[KiloAlpha]

See the article below:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/seat-bac...-nhtsa-action/

We re-iterate on this forum, many times over, that children are safest in the back seat. However, if the car is rear-ended, they could be crushed by the occupant of the seat in front of them! Quoting from the article linked

Crash test videos obtained during the course of our CBS News investigation show how when cars are hit from behind, the front driver and passenger seats of many vehicles can collapse backwards, launching the occupants into the backseat area.

Related video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAyCWDDhaa4

[Rehaan]

Very interesting video!

I've thought about this the other way around; as have most people who've seen Julie knew her killer...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKHY69AFstE

This however, is something new (or old?). At least that's what I initially thought.

The video you shared looked a bit like it was from the 80s, so I was hoping it was outdated...but unfortunately not!

This newer video complains of the same issues, talks to victims of these seatback failures and doesn't hold back any punches:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljfKmoA7ac0

Thoughts:

• It's pretty aggravating to see a simple change to a safety standard not being made since 1992 (when the guy in the video began fighting for it).

• The inadequate "seatback should support 20x its weight" standard is now close to 50 years old.

• It's not necessarily the hinge/locking mechanism that's failing, it can be the seat frame breaking too.

• 3 children a day, 11% of which are seatback related. That's 10 children a month dying in car accidents because of this - which is ridiculous! Recalls are regularly carried out for issues with a muuuch lower chance of fatalities.

• Engineers have said the build cost for stronger seats would equate to just a few dollars a car.

• Note that while the rear seat might be more dangerous for when you get rear-ended, the front might be more dangerous for head-on collisions. It's a gamble.

• The seatback failures mentioned in the video took place when getting rear-ended at speeds as low as 30-55 mph (48-88 km/h).

• Is it safe to assume the statistically safest position for a passenger is diagonal to the driver? Well, actually the middle seat seems to be the safest - and on the bright side, your child isn't going to complain about having to sit in the middle!

• The reporter says that BMW, Mercedes and Volvo are good brands when it comes to seatback safety, and I believe it. It seems like a problem they would acknowledge and resolve. Hope the bean counters haven't affected this.

• Indian cars are probably terribly unsafe in this respect. Most are getting 0-star NCAP ratings as we speak.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

• Is it safe to assume the statistically safest position for a passenger is diagonal to the driver? Well, actually the middle seat seems to be the safest - and on the bright side, your child isn't going to complain about having to sit in the middle!

Not all the cars have middle seat belt as 3 point seat belt that makes is very difficult to install the car seat in the center. I think only the cars in D1 segment and above have the middle seat belt as 3 point seat belt.