Safest Place For Car Seat (2022): What Studies Say About The Best ...

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What is The Safest Place for Car Seats?

• By Marcus Philips
• October 24, 2024

When buying a car seat for the first time, there are so many safety regulations and recommendations that you either won't be aware of or that you're confused about - and that's okay!

There are many things you can do to ensure that your child has a safe car seat experience.

One of these things, believe it or not, includes installing your car seat in the right place. But, what do I mean by that?

In this article, we'll be taking a quick look at what research has to say about the placement of car seats, and from there I'll explain the safest place to install your car seat, depending on the type of car you have, how many car seats you have, and if you're installing the car seat(s) in the rear-facing or forward-facing positions.

Quick Navigation Safest Car Seat Placement for All Ages & StagesSafest place for forward-facing car seatSafest place for a car seat in a minivan or SUVCar seats in trucks with no back seatCan you put a forward-facing car seat in the middle?Car seat behind driver or passenger?Safest place for 2 car seatsSafest car seat placement if it can be installed properlyConclusion

Safest Car Seat Placement for All Ages & Stages

Safest place for forward-facing car seat

If it’s the only car seat, the safest place to put a forward-facing car seat is on the center seat of the back seat.

The same can be said for a rear-facing car seat as well.

It’s statistically proven that the center seat is the safest place to put a car seat.

One study, conducted in 2008 to evaluate the association between a car seat’s placement in the backseat and risk of injury, showed that children seated in the center, between the ages of 0 and 3, had a 43% less chance of injury in a collision than children seated on the driver and passenger side of the vehicle.

Also, in a study investigating the survival rates of children in car seats involved in a fatal collision, the results showed that when placed in the center, children have a 13% increased chance of survival.

Safest place for a car seat in a minivan or SUV

Where you put the car seat in a minivan or SUV depends on several factors.

• If the minivan or SUV has third-row seating, you want to try to seat your baby as close to the middle as possible. If your vehicle has a bench in the middle row, then you should install your car seat in the center of the middle row.
• Conversely, if your middle row has bucket seats instead, you should place the car seat in the third row of seats.

But, what if you’re installing more than one car seat?

• If your minivan or SUV has bench seats in both of the back rows, then you should install the car seats on the center seat of each row.
• If you have more than two car seats to install in a vehicle with bucket seats, do so by first installing two car seats on the center seat of each row. Once you’ve done that, the next best place to install a car seat in a minivan or SUV is on the passenger seat of the middle row. If you need to install another car seat, the next best place to do that is the passenger seat of the back row.

Now, do these recommendations for car seat placement change, depending on if they’re installed in the rear-facing or forward-facing positions?

We’ll get into that a little bit later.

Car seats in trucks with no back seat

Where you put the car seat in trucks depends on several factors.

According to the US Department of Transportation, you legally can install a car seat in the front seat of a truck as long as the seat/bench can support 85% of the child’s car seat.

But it's important to know that you shouldn't install in in the rear facing car seat due to air bag deployment hazard.

Can you put a forward-facing car seat in the middle?

If it’s the only car seat that needs to be installed, yes, you can put a forward-facing car seat in the middle of the backseat.

As I mentioned before, placing your car seat on the center seat of the backseat will ALWAYS be the safest place to install your car seat.

Now, while you can place a forward-facing car seat in the middle, if you have other children riding in the backseat that don’t require the use of a car seat, then doing that may not be the best choice.

The reason being is because most car seats are designed with side impact protection that works well when the car seat is used in the forward-facing position.

Your child that doesn’t need a car seat has no protection at all, so it would be safer to seat them in the middle and place your forward-facing car seat on the outer seats of the backseat.

Car seat behind driver or passenger?

You should only install a car seat behind the driver or passenger seats under the following conditions:

• If you have more than one car seat that needs to be installed.
• If your child is riding in the forward-facing position and you have another child riding in the backseat that doesn’t need a car seat.

If you have to install your car seat on the outer seats of the backseat, the first place you should utilize is behind the passenger seat.

After doing some extensive research, I haven’t found a clear-cut answer as to why that’s the reason.

But, from the answers I did find, I was able to piece together that the reason why you should install a car seat behind the passenger seat is that there will be a good amount of times where no one is occupying the passenger seat.

So, in the event of a collision, there’s more space to cushion the impact.

Conversely, if you install your car seat behind the driver seat, in the event of a collision, if you’re thrown back, there’s a higher chance of injury for your child.

Safest place for 2 car seats

The safest place to install two car seats depends on if you’re installing the car seats in the rear-facing or forward-facing positions.

If both of the car seats are rear-facing/forward-facing, place the younger child in the middle and the older child behind the passenger seat.

Since the older child is physically stronger and more developed, they’ll be a bit more able to handle the impact force of a collision.

Of course, if your children are twins, install one car seat in the middle and one behind the passenger seat.

If one of the car seats you’re installing is a rear-facing car seat and the other is a forward-facing car seat, you should place the forward-facing car seat in the middle and the rear-facing one behind the passenger seat.

Children riding in a forward-facing car seat have fewer safety features protecting them than those riding in a rear-facing car seat.

So, they need to be placed in the middle to reduce the risk of injury in a collision.

Safest car seat placement if it can be installed properly

My perspective

It may be hard to believe that there's one area of the backseat that's safer for your children, but studies have proven that the middle seat is the safest place.

Remember, if you have more than one car seat, the center seat and the seat behind the passenger are the best places to install your car seats.

Also, unless it's absolutely necessary, car seats should NEVER be installed in the front seat.

Lastly, the child in the car seat with the least protection should ride in the middle.

As a parent who's obsessed over car seat placement and researched this extensively, I can tell you that the center of the back seat - often called the "middle position" - has been my go-to spot whenever possible. Though I've learned through experience that the "safest" place isn't always as straightforward as it sounds.

I remember the moment this really hit home for me. I was involved in a minor side-impact collision years ago, and having my child's seat in the center position, away from the doors, gave me an immense sense of relief. That extra buffer zone on either side really does make a difference.

However, reality has taught me some practical lessons. While the center position might be statistically safest, I discovered that it's not always the most secure installation spot in every vehicle. Some cars have a raised center hump or limited LATCH anchors in the middle. I actually had to move my son's seat to the passenger side rear position in our older car because I couldn't get a tight enough installation in the center.

The 40% rule

The "40% rule" has become my mantra - that's what my installation tech taught me about testing for movement at the belt path. Getting that right in the center position sometimes requires some creative maneuvering, especially when you're working with a seat belt instead of LATCH anchors.

Multi-child families add another layer of complexity. When we had our second child, I had to rethink everything. Two car seats rarely fit properly in the center and one outboard position, so we ended up with both outboard positions. I found myself constantly reassuring other parents that while center is ideal, proper installation in an outboard position is far better than a questionable center installation.

Weather considerations have influenced my decisions too. Living in an area with harsh winters, I learned that sometimes an outboard position makes more sense for safely getting a child in and out of the car when you're dealing with icy parking lots or busy street-side loading.

One thing that surprised me was how different vehicles can change the equation. In our SUV, the center position works perfectly. But in my partner's compact car, the center seat is narrower and has a slight hump, making the outboard positions actually better for a secure installation.

I've become particular about the passenger-side rear position when using an outboard spot. This keeps both me and my child safer during curbside loading, though I know some parents prefer the driver's side for keeping an eye on their child through the rearview mirror.

The age of your child matters too. With an infant seat, I found the center position ideal since I was always taking the carrier in and out. But when we moved to a convertible seat that stayed in the car, an outboard position made daily buckling much easier on my back.

One of my biggest learnings was about avoiding the front seat at all costs for children under 13. I still remember having to firmly but politely refuse my mother-in-law's suggestion to put the car seat in front "just this once" during a family visit. Those awkward conversations are worth it for safety.

Installing multiple seats taught me that sometimes you have to compromise. When we needed three across, the geometry puzzle of fitting them safely took precedence over ideal positioning. I spent hours researching narrow car seats and testing different configurations.

What I wish I'd known earlier is that "safest" really means "safest installation possible in your specific vehicle with your specific seat." I've helped enough friends with car seats to know that what works perfectly in one car might be completely impractical in another.

Through all of this, I've learned to trust my installer's certification course mantra: the safest position is ultimately the one where you can get the most secure installation, even if that means giving up the center position for a rock-solid outboard installation.

Marcus Philips

Marcus is a staff editor and researcher at SCCS. He an expert in car safety with a specialty in children safety review. View all posts

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