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New campaign urges parents to keep children rear-facing in cars until at least age four

New campaign urges parents to keep children rear-facing in cars until at least age four

Experts are backing a new campaign to help parents make informed choices about child car seat safety.

Father helping clip his daughter into her rear facing car seat

Hollie Bond

Published: June 10, 2026 at 5:36 PM

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A new national campaign is encouraging parents to keep children in rear-facing car seats until at least four years old, after experts warned that many families may not be aware of the additional protection rear-facing travel can provide.

Called Rear Face for Safety, the initiative brings together road safety organisations, academics, policing bodies and child injury prevention experts to improve awareness around child passenger safety and help parents access clear, evidence-based information when choosing a car seat.

The campaign comes as recent figures show that 22 children were killed and 537 were seriously injured as car occupants on UK roads in 2024.

Why experts are encouraging rear-facing travel for longer

According to the campaign, children are up to five times safer travelling in a rear-facing seat than a forward-facing one.

In a frontal collision, rear-facing seats help distribute crash forces across the back of the seat, offering greater protection for a child's head, neck and spine.

While UK law requires children to travel rear-facing until at least 15 months old and 76cm tall, campaign supporters say parents should be given clearer information about the benefits of continuing rear-facing travel beyond the legal minimum.

Supporters include the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Road Safety Foundation, Road Safety GB, Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, alongside Swedish road safety experts.

A mum's story highlights the importance of car seat choice

One parent supporting the campaign is Jenny Everson, whose son Marlo was travelling in a rear-facing car seat when their family was involved in a serious road collision in December 2023.

Jenny was driving on Sheffield Parkway when a speeding driver crossed through a gap in the central reservation and collided head-on with her vehicle. Jenny and her mother were seriously injured and required hospital treatment and rehabilitation.

Marlo, who was nearly three years old at the time and travelling rear-facing, suffered only minor injuries.

She said: "Had it not been for Marlo's rear-facing seat, I was told by emergency services he likely wouldn't be here now. I will be forever grateful I did my research as I'm sure his seat saved his life, or at the very least saved him from serious injury. But parents shouldn’t have to carry out extensive research themselves to understand what is safest for their child.

“Since the crash in 2023, I have been very passionate about raising awareness about the importance of rear-facing seats and if telling our story helps save just one child's life, then it's worth it."

How does the UK compare with Sweden?

Baby in car seat, close up.

Although both the UK and Sweden follow the same legal requirement for children to remain rear-facing until at least 15 months old, rear-facing travel is much more common in Sweden.

Recent data cited by the campaign suggests around 22% of UK children aged two to four travel rear-facing, compared with 83% of children of the same age in Sweden.

Campaign supporters say Sweden's approach focuses on telling parents what is safest for their child, rather than simply outlining the legal minimum requirements.

What Swedish research found

A recent study by Swedish insurer Folksam, which analysed child road fatalities involving children aged 0 to 6 between 1992 and 2024, found that more than one in three child traffic deaths may have been prevented through rear-facing travel.

Sweden has among the lowest fatality rates for small children in cars, largely because most parents use rear-facing restraints for older children up to four or five years of age, or longer.

Dr Maria Klingegård

Dr Maria Klingegård, Traffic Safety Researcher at Folksam and co-author of the study, said: "Children are not just small adults. They need extra support. A rear-facing child restraint system provides robust protection that is forgiving for misuse, offers synchronised support for the head and torso, and protects the neck.

“Sweden has among the lowest fatality rates for small children in cars, largely because most parents use rear-facing restraints for older children up to four or five years of age, or longer. It is the responsibility of every parent to make sure children travel as safely as possible, and that means using rear-facing restraints.”

Parents need clearer information, experts say

Dr Neale Kinnear, a behavioural scientist, road safety expert and father of two, said many parents find car seat advice difficult to navigate.

He said: "Even as someone with a professional interest in road safety, accessing child car seat advice as a parent was overwhelming and confusing. It is surprising that guidance on extended rear-facing travel for young children is not communicated more clearly.

Many families in the UK remain unaware of the safety benefits or assume that turning children forward-facing earlier is the norm internationally.

“What matters is making sure parents have access to clear, consistent and evidence-based information so they can make informed choices. Rear-facing travel is one practical and evidence-informed step that can help better protect children."

Dr Sarah O'Toole, a psychologist specialising in child road safety and injury at the University of Central London and mum of two, added: "It is also important that families are supported with practical, accessible information so they can make informed choices within the realities of everyday life."

What parents should know

The Rear Face for Safety campaign is encouraging parents to consider keeping children rear-facing until at least four years old, and ideally for longer where possible.

Campaign organisers say the goal is not to create confusion or judgement around parents' choices, but to ensure families have access to clear, consistent information about the options available so they can make informed decisions about keeping children safe on the road.

Authors

journalist and two young kids sat on a bench in France for a review of Eurocamp

Hollie BondSenior Digital Journalist

Hollie is Senior Digital Journalist at MadeForMums. She writes articles about pregnancy, parenting, child health and getting pregnant. She has written for a number of national lifestyle magazines and websites over the past 12 years including Family History Monthly, You and Your Wedding and Muddy Stilettos. She has two children aged 5 and 8 and hasn't slept since 2017!