The effect of Swedish tethers on the performance of rear facing child restraints in frontal crashes

Sherwood, Chris; Abdelilah, Yasmina; Crandall, Jeff

Affiliations

¹Center for Applied Biomechanics, University of Virginia, USA

Abstract

Rear Facing child restraints (RFCR) have various component designs which can couple the restraint to the vehicle. Swedish tethers, which link the upper portion of the child restraint to the vehicle floor, prevent rearward rotation in rear impacts and during rebound in frontal crashes. They also simplify installation of restraints by allowing better control of the installation angle and removing the need of spacer devices. The objective of this study was to test the effect of Swedish tethers on RFCR in frontal crashes. The tethers reduced forward excursion and rotation, and had a positive but minor effect on injury values. The more secure attachment to the vehicle caused by the Swedish tether could also be beneficial in other crash types.

Links

URL: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv19/05-0346-O.pdf

Cited Works (2)

Year	Entry
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Cited By (2)

Year	Entry
2015	Klinich KD, Manary MA. Best practice recommendations for protecting child occupants. In: Yoganandan N, Nahum AM, Melvin JW, eds. Accidental Injury: Biomechanics and Prevention. 3rd ed. New York: Springer; 2015:697-719.
2007	Sherwood CP, Crandall JR. Frontal sled tests comparing rear and forward facing child restraints with 1-3 year old dummies. In: 51st Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 15-17, 2007; Melbourne, Australia.169-180.