Response of the Hybrid III 3 year old and CRABI 12 month old dummies in FFCRS and RFCRS in simulated frontal impacts

Abdelilah, Yasmina<sup>1</sup>; Sherwood, Chris<sup>1</sup>; Marshall, Rob<sup>1</sup>; Crandall, Jeff<sup>1</sup>

Affiliations

¹University of Virginia – Center for Applied Biomechanics

Abstract

The benefits of placing an infant (0-1 year) in a rear facing child restraint (RFCRS), as opposed to a forward facing child restraint (FFCRS), are generally well known in the safety community. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration developed guidelines that recommend children remain rear facing until they are at least 20 lbs. and one year of age, yet some experts advocate keeping the child rear facing as long as possible. Virtually all children ages 1 – 3 years in the US ride in FFCRS. Children in Scandinavian countries ride in RFCRS up to the age of 4, and their research shows a marked benefit for the older rear-facing occupants. There is limited experimental data comparing rear facing and forward facing child restraint performance in frontal impacts for this older age group. The objective of this study is to perform a preliminary investigation on the benefits of RFCRS for the one year and three year old occupants by evaluating the potential for injury. Eight frontal sled tests were run at 49 km/h to measure the responses of a CRABI 12 month and Hybrid III three year old dummy in both forward and rear facing child restraints to a simulated frontal crash. Sled test procedures were similar to those in the US federal standard (FMVSS 213). The dummy was instrumented with accelerometers to measure the accelerations in the head, chest, and pelvis and with load cells to measure the forces in the upper and lower neck. Dummy response values were compared to known scaled tolerances. Injury values in the head, neck, and chest were all lower for the rear facing condition. The results indicate that there are significant benefits for positioning the one year and three year old occupants in a rear facing restraint in frontal crashes and the recommended guidelines are worth possible reconsideration.

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