Outboard - do you have a preference for one side over the other?

I'm going to be moving my youngest outboard due to nothing really working well RF in the center seat of my Ody. I have him in a classic marathon there and it is pretty tight but could be better. (The new ones supposedly work better because they grip but I don't think I want to get a new one, I am moving him to a radian RXT when his classic expires)

Anyway I have a bias towards thinking the driver's side is safer but that is because I have been hit from the passenger side (making a turn when I couldn't see clearly, 11 years ago so not something I am in the habit of doing regularly). If I google I find some things saying the driver's side is more likely to be hit, and I think I have seen things saying it changes from year to year which side is worse.

There are pros and cons, logistically, to which side I put him on. Safety wise, do you have a preference? I'm leaning driver's side because the rear air conditioner controls are on the passenger side and because him being on the driver's side would allow everyone to get out curbside for school drop-off etc (generally the big kids ride the bus anyway but if I do drop them off I can't get a kid out and walk around the car,it's a rule).

Car is 2012 Ody so has side curtain air bags and all. I'm kind of nervous about moving to a radian although really I don't know that it is THAT much shallower than my classic MA. It has the wings and he'd be RF but it still seems so low and shallow to me.

Thoughts? The other 2nd row passenger would be my oldest in just a seatbelt if it matters.

You have a safe vehicle and using the seat rear-facing and correctly is also very safe. My son is outboard on the passenger side in the middle row and my third row only has two seats and those are occupied my older kids in boosters. My reason for choosing the passenger side (in my second row) is because the roads we travel on are dangerously curvy, two lane highways. Most accidents occur because a vehicle was left of center so I picked the "outside" spot because in my mind it is safer (I have no data to back that up). So, I guess it depends on where you live. I also don't have to deal with a pick-up/drop-off line since we park in the lot.

In our main car, I prefer my son being on the passenger side because it is easier to offload him when we take him into school. The baby (2 years old) is behind me so I can get out and grab her out of her car seat easier.

In our secondary car, we currently have DS next to the car door that the window roll down button works fine and DD next to the one where, if she tries to hit the button, its going to cause a problem that is a $400 fix.

Now that she is two years old we might want to change those around since she's starting to explore her environment. Not sure if she can reach the button or not yet.

I personally would go with whatever is most convenient if it is a choice between outboard seats. I mean, you could get morbid about it in terms of whether you would want both of you injured or something like that, but it's really not worth worrying about.

If on the younger side, I prefer passenger. That's where the curb is. I want them entering and exiting that side. I put the older one on the driver's side cuz as he's more mature, he's be more careful when exiting on the driver's side, will stay with me or the car instead of running off, etc.

I think one could drive themselves crazy trying to decide this. I put S. driver side because I am shorter then almost all of my front seat using passengers, so it's more convenient. We do no curb drop offs/our downtown has angle parking, otherwise I might consider passenger, but probably wouldn't. A don't think either decision is unsafe, so I go with convenience. For you, I would probably go drivers as you mentioned occassional curb side drop.

Convenience is all that matters, safety is immaterial (ie, there's no statistical difference, but like thepote, I could fret about every possible worst case scenario that makes either side seem deadly )
I generally have my youngest kiddo behind the driver, because the older kids are scrambling in and out of the car more often and need the passenger side clear.

Thanks all, I will just figure out which side is easiest then...

My preference was behind the driver seat, so that I didn't have to walk around to the other side of the car. I never park on the road so loading curbside wasn't a concern for me.

I don't think there is much difference, typically the passenger side is further from the oncoming traffic, but the driver has a tendency to protect themselves first, so it pretty much evens it out.
I have a 32 pound 2 1/2 year old, and although he is usually in the middle, I needed a carseat for the 10 month old I am babysitting. I decided to put my LO behind the passenger seat and babysitting kid behind the drivers seat because the passenger side has a locking latchplate, so I can install it with the seatbelt, the driver's side locking latch plate is broken, so I used latch. I wanted him installed with the seatbelt because he is bigger and heavier.