Buckle Up Those Backseat Toad Riders

If you think it's safe to ride "unbelted" in the back seat, think again. New research shows that backseat riders not only risk their own lives, but that of the driver in the case of a head-on crash.

Crash test dummies, left unbelted in the backseat, not only suffer severe chest and head trauma, their mashing into the seat ahead of them can cause similar injuries for the front seat occupant--even if that one is belted in. Size of the backseat passenger doesn't seem to make much difference either--adult dummies and child dummies alike, both accounted for severe "injuries" to the belted front-seater.

One more tidbit: Packages or luggage riding in the back seat can cause severe injury to front seat occupants. So, says the study done by the University at Buffalo School of Engineering, best to buckle up anybody--or anything--in your back seat.

Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Transportation