ROLLOVER EJECTION WHILE WEARING LAP AND SHOULDER HARNESS: THE ROLE OF THE RETRACTOR

There have been documented cases of rollover accidents wherein the driver was ejected while wearing the single loop lap/shoulder harness. In this paper, three actual incidents are discussed. In two of the three cases the vehicle was photographed at the accident scene with the latchplate still in the buckle, whereas in the other case, the evidence of the seat belt having been latched was found some time after the accident. The design of the seat belt retractor is analyzed to determine its role in the retention of occupants in a rollover collision. The nature of rollover acceleration pulses and occupant motions are discussed. The design of the typical retractor mechanism, particularly the ones in the three accident scenarios is presented. A review of current seat belt retractors is also presented with commentary on which designs may prevent this kind of release. For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD E201376.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/1560918047
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

  400 Commonwealth Drive
  Warrendale, PA  United States  15096
• Authors:
  • RENFROE, D A
• Conference:
  • SAE PUBLICATION SP-1174. TECHNOLOGIES FOR OCCUPANT PROTECTION ASSESSMENT: PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS & EXPOSITION, FEBRUARY 26-29, 1996, DETROIT, MICHIGAN, USA (SAE TECHNICAL PAPER 960096)
• Publication Date: 1996-2

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 23-8

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acceleration (Mechanics); Conferences; Design; Ejection; Failure; Manual safety belts; Motion; Overturning; Prevention; Vehicle occupants
• ITRD Terms: 5405: Acceleration; 8525: Conference; 9011: Design (overall design); 1651: Ejection; 5520: Failure; 5483: Movement; 1637: Overturning (veh); 9149: Prevention; 1476: Safety belt; 1715: Vehicle occupant
• Subject Areas: Design; Passenger Transportation; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00779080
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Institute for Road Safety Research, SWOV
• ISBN: 1-56091-804-7
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Dec 7 1999 12:00AM