by kdshutterman
You are no doubt aware that your newborn baby should be in a rear facing car seat from birth, but did you know that it is in fact safer to keep your child facing the rear of the car for as long as possible?
Many parents want to be able to see their children when they are driving and are in a hurry to get their babies into forward facing car seats as soon as possible. But could this be leading to more injuries and deaths of children in car accidents?
In Scandinavia, children are kept in rear facing car seats until they are 4-5 years old (25kg or 55lbs) and this has reduced the number of serious injuries and deaths of children from car accidents.
The most dangerous car accidents are frontal collisions as they usually happen at the highest speeds and when the greatest forces are at play. In a forward facing car seat a child will be thrown forwards upon collision and then be caught by the harness putting stress on the neck, spine and internal organs. In a rear facing car seat the child is flung back into the seat and the force of impact is spread along the whole of the back of the seat. This means that the neck, spine and internal organs are not subjected to any stress from the force of the impact, therefore protecting them from injury.
To find out more about the benefits of rear facing car seats please visit rearfacing.motors.co.uk and join in the campaign.
