Head excursions of rearward-facing child restraint systems in rear impacts

The aim of the current study was to quantify the head excursions of pediatric anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) seated in rearward-facing child restraint system (CRS) models during rear impact sled tests and compare to roof heights of vehicles in the current fleet to assess the possibility of head...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Traffic injury prevention 2023, Vol.24 (3), p.213-217
Main Authors: Patton, D. A., Mansfield, J. A., Maheshwari, J., Arbogast, K. B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents, Traffic
ATD
Biomechanical Phenomena
Child
Child Restraint Systems
Child restraints
CRS
Equipment Design
Head
Humans
Infant
Manikins
Minivans
Motor Vehicles
Passenger safety
Pediatrics
Pickup trucks
rear impact
rearward-facing
Seat Belts
Seats
Sleds
Trucks
Vehicles
Video data
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Summary:The aim of the current study was to quantify the head excursions of pediatric anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) seated in rearward-facing child restraint system (CRS) models during rear impact sled tests and compare to roof heights of vehicles in the current fleet to assess the possibility of head contact against the vehicle roof. Head excursions of ATDs seated in rearward-facing CRS models were analyzed from high-speed video data from 14 rear impact sled tests across two different series. Tests were conducted in rigidized vehicle seats from recent model year vehicles. Rearward-facing infant and convertible CRS models were tested with a variety of pediatric ATDs aged 12 months to 6 years in a variety of installation conditions (e.g., lower anchors or seat belt, anti-rotation features, etc). Maximum ATD head excursions in plane of the seatback were compared to previously measured roof heights of 87 different vehicles. The roof heights in all sedan seating positions (n = 58) and SUV/CUV/minivan seating positions (n = 60) were greater than the largest maximum ATD head excursions in plane of the seatback (792 mm). Head contact was possible in two of the pickup trucks which had roof heights of 730 and 775 mm. In all, 98% of vehicle seating positions measured in this study would accommodate all of the maximum ATD head excursions in plane of the seatback without contact. The risk of head contact against the vehicle interior roof appears low as maximum ATD head excursions in plane of the seatback were typically not great enough to reach the rooflines of the vehicles in the sample. Head contact appears possible in pickup trucks, where the window/roofline is directly behind the head restraint.
ISSN:1538-9588
1538-957X
DOI:10.1080/15389588.2022.2160631