The safest place to put your baby in the car
Making sure your baby is safe and secure in the car is vital. The safest place to put your baby is the rear middle seat. Here’s why.
Why the rear seat is safest
If you’re unfortunate enough to have an accident, the rear middle seat is statistically the safest place for your baby to be. It’s furthest away from any possible impact and is unlikely to be affected by a side-on collision.
There’s also less risk of the baby being injured by an airbag, which are designed for adults and can be very dangerous to children.
Why you should avoid the front seat
While you might want to have your baby in the front seat so you can keep an eye on them more easily, it can actually be a lot more dangerous.
If you have a rear-facing baby seat and want to put your baby in the front seat you’ll have to make sure the airbag is disabled. Because the baby’s head is closer to the dashboard in a rear-facing baby seat, the force of the airbag expanding can cause serious injury or even death.
If you have a front-facing baby seat you should still adjust your car’s safety settings, but the risk is considerably lessened.
What kind of car seat should you get?
Rear-facing car seats provide the best protection for babies. This type of seat supports your baby’s head and neck and can help distribute the force of a crash more evenly. This reduces the risk of injury to your baby if you do get into an accident.
Child car safety tips
There are several other things you should do when driving with your baby to make sure they’re as safe as possible.
- Make sure the car seat is installed correctly: Most cars and car seats will have ISOFIX fittings – standardised attachments for securing a baby seat in your car. Check these thoroughly each time you put the baby seat in the car.
- Get the correct car seat: Make sure the seat you have is right for your baby’s height and weight.
- Check the harness: Once you’ve got the seat in the car, check the harness after you’ve strapped your baby in. There should only be about a finger’s width of space between the harness and your baby’s chest.
- Avoid bulky clothing: Bulky clothes can interfere with how effective the harness is. Dress your baby in light layers, and put a blanket over the top of the harness for extra warmth if necessary.
Looking for car insurance? Get a quote with 1st Central.