The next time you hop into the back seat of a taxi, Lyft, or Uber, you might want to consider using the front seat if possible.
A new study found that backseat passengers face a higher risk of injury and death because rear-seat safety measures have not advanced as far as front-seat safety measures.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently released a rear seat safety assessment report.
Safety standards for front seat passengers have improved significantly over the years, and cars now feature front and sometimes side airbags, as well as seat belt mechanisms that lock in place before a crash but still allow some movement.
These special belt tensioners are absent in the rear seat and no car on the market today has rear seat airbags.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently released a rear seat safety assessment report.
Safety standards for front seat passengers have improved significantly over the years, and cars now feature front and sometimes side airbags, as well as seat belt mechanisms that lock in place before a crash but still allow some movement.
These special belt tensioners are absent in the rear seat and no car on the market today has rear seat airbags.
“Automakers have done a great job of improving restraint systems for drivers and front seat passengers,” IIHS President David Harkey told USA Today. “Less attention has been paid to the rear seat and the safety of these passengers. “It's not that the back seat has become less secure, but that the front seat has become safer over time,” Harkey said.
For the study, the researchers looked at 117 crashes involving older children and adult backseat passengers who were injured or killed.
The lack of a seat belt was the biggest factor in the injuries or deaths caused by the accident. However, in accidents considered to be survivors, 37 of the accidents studied were associated with injury and death.
In some crashes, rear seat passengers have suffered more serious injuries than front seat passengers, a reliable indicator that rear seat safety measures do not meet the same standards.
Harkey told USA Today that the study points to a serious gap in vehicle safety measures and standards. As rideshare apps like Lyft and Uber grow in popularity, these security standards should be a priority.
“There is the potential that we will have many more people riding in the rear seats as we move forward, and therefore a greater risk of injury to rear seat passengers,” Harkey said.