RFing adults??

[supercalifragilous]

DH is remarking a lot about the "cool factor" of the rear seats of the new Town & Country minivan and how the 2nd row can turn around to face the 3rd. The ads show the kids playing cards on a table in the middle like it's an RV or something.

He remarked something that I thought I should ask here - RFing is established to be the most safest position for kids... is that the case for adults as well? Are the people in the RFing 2nd row safer?

Personally I wonder about this b/c in a 5-point harness, the child's excursion is limited upon impact, whereas an adult in a regular seat wouldn't...

What do you think?

[kep]

I was wondering about this, too. Every time I see pictures of the van, all I can see are the adults slamming into the table during a high speed crash. Yikes.

Kelli

Proud Mommy to Luke (April 2003)
And Joseph (December 2006)
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/kellip/Pictures/IMG_3229.jpg

[Joolsplus2]

Yup, it's safer. Obviously most safe in a frontal crash, when your back and head would be supported by the seatback. Think about it... a couple square feet of energy absorbing seatback compared to a square foot of spread out seatbelt webbing...just like a rearfacing kiddo :)

Frontal crashes continue to be the most severe and most deadly, followed by side crashes, and rear crashes are only one tenth as deadly as frontals, so it'd really be good if we were all riding RF.

But there's the carsick thing... I guess more adults are more carsick (that was the prime reason we don't RF on planes, though it's way, way, way safer in a crash if you are RF there...too many barf bags were involved :P)

I am not exactly in love with that table...I can't really believe the ads show it in use when driving (I imagine the head bonk that the people behind it would suffer in a frontal crash, mostly...)

I'm thinking about looking at this car to make my older kids ride RF even if Leah has to be FF in the middle of the third row to see them (but then I saw the rear end, my, it's a boxy butt...maybe I'll get used to it ;))
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/Leah.aspx

[Eliz_n_Abi_s_Mommy_Karen]

So in a car like this, if you wanted to RF, say, an infant, you would still have to keep that actual chair FF, and install the baby's car seat RF, right? I've got fears of people installing the infant car seat RF into a 2nd row seat which is RF itself, effectively FF'in the infant. *shudder*

[tarynsmum]

All CR manuals say something at the very beginning (complete with pictures) saying that the seat cannot be installed in a rear-facing or side facing (like in a station wagon) vehicle seat. Of course, people don't tend to read their manuals, but that's a whole 'nother issue.