The Barnes Firm

Your Child’s Safest Car Seat

• August 23, 2016
• Sandy

SAN JOSE, Calif. – If you’re a parent you’ve probably been told the back seat is the safest place in the car for your child. In many ways, experts agree that children are safer in the back seat but a leading safety group says many parents could be making a dangerous and deadly mistake that has already killed nearly a thousand children.

The Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this month, asking government officials to “take action to protect children riding in the rear seats of vehicles from the risk of being killed or severely injured when struck by a collapsing front seat.”

It’s a rare problem but a Bay Area car crash lawyer says many vehicles have been known to malfunction when they’re struck from behind.

“Some front seats are designed to collapse backwards to absorb the impact of a crash but we’ve seen this so-called ‘safety feature’ cause many injuries in Bay Area,” car accident attorney Landon Vivian said. “If there’s a child in the back, the front seat can collapse on top of that child and cause serious injuries or death.”

Safety advocates say the federal standard for car seats is more than 30 years old and it’s time for automakers to strengthen seatbacks.

The CAS petition hopes government officials can warn parents about the potential dangers:

If Possible, Children Should Be Placed In Rear Seating Positions Behind Unoccupied Front Seats. In Rear-End Crashes, The Backs Of Occupied Front Seats Are Prone To Collapse Under The Weight Of Their Occupants. If This Occurs, The Seat Backs And Their Occupants Can Strike Children In Rear Seats And Cause Severe Or Fatal Injuries

CAS has called the current seatback standard “woefully out of date” and “far too weak.”

Bay Area car accident attorneys say seatback strength remains, for the most part, an unknown problem for drivers – especially parents.

“Many of the vehicles equipped with collapsing seats are not under a recall and many automakers say the seats work as they were designed,” Sheehan said. “Unfortunately, that design has been linked to deadly accidents and children are most at risk.”

Many safety advocates, including the Bay Area car accident attorneys at The Barnes Firm, are urging parents to put children behind an empty passenger seat, if possible. An unoccupied seat is less likely to collapse in a rear-end collision. If all the front seats are occupied, safety experts suggest putting your child behind the seat with the lightest person; if a rear-end crash does occur, the lightest person can carry the least amount of force.

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