Why travel in a car seat with your back to the road?

Parents are always concerned about their baby's safety when they're at home, at school or with their grandparents, but they sometimes neglect their safety when they're in the car. Yet children's safety in the car is paramount. In the event of an accident, travelling rear facing guarantees maximum safety reducing the impact on babies' vulnerable heads and necks. Although the period during which a child needs to be placed in a car seat back to the road (or rear-facing) has recently been extended by the new European i-Size regulationwe strongly recommend Extend your back to the road as long as possible. We explain why travelling with your back to the road is 5 times safer for your child.

Why travel in a rear-facing car seat?

To understand the absolute necessity of placing newborns and young children with their backs to the road in the car, we need to remember that A baby's anatomy is very different from that of an adult. While the adult head only represents 6% of its total weightthat of a newborn represents almost 25% of its total weight. A child's head being proportionally heavier than the rest of the body, children are particularly at risk. vulnerable in the event of an accident even though their neck and cervical muscles are not fully developed.

The vertebrae in young children's necks are very fragile because of the immaturity of the whole area. Cartilage is slowly transformed into bone during the first four years of a baby's life. This process of bone hardening, called ossificationThis continues until puberty. The muscles and ligaments of the neck develop in a similar way. Over the years, the vertebrae in the neck gradually change shape, which also makes them much stronger.

When your child is placed too early in a road-facing car seatIn the event of a head-on collision, even though the body is perfectly restrained by the harness or shield, his head is violently thrown forward. The tension exerted on the neck, nape and spine, which are still underdeveloped, is extremely high, and can lead to serious injuries. severe injuries. The other way round, travelling with your back to the roadIn the event of a collision, the child is pressed against the back of the seat and the seatback is folded back. In the event of a collision, the child is pressed against the back of the seat and theThe energy of the impact is then distributed over the whole of his back.. The shell of the car seat acts like a protective shield, absorbing the majority of the forces exerted at the moment of impact.

What are the advantages of a rear-facing car seat?

• Supports the child's head in the correct position to reduce the risk of serious neck and spinal injuries.
• Offers a protection against debris.
• Prevents the head hit the window, bodywork or front seat of the vehicle.
• The energy of the shock is absorbed by the hull of the head office.

Various studies carried out in recent years have shown that the risk of death or serious injury in a collision was approximately 5 times lower for children travelling with their backs to the road. In a study published in 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) estimated that children under the age of 2 had 75% less risk of dying or being seriously injured in an accident when travelling with their back to the road. This is one of the reasons why French and European legislation has made it compulsory for children to travel with their backs to the road for several years now. up to the age of 15 months or a minimum weight of 9kg.

What do the regulations say about backs onto the road?

To protect our children even better, legislation is constantly changing and evolving. In France, there are currently two sets of regulations. The oldest, regulation R44/04The new car seat regulation requires parents to seat children up to 9kg facing the road. The new i-Size regulationwhich now groups car seats according to the child's sizeThe new law requires children to travel with their backs to the road. until at least 15 months of age. As soon as you travel with a i-Size approved car seatIn France, it is MANDATORY to keep your child facing away from the road until he or she is at least 15 months old. However, this is only a minimum requirement. In practice, there's nothing to stop you from keep your child facing away from the road for as long as possible as long as your seat allows. Numerous studies have been carried out on this subject, including in Sweden by Volvo and in the United States by the American Academy of Pediatrics (American Academy of Pediatrics)It also recommends keeping your back to the road for as long as possible.

Why is travelling with your back to the road safer?

In collaboration with car seat manufacturers and vehicle manufacturers, VTI (Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute)has developed its own certification for car seats called Plus Test. This certification, to which manufacturers voluntarily submit their car seats, enables them to accurately measure the pressure exerted on the child's neck and cervical spine during a collision. During these tests, the engineers found that the pressure exerted on the back of the child's neck travelling facing the road was 1852 newton, i.e. a force equivalent to 180 - 200 kg. Conversely, when the child is in a rear-facing seat, this force is now only 394 newtons or 40 - 50 kg.

When travelling with your back to the road, the risk of trauma or serious injury is considerably reduced. In other words, travelling with your back to the road is 5 times safer for your children. There are around twenty car seats with this certification in France, and you can find the full list on our website. They are all, without exception, exclusively rear-facing models. For comparison, crash tests carried out twice a year by the ADAC do not take this type of measurement into account in their rating system, which explains why some road-facing models also score well.

The Swedes, Pioneers of Road Backing

First appeared in the 1960s, the adoption of rear-facing seats is one of the main reasons for which Sweden is now one of the most advanced countries in the world on child safety in a car. Inspired by the positioning of astronauts, who stood in the opposite direction of travel to compensate for the effects of acceleration, Volvo's engineers created the first car in 1964, the first car seat prototypes with their backs to the road. Three years later, the brand Klippan marketed the first models of rear-facing seats.

The back-to-the-road position is a well-established habit in Sweden, where children generally travel in this position until the age of 4 or 5. Analysis of almost 25,000 accidents in Sweden between 1976 and 1996 shows that thanks to the widespread use of rear-facing seats, the child mortality rate in road accidents is close to zero.

At what age should children start facing the road?

Although it is not recommended, you can legally pass your child facing the road as soon as From the age of 15 months or 9 kgdepending on the regulations in your country. The baby cosywhich can be used from birth, must always be installed back to the road Both on the rear bench seat and on the front passenger seat, taking care to deactivate the airbag. When it comes to second-age car seats, manufacturers offer both from rear-facing car seats than facing the road. The swivelling car seats such as the Bébé Confort AxissFix i-Size or the Cybex Sirona i-Size offer both positions at the same time.

Until what age can you keep your child facing away from the road?

You can now find a wide range of car seats that enable your child's back to the road as long as possible. Most car seats allow your child to sit with his back to the road. until around the age of 4. However, depending on your child's morphology, some models can go beyond this to accompany your child up to the age of 5 or 6. In detail, you can travelling with your child's back to the road legally up to 105 cm or 125 cm when your seat complies with R129 regulations (i-Size) or up to a weight of 18 or 25 kg when your seat complies with R44/04 regulations.

Rear-Facing Car Seats Myths

Despite enormous safety benefits However, some parents choose to have their children face the road at a very early age for a variety of reasons:

• Leg position uncomfortable
• Big enough to face the road
• Child car sick
• Field of limited vision
• Cry when sitting with his back to the road
• What are the consequences in the event of a rear impact
• Rear-facing seats are expensive
• Car too small

Lack of information on the real advantages of the back-to-the-road system, but also some stubborn misconceptions may explain this choice. However, there are really no no contraindications that prevents you from Have your children travel with their backs to the roadOn the contrary.

How do I choose a rear-facing car seat?

As you will have realised, putting your child with his or her back to the road offers the following advantages a much higher level of protection to the head, neck and spine of the youngest children. For some years now, manufacturers have been well aware of this issue. That's why they've come up with a whole range of models that make it possible to position your child comfortably with its back to the road up to the age of 4 for maximum safety in the car. To help you choose your model, take a look at our special car seat buying guide.

Comparative table of the best rear-facing seats

	Standard	Size	Reducer	Dos Route	Face Route	Mounting	Pivoting	Note ADAC	Rate
Axkid Minikid	R44/04	Group 0+/1/2 0 - 25 kg				Belt with strut and tether straps		More Test	SEE PRICE
Axkid Wolmax/Move	R44/04	Group 1/2 9 - 25 kg				Belt with strut and tether straps		Good (3.8) More Test	SEE PRICE
Bébé Confort AxissFix i-Size	i-Size (R129)	61 - 105 cm (max. 19 kg)				ISOFIX with strap top tether		Good (2.2)	SEE PRICE
Bébé Confort AxissFix Plus i-Size	i-Size (R129)	45 - 105 cm (max. 19 kg)				ISOFIX with top tether strap		Good (2.3)	SEE PRICE
Bébé Confort AxissFix Air i-Size	i-Size (R129)	61 - 105 cm (max. 19 kg)				ISOFIX with top tether strap		Good (2.2)	SEE PRICE
Bébé Confort Pearl Pro i-Size	i-Size (R129)	67 - 105 cm (max. 18.5 kg)				2wayFix base, 3wayFix or FamilyFix One with strut		Fine (2.3) with 3wayFix	SEE PRICE
Bébé Confort Pearl One i-Size	i-Size (R129)	67 - 105 cm (max. 18.5 kg)				2wayFix base, 3wayFix or FamilyFix One with strut		Good (2.2) More Test	SEE PRICE
BeSafe iZi Kid X2 i-Size	i-Size (R129)	61 - 105 cm (max. 18 kg)				ISOFIX with strut		Good (1.8) More Test	SEE PRICE
BeSafe iZi Kid X3 i-Size	i-Size (R129)	61 - 105 cm (max. 18 kg)				ISOFIX with strut		Good (1.8)	SEE PRICE
BeSafe iZi Modular i-Size	i-Size (R129)	61 - 105 cm (max. 18 kg)				iZi Modular i-Size Base with strut		Good (2.4)	SEE PRICE
BeSafe iZi Plus	R44/04	Group 0+/1/2 0 - 25 kg				Belt with strut and tether straps		More Test	SEE PRICE
BeSafe iZi Plus X1	R44/04	Group 0+/1/2 0 - 25 kg				Belt with strut and tether straps		More Test	SEE PRICE
Britax Römer Dualfix i-Size	i-Size (R129)	40 - 105 cm (max. 18 kg)				ISOFIX with strut		Good (2.1)	SEE PRICE
Britax Römer Dualfix M i-Size	i-Size (R129)	61 - 105 cm (max. 18 kg)				ISOFIX with strut		Good (2.1)	SEE PRICE
Britax Römer Max-Way	R44/04	Group 1/2 9 - 25 kg				Belt with strut and tether straps		Good (4.0) More Test	SEE PRICE
Britax Römer Max-Way Plus	R44/04	Group 1/2 9 - 25 kg				Belt with strut and tether straps		Good (3.6) More Test	SEE PRICE
Concord Reverso Plus	i-Size (R129)	40 - 105 cm (max. 23 kg)				ISOFIX with strut		Good (1.8) More Test	SEE PRICE
Cybex Sirona M2 i-Size	i-Size (R129)	45 - 105 cm (max. 19 kg)				Base M with strut		Good (2.2)	SEE PRICE
Cybex Sirona Z i-Size	i-Size (R129)	45 - 105 cm (max. 18 kg)				Base Z with strut		Good (2.1)	SEE PRICE
gb Vaya i-Size	i-Size (R129)	45 - 105 cm (max. 18 kg)				ISOFIX with strut		Good (2.3)	SEE PRICE
Joy i-Spin 360°	i-Size (R129)	40 - 105 cm (max. 18 kg)				ISOFIX with strut		Good (1.8)	SEE PRICE
Joy 360° Spin	R44/04	Group 0+/1 0 - 18 kg				ISOFIX with strut		Good (2.8)	SEE PRICE
Nuna Rebl Plus i-Size	i-Size (R129)	40 - 105 cm (max. 18.5 kg)				ISOFIX with strut		Good (2.5)	SEE PRICE
Recaro Zero.1 Elite i-Size	i-Size (R129)	40 - 105 cm (max. 18 kg)	Removable baby shell			ISOFIX with strut		Good (2.5)	SEE PRICE
Recaro Zero.1 i-Size	i-Size (R129)	40 - 105 cm (max. 18 kg)				ISOFIX with strut		Good (2.3)	SEE PRICE