Rear-Facing Car Seats For Babies & Children Are Safer

When I was a child, I remember being only about 3 years old and sitting in the front seat. Thankfully, times have changed and there are much safer ways for children and babies to travel. Even at 5 years-old, my son is in a booster seat and will be for a few more years. It's all about safety and, of course, I want my children to be as safe as possible, especially when in the car.

Another thing that has changed over the years here in the United States is the usage of rear-facing car seats. Yes, we can turn them around at 1 year old or 20 pounds, but many, many parents, including myself, choose not to do so until much later. In fact, in the Nordics, children must remain in rear-facing car seats until 4 years of age. Since 2002 the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended rear-facing car seats for children until they reach the weight limit suggested. Only then should a child be switched to front-facing seats. Why? Because rear-facing seats are five times safer for children in the event of a car crash!

Safe & asleep in his rear-facing car seat!

Regardless of the mounting evidence that suggests rear-facing car seats are a must for infants and children, 70% of parents in the UK do not even know rear-facing seats exist for children 18+ months old. The parents interested in purchasing these rear-facing car seats have a hard time even finding them because many manufacturers do not supply them to the UK, though they do to several other European countries. This just doesn't seem fair to me, especially when experts continually recommend rear-facing car seats.

It is time to not only educate parents and retailers on the safety features rear-facing car seats offer babies and children, but it is also time to address the issue of the rear-facing car seat availability in the UK. This is exactly what Motors.co.uk intends to do with their Rear Facing Campaign: http://rearfacing.motors.co.uk/. Any parent would choose an item that is guaranteed to keep baby safer, right? If more stores carried the rear-facing car seats, more parents would immediately be aware of them. It's really a win-win situation.

What's your opinion about rear-facing car seats? I'd love to hear it!