Rear-facing versus forward-facing child restraints: an updated assessment

Over the last year, the recommendation put forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for infants and toddlers to be placed in rear-facing child restraint seats (RFCRS) has expanded beyond the traditional 1 year of age. In this study, the authors seek to compare injury outcomes and child seat orientation, using data from the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) from 1988 to 2015. They seek to evaluate the relative protection provided by RFCRS compared with front-facing child restraint systems (FFCRS) for children up to 2 years of age. The results of their study show an extremely low injury rate in children 2 years and under using both RFCRS and FFCRS. No statistical differentiation is observed between RFCRS and FFCRS in the NASS-CDS data; however, other evidence supports the recommendation that RFCRS be used for small children.

Language

  • English

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01684817
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Oct 31 2018 9:15AM