Performance of booster seats in side impacts:​ effect of adjacent passengers and isofix attachment

Charlton, Judith L.; Fildes, Brian; Taranto, David; Laemmle, Ronald; Smith, Stuart; Clark, Anthony

This study examined the performance of a booster seat in different seating configurations in side-impact hyGe sled tests (crash severity 30 km/h) with two attachment systems: a standard seatbelt and ISOfix (rigid). The objectives of the study were twofold: (i) to identify the relative benefits of ISOfix attachment compared with seatbelt attachment of a near-side booster seat in a 3-abreast seating configuration with adjacent occupants in child restraints (CRS); and (ii) to examine the effects of 3-abreast seating configurations compared with no adjacent passengers on booster seat crash protection characteristics. Overall, the findings confirmed the superior performance of the rigid anchorages in reducing lateral motion of the booster as well as the two adjacent CRS. However, the expected benefits of the rigid attachment in reducing head accelerations were not uniformly observed across the three occupants/seating positions and also appeared to be influenced by seating configuration (3-abreast versus no adjacent occupant). Further research is warranted to explore the applicability of the findings for different CRS types and seating configurations.

Year

Entry

2005

Charlton JL, Fildes B, Laemmle R, Koppel S, Fechner L, Moore K, Smith S, Douglas F, Doktor I. Crash performance evaluation of booster seats for an Australian car. In: Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 6-9, 2005; Washington, DC.

2004

Charlton JL, Fildes B, Laemmle R, Smith S, Douglas F. A preliminary evaluation of child restraints and anchorage systems for an Australian car. In: 48th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 13-15, 2004; Key Biscayne, FL.73-86.

1998

Braver ER, Whitfield R, Ferguson SA. Seating positions and children’s risk of dying in motor vehicle crashes. Inj Prev. 1998;4(3):181-187.

2004

Howard A, Rothman L, McKeag AM, Pazmino-Canizares J, Monk B, Comeau JL, Mills D, Blazeski SB, Hale I, German A. Children in side-impact motor vehicle crashes: seating positions and injury mechanisms. J Trauma. June 2004;56(6):1276-1285.

1998

Newgard C, Jolly BT. A descriptive study of pediatric injury patterns from the national automotive sampling system. In: 42nd Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 5-7, 1998; Charlottesville, VA.1-14.