seat. Several of my daycare parents have been police officers, trained to check proper usage of car seats, and they always recommended middle of the back seat whenever possible.
2006-11-17 21:05:38 · answer #9 · answered by sevenofus 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I had my kids on the side. But my sister in law puts her son in the middle. I think the direction manual for the car seat instructed that. Now the booster seat instruction manuel that I currently use said to use it with the shoulder strap which would be on the side.
2006-11-17 20:51:07 · answer #10 · answered by angelica 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋