Living / 8 June, 2026 / Ellie Thompson
A new national campaign launched during Child Safety Week is encouraging parents to keep children rear-facing in their car seats until at least four years old, with experts saying the position offers significantly greater protection in the event of a collision.
Rear Face for Safety, an initiative led by Swedish car seat specialist Axkid, brings together road safety experts, academics, policing bodies and child injury prevention organisations to call for clearer and more consistent communication around child passenger safety in the UK.
While UK law requires children to remain rear-facing until at least 15 months old and 76cm in height, campaign supporters say many parents are unaware of the additional safety benefits of extended rear-facing travel.
According to campaign supporters, children can be up to five times safer travelling rear-facing than forward-facing.
In a frontal collision, a rear-facing seat helps distribute crash forces across the back of the seat, providing greater support for a child’s head, neck and spine.
This is particularly important for younger children, whose neck muscles and skeletal structures are still developing.
The campaign points to Sweden as a leading example. Although Sweden follows the same legal minimum requirements as the UK, most Swedish children remain rear-facing until four or five years old.
Recent data suggests around 83% of Swedish children aged two to four travel rear-facing, compared with approximately 22% in the UK.
Mum Jenny Everson is supporting the campaign after her son Marlo survived a serious head-on collision in December 2023.
Jenny and her mother both suffered significant injuries and required hospital treatment and rehabilitation following the crash. Marlo, who was nearly three years old and travelling in a rear-facing car seat, escaped with only minor injuries.
Jenny said emergency services later told her that without his rear-facing seat, the outcome could have been very different.
She now hopes sharing her family’s experience will encourage other parents to learn more about extended rear-facing travel.
The campaign has received support from organisations including the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), RoSPA, Road Safety Foundation, Road Safety GB, PACTS and Police Scotland.
Dr Neale Kinnear, a road safety expert and behavioural scientist, says many parents find child car seat advice confusing and often receive inconsistent information.
Supporters of the campaign are calling for clearer guidance from healthcare professionals, retailers, public health teams and early years services, helping families make informed decisions based on the latest evidence.
According to figures highlighted by the campaign, 22 children were killed and 537 seriously injured as car occupants on UK roads in 2024.
The UK Government has set a target of reducing deaths and serious injuries among children under 16 by 70% by 2035.
Campaign organisers believe increasing awareness of rear-facing travel could form part of a wider strategy to improve child passenger safety and reduce preventable injuries.
Current UK law requires children to remain rear-facing until they are at least 15 months old.
However, many child passenger safety experts recommend keeping children rear-facing for longer where possible, ideally until around four years old, provided they remain within the height and weight limits specified by their car seat manufacturer.
As always, parents should ensure car seats are installed correctly and follow manufacturer guidance for safe use.
Axkid has long championed extended rear-facing travel and is leading the Rear Face for Safety campaign alongside a coalition of road safety experts and organisations.
The Swedish brand says its aim is to ensure parents receive clear, evidence-based information about child passenger safety, helping families make informed decisions about how their children travel.
Jayne Caul, Managing Director of Axkid UK, said:
“As both a parent and someone who has advocated for rear-facing travel for more than two decades, I know how important clear information and awareness can be in helping families make informed choices to better protect children.”
For more information, visit the Rear Face for Safety campaign website.
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