For years, we’ve been told that the back seat was the safest place to sit if you were involved in a car accident. And for decades this was true. Now, however, things may be changing. Recent advancements in crash technology has improved the safety features in the front seat, making the front passenger seat a lot safer.
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia conducted a study in 2015 to determine where the safest place to sit in a car accident really was. They found that in cars manufactured after 2006, passengers had a 46% greater chance of dying in a car accident when riding in the back seat. Even if they were wearing their seat belts, front seat passengers fared better.
Researchers found that adults in the back seat were more likely to suffer from chest injuries. For women restrained in the rear seats, there was evidence that they were more likely to suffer head and neck injuries.
For children, however, the back seat is still the safest place for children under the age of 13. Children 12 years of age and younger represent 56% of all back seat passengers, but just 24% of all car accident fatalities. As such, always place children and car seats in the back seat of the car for maximum safety.
What About Third Row Seats?
For many car manufacturers, adding a third row seat means squeezing these seats into vehicles that really aren’t big enough. Minimum safety standards for third row seats aren’t very strict, and as such, it can leave passengers vulnerable to injuries. Passengers in the third-row seats are very vulnerable to rear-end accidents. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that third row seats are twice as dangers as second row seats or front row seats.
Further Reading: Unbelted Passengers Can Fatally Injure Others
Front Seat Safety Advancements
Over the years, the automobile industry has focused on improving front seat safety because that is where approximately 85% of all passengers sit. Airbags and frontal crash systems have drastically improved the likelihood of surviving a car accident in the front seat. Now it seems that back seat passengers could benefit from similar technological advancements, such as airbags and energy transferring seat belts.
Contact Our Pueblo Car Accident Lawyers
Being injured in a car accident can completely derail your entire life. Injuries can take months and even years to fully recover from and the economic damages to your family can be severe. That is why you need an experienced Pueblo car accident lawyer on your side from the very start. Call Pueblo attorneys at Smith & Smith, today for a FREE CONSULTATION – (719) 544-0062.
