Why is riding rear-facing the safest way for babies to ride?
Rear-facing seats are designed to spread crash forces over the baby’s back, which is the strongest part of the baby’s body. A snug fitting harness is important because, in a crash, it holds the baby down and into the seat. A baby’s head is large for the body and the baby’s bones have not fully hardened. In a 50 kph front end crash into an immovable object (front end crashes are most frequent, and more violent), a 10 lb baby would seem to be 300 lb (weight of baby multiplied by the speed of the vehicle). The weight of the baby’s head moving forward at such a speed, can stretch the ligaments of the spinal column and cause severe head or spin injury.
