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If you were sitting in a parked car and had to choose from being hit from the front by a car going 60 mph, or from the rear by a car going 60 mph, you probably should pick the front. Some of the reasons:

  • air bags only activate in front-end crashes (or side/rollover crashes on newer cars), not rear-enders. Seat belts make a lot of difference in a front-end crash ... not much in a rear-end crash.
  • the mass of the engine and transmission helps absorb the force of a head-on collision
  • safety standards are more rigorous for front-end collisions, because they are much more common.

Yes, it's true that in a severe rear-end collision, the gas tank can rupture, resulting in a major fire, but such accidents are relatively rare. Safety standards also require some protection for the gas tank.

The reason why rear SEATS are considered safer, even though cars have less protection at the rear, is because rear-end collisions are much less LIKELY. In more common front-end collisions, the farther away you are from the front of the car, the better -- one of the reasons to put children in the rear seat.

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15y ago

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