Where is the Safest Place to sit in a Car?

From my vantage dealing with car accidents throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts, it is nice to write every once in a while on how to avoid injuries. Did you know that where you sit and your age may play a factor in minimizing personal injuries?

Many studies have been conducted to test the safest seat in a car, and the results are in fact, pretty surprising. Investigators have found that younger children have a lower risk of death when sitting in the rear seat, but people from 13-54 years old find no risk of fatality in the rear or front seats. Interestingly enough, the middle back seat was voted as the overall sagest spot in a car.

Newer Cars and Safety

In newer vehicles, the seatbelt technology has been upgraded to help protect the driver and passengers from personal injuries if they were to get into an auto accident. For about a decade, these new seatbelts have protected front-seat riders. The seatbelts will tighten when the sensors detect a crash, or could loosen if the person is using enough pressure to avoid injuries from the seatbelt being too tight.

With these seatbelts, sitting in the front of a car is now safer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that people 55 and older should sit in the front seat rather than the back seat to avoid any severe injuries.

Seatbelts in the back seats do not have the same technology as the front seats yet, increasing the chance of an injury occurring from a belt. Jessica Jermakian, a researcher at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety told New York Times, “There was evidence of significant seatbelt forces on the chest of occupants of all ages.” People who are older 55 also tend to have frailer bones, making them more likely to be injured from the force of seatbelts.

Seatbelt Safety and Auto Accidents

According to the CDC, seat belts reduce the risk of death by 45% and serious injuries by 50%. Without wearing a seatbelt, you are 30 times more likely to be ejected from the vehicle during a car crash.

Although studies show that the back middle seat is the safest area for some people to sit, the most important thing should be your seatbelt. No matter where you sit, the seatbelt is what will protect you from launching forward into the front seat or even out the car.

It’s Good To Know Mike Bottaro – 24/7 Personal Injury Help

At the Bottaro Law Firm, LLC, we handle car accident personal injury every day. Honesty. Integrity. Results. Our experienced legal team is here to fight for your rights. Contact us in any method you prefer 24/7 for a fast, free, and confidential consultation about your case. Text or call: 401-777-7777 or fill out our free and confidential online form.