children in back seat of cars

FWIW, I put my kids in a Chevy Caprice wagon (dating myself here, aren't I?) and then a Sienna minivan but promptly got rid of the awful OEM tires on both cars. Today, I'd certainly look for vehicles with side curtain airbags as well as other safety features but I'd continue to replace OEM tires to obtain superior traction especially in wet conditions.

Do any cars offer side airbags in the back?

Front and rear side curtain airbags are common equipment now, standard equipment in the 2007 Camry and standard or optional in most other models.

Your definition of safe depends upon the actions of other drivers.

An infant should be facing to the rear, and the safest place in any car is in the middle of the back seat. The other occupants are safest depending upon which side the car is struck on. A general rule of thumb is that bigger is better, but that rule tends to break down with alarming regularity these days. And, the very thing -- size -- that affords you the greatest safety is what makes the other drivers hate you; your car or truck simply creams smaller cars. Of course, larger has it's downside too.

Yes, but I guess I dont really care who hates me. These days it's every man/woman for himself, and now with two small children, I have a duty to protect them to the best of my ability. So they can hate me all they want... I have been driving small cars all my life, so I do understand how they feel..But now for me the stakes are different.

Of course,,I thought it was very obvious, that my definition of safe depends on other drivers' actions....I certainly dont plan on driving my vehicle into a wall just for the hell of it. Everyone's fear is what the other guy will do? But this belief is actually wrong, since every driver is a risk...you got bad weather...sun...all kinds of possiblilities. No one is a perfectly safe driver,,,no one.