Even if you have the right car seat, where you put it in the car matters: The safest place for babies and children is in the back middle seat. If needed, you can also put a car seat in the back window seats.
The safest place for car seats is the area of the vehicle farthest from crash force and air bags. This means the second row center seat is the safest placement for a car seat, or any passengers, for that matter. A 2007 study showed that 0-3 year olds were 43% safer in the center back seat than anywhere else in the car.
If you place only one car seat in the back seat, install it in the center of the seats. Just make sure it can fit well there. Placing the car seat in the center lowers the risk of injury during a crash.
Where is the safest place to put a car seat? A study published in Pediatrics, showed for children newborn to 3 years old and all installs being equal, sitting in the center rear seat is 43% safer than sitting on the side in the back. The rear center position will be the furthest from any impact in any type of crash.
Install in the Backseat
That is the safest spot for your baby. If you can, put the car seat in the center seat. If not, it is fine behind either the driver or passenger side. The important thing is that it is in the back, away from the airbags.
Why is the middle seat safest? Simply stated, the middle seat is the furthest from impact during a collision, as well as the furthest away from air bags. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that all children under the age of 13 ride in the back seat, ideally in the center.
Always put your infant in a rear-facing child safety seat in the back of your car. A baby riding in the front seat can be fatally injured by a passenger side air bag. The shoulder straps must be at or below your baby's shoulders.
It may be hard to believe that there's one area of the backseat that's safer for your children, but studies have proven that the middle seat is the safest place. Remember, if you have more than one car seat, the center seat and the seat behind the passenger are the best places to install your car seats.
Children aged between 6 months and 4 years must use either a rear-facing child car seat or a forward-facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness. Children aged between 4 and 7 years must use a forward‑facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness or an approved booster seat.
At first glance, one might think that a driver's seat located in the center of a car would result in improved visibility. However, doing so would make the side-view mirrors impractical. Also, a middle-positioned seat would move the driver further away from the centerline of a road.
Another reason the passenger seat behind the driver may be the safest is that the driver is likely to instinctively react to protect themselves in emergencies. Thus, the driver may unconsciously protect the driver's side more than the passenger's side, and with it, the passenger behind them more than passengers.
Your baby should not be in a car seat for longer than two hours at a time. Research has shown a link between travelling in car seats for long periods and breathing difficulties in young babies. If you are driving for a long period of time, it is important that you take regular breaks (at least every two hours).
Drivers also need to ensure passengers under 16 years old are using seatbelts or are in approved child car seats. This also includes in ride shares or taxis.
Not before age 2.
Years ago, age 2 was considered the standard time to switch to the forward-facing position. Now, it's considered the absolute minimum, because most 2-year-olds won't be adequately protected from a crash in a forward-facing seat.
While using a backless booster seat or booster cushion is legal if it met Australian standards at the time it was manufactured, experts strongly advise against them. In Australia, all child restraints and car seats bought, sold or used must meet Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 1754.
The safest placement of a car seat is on the rear seat of your vehicle in the center position, as it protects your child in the event of a side impact collision. The rear passenger side of your vehicle is an alternative option.
However, a study of frontal crashes conducted in the United States by the Institute of Highway Safety showed that more than half of rear seat passengers were more seriously injured than those in the front.
Some vehicle types do better than others when fitting three car seats across. However, it can be done in almost any car, depending on the car seats. The best options are SUVs and minivans, with most models accommodating three car seats across a seat bench.
Place the car seat base in the back seat of your vehicle. In a crash, the back seat is the safest place to be, and rear-facing car seats provide extra protection for your child's head, neck and spine.
Unless your car seat manufacturer allows it, don't place any rolled-up towels or pool noodles under a rear-facing car seat to achieve the proper recline. Similarly, never put any extra padding in the bucket of the seat underneath or behind the child.
First, it is worth noting that the best position babies should be put to sleep is flat on their backs. The back is the best position and not the tummy nor in the upright position. Putting babies to sleep in a car seat on their bellies increases their risks of suffocating.
The rear middle seat is the safest seat in a car
Assuming a passenger is properly using their seatbelt or car seat or booster for a child, the rear middle seat is currently the safest seat in a car.