Do You Know Safest Car Seat During Accident or Crash?

Any research related to vehicle accidents considers various cohorts such as vehicle class, vehicle safety features including seat belts, climatic and weather conditions, road condition, roadside distractions such as signage and kiosks, age and mental-physical condition of driver and travellers, and most importantly, the seat position. If you are looking at safety as the main concern when deciding where you or your loved ones should sit, here's what you should know.

What the science says

While travelling in a passenger car, the rear middle passenger seat has been found to be 16% safer than any other seat in a passenger car.

Notwithstanding the twin discomforts of the floor bump and hand-rests on both the sides, you have to be seated in that space to travel as safely as possible. And if you regret missing the scenic landscapes from the rear window seats, ponder this – the back seat is 59% to 86% safer than the front seat, and the rear middle seat is 25% safer than the rear window seats. In case of a road accident, you would not have to bear the full brunt of a head-on collision or shattering window glass if you are seated in the rear middle seat.

Large crush room

A crush area is a car safety feature designed to minimise the crash impact. In the event of an accident, it absorbs the force of the crash, thus enhancing traveller safety. This crush area benefits the passenger seated in the rear middle seat more than the ones seated on the sides.

A study of two related data sets establishes the safety benefit of the rear middle seat. The first study included cases where there were travellers in the front seat as well as the rear middle seat, and which had at least one fatality. The second study had no front seat passengers but three rear seat travellers, with at least one fatality. In both the studies, the lucky one seated in the rear middle seat survived most crashes

In accidents where the car tumbles over many times, the rear middle seat is least affected by the rotational force. Hence, this seat remains better protected from the rollover impact. Besides, collateral damage such as injury from glass shards, broken side doors, dented or pierced car body, and damaged accessories, is also limited for the one seated in the rear middle.

Better survival rate for restrained passengers

The safety of this seat is enhanced manifold with the seat belt feature. Passengers seated in the rear middle with seat belt fastened have two to three times better likelihood of surviving a crash. Restrained passengers are also saved from the sudden impact of the accident; hence they are less likely to sustain head and chest injuries.

In urban car travel, incidences of bag, mobile, or chain snatching at traffic signals or other stationary points are common. In such cases, passengers on the rear window seats become easy targets. Since snatching gives the thief the twin advantages of speed and surprise, they commit the crime and leave the scene even before the victim realises that she has been targeted. Besides, snatching is not a major crime under law, so snatchers go about their jobs with relative impunity. And if they are unsuccessful, they can cause potential bodily harm to the victims out of frustration.

Apart from car accidents, the above aspect makes sitting in the rear middle all the more a sensible choice. Imagine an unsuspecting passenger seated by the rear window being suddenly assaulted and their valuables being snatched within seconds. Isn’t it better to sit at arm’s length from such assailants?

Car insurance – Safety for the vehicle and passengers

In case of accidents, crashes, mugging, or even carjacking, comprehensive car insurance takes care of numerous material losses. While seating in the rear middle seat may make you relatively safe, your car may sustain major damage if there is an accident, and your dear ones in the other seats may be harmed. Covering your car with a comprehensive insurance instrument is vital because of its value-added features. It entertains claims for damage to the insured car caused due to a wide range of reasons, and also covers loss or theft. It offers third party car insurance cover, which means that the driver and co-passengers also get compensated. And for you, it acts as a secondary personal accident cover even if you have a primary one. There are many other features that make comprehensive insurance a must-have for car owners. Read more about them here.

In this new year and new decade, let us resolve to #ThinkAhead by choosing to sit in the rear middle while travelling by car.