Child in front seat without airbags

[keithert]

One of my cars is an older Nissan Sentra without front airbags. My 3 year old son has always ridden in a car seat in the front of this car as it does not have a passenger airbag. It has been a bonding experience for us for him to be able to ride up front with me. I've read that the back seat is safer but don't understand why that is. Can anyone explain that for me?

[CPSDarren]

The back seat is much farther from the point of impact for the most common and severe type of crashes. That extra space allows the vehicle to crumple more to absorb energy. A passenger in back is also farther from the dash, A-pillar and windshield. Statistics show a significantly higher risk of fatality for kids under 13 years old in the front seat, even if no airbag is present.

[momika]

Recent crash data show that children 15 years and under have a 40% lower risk of serious injury in the back seat compared to the front seat (Durbin et al., 2005 (http://www.carseat.org/Technical/tech_update.htm#Durbin)). This increased risk occurs because the front passenger compartment is more likely to have intrusion than the back seat area in frontal crashes, which are the most common type.

-from SafetyBeltSafe USA (http://www.carseat.org)