The correct adjustment of car seats is crucial to mitigate the consequences of a possible traffic accident. The height or the distance of the steering wheel are factors that, if not properly adjusted before starting the journey, could neutralize the safety elements or even increase the risk of suffering damage related, for example, with a bad position of the seat belts.
In addition, statistics indicate that the place we occupy in the vehicle influences the probability of leaving with more or less serious injuries from a collision. The designers of the new models try to reduce these differences, however, the insurance company Mapfre advises what the seats would be, ordered from least to most dangerous.
Different levels of risk are associated with each of the seats in a vehicle in the event of an impact. We explain it below:
Believe it or not, the central seat in the rear is the safest, as it is the furthest from the bodywork and, therefore, the most protected against a possible frontal or side impact. This seat is usually reserved for babies or children, always equipped with a child restraint system.
If we talk about old cars, the main problems you can find is that it has a lap belt with two anchors, instead of three, or the absence of headrests. This element is an essential element to prevent injuries in traffic accidents. It should always be placed at eye level, but we should never lean on it, to lessen the consequences of a whiplash.
The other rear seats are the next safest, especially the right rear. In the event that the car does not have a central seat or lacks the relevant safety systems to install a seat in this place, the child should be seated behind the passenger and facing the rear, if possible.
The passenger seat is the least safe place in the vehicle. The occupant of this seat is more exposed to injuries, since, in the event of an imminent frontal collision, the driver will tend to turn left reflexively.
The driver’s seat is the second most dangerous in a car, but if you adjust the height, backrest and steering wheel clearance correctly, you will achieve safer driving conditions. That is why, before using a shared vehicle or that of another person, you must take into account these aspects before starting:
