FRONTAL CRASH EVALUATION TESTS OF A FIVE-POINT HARNESS CHILD RESTRAINT

Tests were conducted to provide information on the mechanics of child restraint with a five-point harness system. For anatomical reasons, the juvenile chimpanzee was chosen as the best approximation to the human child. Sedated juvenile male chimpanzees withstood frontal deceleration tests in a five-point harness at crash speeds of 32.2, 40.2, and 48.3 km/h (20, 25, and 30 mph) without skeletal bone fractures or evidence of soft tissue injury. Injury assessment was by X-ray and blood serum enzyme analysis as well as ECG readings and post-test observations of the animals' behavior. While this animal model does not fully guarantee the identical performance of a five-point harness system with humans, these results support the opinion that the protection offered a child occupant in a five-point system is comparable to that available to adult passengers in conventional automotive restraint systems.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Proceedings of the 19th Stapp Car Crash Conference.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

  400 Commonwealth Drive
  Warrendale, PA  United States  15096
• Authors:
  • Schreck, R M
  • PATRICK, L M
• Conference:
  • Stapp Car Crash Conference Proceedings
• Publication Date: 1975

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 317-343

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Animals; Child restraint systems; Evaluation; Frontal crashes; Restraint systems
• Old TRIS Terms: Occupant restraint; Rearward facing child seat
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00133542
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
• Report/Paper Numbers: SAE #751152
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 4 1976 12:00AM