The design of a rear-facing child restraint system may impact how the child is protected against injury during a collision in the rear of the vehicle, with noticeable benefits observed when Swedish-style tethering and an anti-rebound bar were used, according to findings published in a SAE International Technical Paper.

“[Parents ask me about rear-facing car seats] a lot because they are concerned about the child facing the impact of the crash,” Julie Mansfield, MS, PhD candidate and a research engineer in the Injury Biomechanics Research Center at Ohio State College of Medicine, said in a press release. “It shows parents are really thinking about where these impacts are coming from.”