Keeping Children Safe in the Car

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, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.  This is especially important for vehicles with front passenger-side airbags. Riding in the back seat reduces the risk for fatal injury by at least 30 percent in cars without front passenger side airbags. Children riding in the back seat of vehicles with front passenger side airbags cut their risk by 46 percent. Infants in rear-facing child safety seats should never be placed in a seat in front of an airbag.