News

News

More than Forty Years of Progress for Child Passenger Protection

A Chronicle of Child Passenger Safety Advances in the USA, 1965-2009 Compiled by Deborah D. Stewart, Editor Emerita, Safe Ride News Publications

1965-1974

1965:  Physicians for Automotive Safety formed, pickets NY Auto Show, protests lack of occupant protection.

1971:  Physicians for Automotive Safety publishes first pamphlet on child passenger protection, “Don’t Risk Your Child’s Life” (updated frequently to present).

1968:  First child restraints designed for crash protection developed by Ford (Tot-Guard) and General Motors (Love Seat for toddlers).  Followed soon thereafter by the GM Infant Love Seat (first rear-facing only restraint) and the Bobby Mac convertible seat (used both rear-facing and forward facing).

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Adjusting Vehicle Head Restraints for Installing Car Seats: Some Dos and Don’ts

The problem of head restraints (HRs) interfering with CR installation seems to be growing because HR design improvements for non-CR passengers can actually be at odds with CR installation ease. Injury reduction is more effective when the HR is closer to the back of the head, so the trend is for HR designs to protrude further into the seating area – sometimes preventing the back of a forward-facing CR from being aligned with the seatback. Unfortunately, this mismatch coincides with an increased use of high-weight harness (HWH) seats and higher-backed boosters, which are taller and much more likely to reach the height of the HR.

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California Mandates CR Replacement Coverage

CA Insurance Code – Replacement of CR after crash 11580.011

(a) As used in this section, “child passenger restraint system” means a system as described in Section 27360 of the Vehicle Code.

(b) Every policy of automobile liability insurance, as described in Section 16054 of the Vehicle Code, shall provide liability coverage for replacement of a child passenger restraint system that was damaged or was in use by a child during an accident for which liability coverage under the policy is applicable due to the liability of an insured.

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Where is the Least Risky Place for Children to Ride?—Answering Parents’ Questions

Why should my child ride in the center?

A national study of actual crashes shows that a child in the center has about half the likelihood of being injured, compared to a child on either side.  The center position is farthest from any point of impact.

How can I decide which of my children to place in a side position?

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Toyota’s Tether Anchor Installation Program Through SBS USA

SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A (SBS USA) collaborates with Toyota/Lexus on a program to provide tether anchor kits and installation for families with pre-2001 Toyota and Lexus models. Dealers throughout the continental U.S. and Alaska (not Hawaii) honor certificates from SBS USA for the tether kit and installation. The certificates can be obtained through SBS USA by sending in an application that includes the VIN and information about the children to be transported, along with a voluntary donation of $5 or more per anchor. Highway safety or child safety organizations can have a supply of certificates to fill out with families in need at checkup events. The donations help defray administrative costs of SBS USA. Information about the program and applications are available on the SBS USA website in English and Spanish.

Toyota and Lexus Tether Installation Program

Programa de Instalación de Correas  de Sujeción (Tether) de Toyota & Lexus

New Law Aims to Reduce Non-Traffic Vehicle Injuries

On February 28, 2008, the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act was signed, which requires the Department of Transportation to issue regulations with the goal of reducing non-traffic injury and death to children in and around vehicles.

The new law is applicable to all light motor vehicles and focuses on three areas: power-window safety, rearward visibility, and vehicle roll-away prevention. Auto makers will be required to include features to meet new performance standards and can draw from technologies that already exist on some current models.

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Unoccupied Boosters Can Injure Other Passengers

Though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) does not keep data on how often passengers are injured by loose items in vehicles, such as unsecured booster seats, these injuries do occur. Two such incidents made headlines in Wisconsin in the past couple years.  While not fatally injured, both victims still suffer from lingering effects due to their injuries.

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Air Bag Danger in Parked Cars

Airbag dangers for younger children include mishaps that occur in parked vehicles. A six-year-old Pennsylvania child was critically injured by an airbag in April 2007. She and her three-year-old brother were playing in the front seat in the family’s parked SUV when the vehicle popped into gear and rolled down a hill into a house, causing the airbag to deploy. The mother was charged with endangering the welfare of her children and reckless endangerment.

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