When is it safe to place a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag?

Placing a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag is never safe. Rear-facing car seats are designed to protect a child's head, neck, and spine in the event of a crash by absorbing the force from a collision and properly cradling the child. When an airbag deploys, particularly in a frontal collision, it can cause serious injury or even be fatal to a child in a rear-facing seat.

The violent inflation of the airbag can strike the car seat and the child with tremendous force, which can lead to significant injury due to the close proximity between the airbag and the rear-facing car seat. Consequently, best practices and guidelines from safety organizations recommend that children remain in rear-facing car seats for as long as possible, preferably until they reach the maximum height or weight limit set by the car seat manufacturer, and that these seats must be placed in the rear seats of the vehicle to minimize risks associated with airbag deployment.