Kids in the Back for a Safer Ride
All children ages 12 years and younger should ride in the back seat, the safest part of a vehicle in the event of a crash. About one-third of the children ages 12 years and younger who were killed in 2000 were riding in the front seat. This is especially important for vehicles with front passenger-side airbags. Riding in the back seat is associated with at least a 30% reduction in the risk of fatal injury in cars without such airbags. Placing children in the back seat of vehicles reduces this risk by 46%.