When we install a car seat rear-facing, it’s reducing the risk
of injury from the most common and the most severe types of
crashes: front-end collisions. Let’s talk about what happens in
a front-end crash. The front-end of the car lowers; The back-end
raises up; The speed is decelerated abruptly; But due to
momentum, everything in the car continues to travel towards the
point-of-impact. (including anything loose in the car like the
stroller and big dog in the back) When we have the child rear-
facing and the car seat is properly installed using either the
seat belt or latch attachments, the car seat will pivot on that
axis (the seat belt or latch). When the car seat pivots, its
allows the child to ‘ride out’ the crash. The seat will ease the
child down at a slower rate, dispersing the energy from the
crash across the child’s entire back and in the car seat. This
action and positioning keeps the spine in line reducing their
risk for spinal cord injury. The physics involved in this are
the same physics that are