rear head restraints- ford focus wagon

K

kathryn

Guest
I'm looking at buying a 2nd hand ford focus wagon. safety seems pretty good on this model. but it has no rear head restraints. anyone have comments on this. if you own such a wagon, do you think it's an issue?
 
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Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Well, maybe a tech can say whether or not it's safer for someone who is tall enough that their ears are over the top of the seat back should sit up front with the headrest ... but kids are safest in the back, properly restrained in carseats that protect from whip lash - kids over 40 puonds but not mature enough for a booster should use one of the seats that harness till 65# or even 80# & kids that are mature enough for boosters & fit the weight limits of the booster should use a high back style instead of a backless (there is only 1 high back booster that must be used with headrest ~ Cosco Apex).

Do you have children? What ages? Height? Weight? What are their current seats? We might be able to help you determine safe options for your family when we know these details :)

Also, you might be interested in getting a cargo/trunk area barrier to prevent loose items (like groceries, pets, etc.) from becoming projectiles - there's another recent thread in the other forum about a family who got into a pretty bad accident, but the kids were all properly restrained & the only injury to the kids resulted from a loose item hitting one of them in the face requiring stitches :( So, since pressure-mounted barriers can themselves become projectiles, you can ask a Ford dealer about installing a barrier specifically made for the Focus or you could look into either of these options:
  • LOAD BARRIER ~ new to the U.S. from Australia where the requirements for cargo barriers are more stringent & they are crash tested
  • PRO-GUARD ~ providers of police barriers, but no specific crash test info
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Not having rear head restraints is a major issue for older kids and adults. Whiplash injuries can be very serious and occur even in minor rear end crashes that would otherwise not be of any significant risk.

As papooses said, kids in harnessed carseats and high back boosters usually are not at risk because most child restraints provide the necessary protection. The problem occurs once they are over 8 years old or so and no longer use a high back booster. If they are tall enough such that the center of their head is above the top of the seat, they are at risk for injuries that could cause chronic neck and back issues for the rest of their lives.
 

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