Page 24 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – September 2018

Safe Travels with Rear-Facing Car Seats
By Julie Mansfield, M.S.
Any parent who has wrestled with the proper installation of a car seat knows what a challenge it can be. Challenging, yes, but also critically important to our children’s safety.
A lot of parents ask me about rear-facing car seats because they’re concerned about the possibility of another vehicle hitting their car from behind with the child facing the same direction. These rear-facing seats have been shown to significantly reduce infant and toddler fatalities and injuries in frontal and side-impact crashes, but they’re rarely discussed in terms of rear-impact collisions.
Because rear-impact crashes account for more than 25 percent of all accidents, my colleagues and I at
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center conducted a new study to explore the effectiveness of rear-facing car seats. Our study found that even though the child is facing the direction of the impact, it doesn’t mean that a rear-facing car seat isn’t going to do its job. These seats have lots of different features and mechanisms to absorb that crash energy and protect the child.
We conducted crash tests with multiple rear-facing car seats. We tested two different infant carriers, or rear-facing only car seats, which are the kind that you often see newborns in with the handle that you can lift on and off the base. We also tested two convertible seats in the rear-facing position. These are the seats that an older toddler might be in, who is still rear-facing.
We investigated the effects of various features like the carry handle position and anti-rebound bars. Our study shows that when used correctly, all were effective because they absorbed crash forces while controlling the motion of the child, making rear-facing car seats a good choice.
The rear-facing seat is able to support the child’s head, neck and spine and keep those really vulnerable body regions well-protected. These regions are especially vulnerable in newborns and younger
It’s of utmost importance for parents to follow the recommended guidelines on the correct type of car seat for their child’s height, weight and age.
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Free Car Seat Inspection
AAA Ohio offers free car seat inspections with an appointment during normal business hours at most of
its stores. Store locations that offer inspections can
be found at AAA.com/childsafety. Appointments can
be made by calling 614-431-7882.