What’s the Safest Seat in My Vehicle For a Car Seat?
This often one of the first questions that I get from expectant parents or caregivers at a car seat check - and it’s a great one! However, there is no “one-size-fits-all” answer. Many parents and caregivers come in assuming that the rear middle seat is the safest place for their car seat but, while it may be furthest from any potential point of impact, it may not be the best place in YOUR vehicle for YOUR car seat! When I’m talking to parents/caregivers, I walk them through a list of things to consider when installing a car seat:
Where can you get a nice, solid installation?
Where can you take advantage of any extra safety features (load leg, rigid LATCH, etc.)?
Where can you most easily access the car seat/child?
Can the driver/passenger ride at a safe and comfortable distance from the steering wheel/dashboard when the car seat is properly installed?
Are there any other children/passengers/car seats that need to be taken into account?
Let’s talk about the rear middle seat again - so many parents/caregivers want their child’s seat installed in this seat, but sometimes (depending on your vehicle and your car seat) you may not be able to get a good installation in this seating position:
It may be too narrow for a car seat to fit correctly
It may be too "humped" to allow the car seat to rest flat and get a snug installation
There may be a hump on the floor beneath the middle seat that prohibits the use of a load leg (an additional safety feature you may have paid for!)
It very likely doesn’t have dedicated LATCH lower anchor points, which means you can't use rigid lower anchors (an additional safety feature you may have paid for)
Additionally, the middle seat may also be difficult for a parent/caregiver to access. It’s really important that you are able to easily access your car seat so you can use it correctly every single time.
If you’re debating between the seat behind the driver vs. the seat behind the passenger, the safety profile of both of these seats is essentially the same. However, it’s important to consider who frequently drives or is a passenger in the vehicle. Many car seat manufacturers don't allow the car seat to touch any part of the vehicle interior (aside from the seat it is installed on). So if you have a very tall person who is the main driver of the vehicle and a rear-facing car seat that cannot touch the seat behind it, it makes sense to install that car seat on the passenger’s side to ensure that there is enough space between the car seat and the vehicle seat. Vehicle safety is important for everyone, so we want to make sure that the driver and passenger are also able to sit at a comfortable (and safe!) distance from the dashboard while all carseats are correctly installed.
It’s also important to consider backseat passengers! If you're trying to fit multiple car seats in the backseat, remember that any car seats installed directly next to each other must be independently tight. They shouldn't brace against each other and should remain tight independently (if you uninstall one seat, it should not affect the tightness of the other seat's installation). You should also consider the dynamics between kiddos sitting in the backseat. If you have two kiddos who get into squabbles, you may wish to keep an empty middle seat between them so that they can’t bother each other during car rides. If you have multiple kiddos in the backseat, you may also wish to put taller high-back forward facing car seats in the outboard positions (behind the passenger or driver) to keep the view clear to the rear window.
There are lots of things to consider when making this choice! If you’re having trouble determining the best place in your vehicle for your car seat, check in with a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST). We are here to help!
