Kayak Trailer in an accident?

Driving back from the Coast with my wife and infant son in the back seat I got to thinking about what might happen if we were to get rear ended. I realized my revo was pointed directly at their heads and got a not so good feeling about having put it there. Hopefully nothing like that will ever happen, but if it did, do you guys think the trailer would be driven into the back of the car and the revo in turn sent through the glass?






The boy looks ready to fish

Can't speculate on the trailer kayak launcher,but that sure is one cute kid,Noah!

I doubt it, the trailer frame would likely warp left, right, up, or down before the boats hit the glass, at which point they would be pointed a different direction.  Additionally, in a car seat, his head isn't going to be above the top of the vehicle's seat until he is facing forward, at which time he'll still have protection from the car seat since they wrap around the kiddo's head.

It would probably have to be a fairly high speed accident, and involving a pretty tall vehicle (e.g. Class 8 truck) for that to be a likely outcome.  If a regular car hits the back of the trailer the nose will go under the kayak and most of the impact will be borne by the trailer itself.  If the Revo gets hit at all it'll punch through the front glass of the offending vehicle similar to Skidplate's accident. 

There's also a pretty good chance the trailer would get turned relative to your car and so even if the Revo got launched forward it may not come straight into the back windshield but rather at an angle and that would significantly reduce the chance of injury to occupants of your car due to the kayak intruding.

Noah, I don't know the answer to the question about the kayak going through the window. I do know the the tongue will bend before driving into the car. Do you have the tongue of the trailer fully extended? A little distance is always good.
The other safety feature I have started is to cable my kayaks to the trailer. Not only is it a theft deterrent, it will also keep the kayak from sliding forward or back in an accident.

What is the distance from the front of the the trailer box to the back of the car? Is that distance greater or smaller than the distance from the end of your revo to the rear passenger seat? The chance of a rear end accident popping your trailer off the hitch and snapping the safety chains is pretty remote, but the trailer box most likely won't compress too far into the body of the car and the kayaks are unlikely to come off the bars. Even when Issac dumped his rack on the freeway the kayaks stayed connected to the bars.
Basically I think you are OK, but sliding your back back further will give you even larger margin of safety.

Thinking similar to wobbler. Bow and stern lines are usually required anyway and cabling each yak to your trailer should alleviate one of your boats from becoming a projectile.
Of course if you're still worried that all the extra lines won't do the trick, maybe modify the front guard (sideboard?) So it extends forward of the noses of the yaks instead of sitting in the rail pockets. Think of it as a " headache rack" for the trailer.

+1 on cable locks.  Make sure to cinch them down tight. 
The kayak isn't going to move with a tight cable lock.

Most importantly, remove my Adventure's rudder assembly from your Revo before you get hit by a car.   Also, +1 on the cute kid.

Good question. I had mine lashed down with two straps and a cable lock through the mirage hole. The cable wasn't tight but is what kept the yak tethered to the truck. In the event the trailer gets hit, the bar angles may change or the kayak compress, thereby loosening the hold by the straps.
I wouldn't think that it would shoot out, but I wouldn't count on it staying put either. I also wouldn't stress about all the what-ifs but cables are cheap, and as others mentioned, multi purpose.

or you could just buy a  truck

or you could just buy a  truck

Noah.  Yes you need a truck to safely haul those kayaks around so there is no fear of being bonked in the back of the head.
Your wife will understand when you roll in the driveway with a new truck all in the name of safety. 
That and you would then be able to go first at any 4 way stop when it's just cars coming from the other directions. 
In Oregon, the vehicle with the biggest tires ALWAYS has right of way, always!  Feel free to challenge this.   

In Oregon, the vehicle with the biggest tires ALWAYS has right of way, always!  Feel free to challenge this.   

Unless I'm driving one of the other vehicles. I am really tired of drivers who do not know right-of-way laws and so wave everybody else through stop signs. If I come to a stop sign and whomever has right-of-way over me doesn't start moving within 100 milliseconds after I come to a stop I start moving again... 

In Oregon, the vehicle with the biggest tires ALWAYS has right of way, always!  Feel free to challenge this.   

Unless I'm driving one of the other vehicles. I am really tired of drivers who do not know right-of-way laws and so wave everybody else through stop signs. If I come to a stop sign and whomever has right-of-way over me doesn't start moving within 100 milliseconds after I come to a stop I start moving again... 

Ugh.  The worst are the morons that come to a stop while already in a roundabout to wave someone else in.

In Oregon, the vehicle with the biggest tires ALWAYS has right of way, always!  Feel free to challenge this.   

Unless I'm driving one of the other vehicles. I am really tired of drivers who do not know right-of-way laws and so wave everybody else through stop signs. If I come to a stop sign and whomever has right-of-way over me doesn't start moving within 100 milliseconds after I come to a stop I start moving again...

I have a solution for the wave-throughs (aka control freaks): I sit there and stare at them. It's become a game to me. If they have the right of way, and they try to wave me through, I'll stay put and stare at them until they finally go. The longer it takes the more points I get.