Typically, people have assumed that being a back-seat passenger is safer than being a driver, at least if the car is involved in an accident. The reasoning was just that, in a head-on crash, energy is lost as it moves through the car. The extra distance between the collision point and the back seat helped reduce injuries.
But is that still true? Many experts claim that it is not, and that it could actually be more dangerous to be a passenger. Why is this?
Developments have focused on drivers
Over time, major safety developments have largely focused on drivers. Part of this is just practical; there is always a driver, whereas most trips are taken with no one in the back. Therefore, it was natural to focus on making drivers safer to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.
Part of it, though, is that some safety technology can’t be implemented in the back seat in the same way that it can in the front. For instance, drivers hitting their heads on the dash and the wheel became a huge issue, so airbags were invented. With adjustable chairs, though, airbags don’t work in the back seat. Seatbelts are designed differently. Many types of tech just don’t translate, so a car that is safer due to modern technology may only be safer for the driver.
When a passenger gets injured
If you’re a passenger who gets injured in a car accident, you need to know what rights you have. Remember that you may be able to seek compensation, even from the driver of the car that you were riding in at the time.