Effectiveness of high back and backless belt-positioning booster seats in side impact crashes

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Arbogast, Kristy B.¹; Kallan, Michael J.²; Durbin, Dennis R.^1,2

Effectiveness of high back and backless belt-positioning booster seats in side impact crashes

49th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM)

Affiliations

¹The Department of Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

²The Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Abstract

Previous work quantified a 59% reduction in injury risk for children in belt positioning booster seats (BPB) compared to those restrained in seat belts using a sample of crashes of all directions of impact. Experimental sled tests have highlighted the potential for extreme occupant excursion out of the BPB in side impact crash conditions. Using data from a large child specific crash surveillance system, the present study built upon these previous studies and quantified the relative effectiveness of BPB as compared to seat belts in reducing the risk of injury among 4-8 year olds in side impact crashes. Children in BPB were at a 58% reduction in risk of injury than those in seat belts in side impact crashes. This result varied by booster seat type: those in high back BPB were at a 70% reduction in injury risk while those in backless BPB did not experience a statistically significant reduction in injury risk compared to those in seat belts. This differential performance of the two types of BPB provides direction for future research into the design and performance of these restraints.

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Cited By (10)

Year	Entry
2011	Forman JL, Segui-Gomez M, Ash JH, Lopez-Valdes FJ. Child posture and shoulder belt fit during extended night-time traveling: an in-transit observational study. In: 55th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 3-5, 2011; Paris, France.3-14.
2013	Lopez-Valdes FJ, Forman JL, Ash JH, Kent R, Alba JJ, Segui-Gomez M. Assessment of a head support system to prevent pediatric out-of-position: an observational study. In: 57th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 22-25, 2013; Quebec City, QC.297-310.
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2011	Suntay B, Moorhouse K, Bolte J IV. Characterization of the pediatric shoulder’s resistance to lateral loading conditions. In: Proceedings of the 22nd International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 13-16, 2011; Washington, DC.
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2009	Arbogast KB, Jermakian JS, Kallan MJ, Durbin DR. Effectiveness of belt positioning booster seats: an updated assessment. Pediatrics. November 2009;124(5):1281-1286.
2017	Yaek JL. Biofidelity Assessment of 6-Year-Old Anthropometric Test Devices (ATDs) and Scaling Laws in Lateral Impact [PhD thesis]. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University; 2017.