All the modern passive safety systems of a car, but also the regulations on mandatory equipment are focused by the manufacturers on the front seats and not so much on the rear.
Today the front seats have various adjustments, mechanical and electrical, as well as individually adjustable lumbar support cushions. To ensure complete safety during a collision in the back of the seat there is the WHIPS system (Whiplash Protection System), where at the moment of impact, this special back frame structure bends backwards protecting the spine from injuries.
Rear seats seem to play a less important role in the safety and comfort of a car. They have seat belts and headrests, while there are no airbags and the big question is how to protect the passengers in the back of the cabin.
An analysis of the impact of frontal accidents conducted by the Institute Highway Safety in the US, shows that passengers traveling in the back seat of a car suffered the most injuries.
A frontal crash study conducted in the United States also by the Highway Safety Institute found that more than half of rear-seat passengers were more seriously injured than those in the front. This is mainly due to the fact that passive safety systems for the protection of passengers in the front seats have been developed faster than in the rear. Optimized folding belts, airbags, new materials and new types of belts contribute to greater safety for the front seats compared to the rear seats that do not yet have similar safety systems.
The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), a U.S. nonprofit funded by car insurance companies in partnership with a Philadelphia hospital, analyzed 117 car accidents people aged 6 to 92 years. They were all in the back seat of a car during a head-on collision. The medical records showed that some of the injuries suffered by the passengers were caused by seat belts that put too much pressure on the chest. However, this was not the result of using belts, but rather using an older version of the belt. It turns out that in many car models, the seat belts used in the rear seats do not have the so-called tension limiters to protect against such injuries, which is already standard in the front seats.
The elderly are actually the most vulnerable to injuries due to belt pressure. Their bones are more fragile, making them more prone to fractures. This is why the IIHS recommended that older passengers should occupy the front seat if the rear seat belts are not equipped with a voltage limiter.
Children over the age of 13 should travel in the rear seat, as the rear of the vehicle is subject to less pressure. The rear seat is also the safest place for children to travel in well-placed and secure child car seats. A well-designed rear car seat offers maximum safety. Seat belts, head restraints and well-designed rear seats are responsible for protecting the occupants. The rear seat must be firmly reinforced, have sufficient depth and a characteristic longitudinal recess in the edge, which will prevent the passenger from sliding forward in the event of a collision.
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