Safest postion for front facing car seat?

Question

I was just wondering where the safest place to put the front facing car seat in the middle or behind the driver's seat or the passenger's.

Answer 1

most are behind the passenger seat so the driver can glance back to check the munchkin, if there is only one adult in the car

Answer 2

Center is the safest (furthest from a point of impact) if you can get a solid install (less than one inch of movement at the belt path).  

If the center doesn't have a top tether, then I'd opt for outboard with top tether.

FYI: most cars do NOT allow for LATCH to be used in the center, so check your vehicle and carseat owners manuals.

Answer 3

Ideally the safest place is in the center of the back seat, but in the real world this actually isn't always true, b/c not every child car seat will fit in the middle of every vehicle. So....

the safest place for any car seat is where it fits the best. If it fits equally well in all positions, the safest place is in the middle where the child is more protected from side impact collisions.  

As for which of drivers/passengers is safer, the only way to know that is to look into the future and know which side you'll be hit on in an accident, lol, since you can't do that, they are equally safe if the seat fits the same on both sides.

I have a question for you though: how old is your child? Weight?  Here's why:

Babies should stay rear facing AS LONG AS POSSIBLE! Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life! American Academy of Pediatrics says to keep kids rear facing to the limit of their convertible car seat. All current models go to at least 30lbs, many higher.

A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.

In the age of the internet its amazing so much misinformation exists! Please please do not listen to people telling you to turn your child forward facing 'at your judgement' or when her legs touch the seat. In truth, most children LIKE resting their feet on the back of the seat in front of them. Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum... It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (see sources) that ALL babies stay rear facing as long as possible, up to the weight/height limits of their seat. Most seats go to 30lbs rear facing, some go higher, check your manual. They are too tall for an infant carrier when the head is within an inch of the top of the shell. Too tall for most convertible seats when their ears reach the top of the seat. Has nothing to do with how long their legs are! There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better. They are safest rear facing b/c their bones have not yet completed the ossification process that bonds/hardens them like adults. They need the bracing support that a rear facing seat offers to withstand a crash. 20lbs AND 1 year is the bare minimum as far as the law is concerned, but the law is the bare minimum of safety, and who wants to do the bare minimum for their child?

Answer 4

The safest place is always the middle of the back seat for any vehicle.

Answer 5

In the middle of the rear seat. That way if you get T Boned the baby will be safer in the middle.