News

News

SKW Forms “Children in Autonomous Vehicles Consortium”

Safe Kids Worldwide has organized the Children in Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) Consortium, an 18-month volunteer effort focused on the safety needs of children under 13 in an evolving transportation era. The consortium, consisting of two working groups (Policy, Legislation & Enforcement and Public Information & Education), will follow up on the recommendations of a blue-ribbon panel that met in April 2018 (www.safekids.org/avs). Also, anyone interested in this topic is encouraged to click on the website’s link to join the Children in AVs Interest Group. Members of this group will receive updates from the consortium and can submit questions and information to the consortium’s working groups.

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Is Your Understanding of AVs on the Level?

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are a hot topic in today’s news, with the efforts of vehicle and technology companies regularly making headlines. Evidence of these efforts can be seen all around the country. In 2011, Nevada was the first state to authorize the operation of autonomous vehicles, and to date, 38 states have passed legislation or regulations regarding AVs, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. These authorized activities ranging from studies on AVs to vehicle testing with or without a human operator.

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Will Parents Let Children Ride Alone in AVs?

In the future, will caregivers be inclined to utilize the convenience of autonomous vehicles to transport their children independently to their many activities? What will happen if children, who are not cognitively capable of taking over control of a vehicle in an emergency, ride alone? And, what assurances will there be that unaccompanied children will be cared for properly at their destination or after a traffic incident?

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Halo Traction Requires Special Attention for CPS

 

Halo Cast
A halo traction device poses several challenges for proper CR use. Whether the child uses a CR or a booster, the webbing should be routed within the frame to contact the shoulders. (Image courtesy of Automotive Safety Program at Indiana University School of Medicine.)

Halo traction is used to hold the head in place and stabilize the cervical spine after surgery or injury. It is comprised of a metal framework (called a halo, due to the fact that it encircles the head) attached by pins to the patient’s skull and connected to the body using straps or a vest. The device allows children to move around and participate in many regular activities during the weeks or months of recovery. Although helpful tips for caregivers of children using a halo can be found online, very little is said about safely transporting these children.

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Understanding Dual-Latchplate Lap-Shoulder Belt Systems

A dual-latchplate belt system, discussed in the editorial on page 2 of the 2019 March/April SRN, is the only modern seat belt in which assembly before use may be required.  In the spectrum of passive-to-active protection, therefore, this type can be considered “extra-active.”

Dual-latchplate systems are generally the same across many vehicle brands, but specific design variations exist.  Always check the instructions for the particular model in use.
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Government Shutdown Affects CPS

Like all Americans, readers are well aware that the U.S. government was shut down from December 22, 2018, until January 25, 2019, prompting the suspension of activities for all agencies deemed nonessential and furloughing roughly 800,000 federal employees.  The CPS work of some readers may have been directly or indirectly impacted by this situation.  From a macro level, here is what SRN has learned about some key aspects of CPS with respect to this shutdown and shutdowns in general.

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Needed: Data on Pets Injured or Killed by Cars

KidsAndCars.org Seeks Data From the Public on Pets Injured or Killed by Cars

For over 20 years, KidsAndCars.org (KAC) has been dedicated to the prevention of noncrash, vehicle-related hazards to children, such as heatstroke, backovers, and trunk entrapment.  Since data is key to spurring safety improvements, KAC has long collected data on various not-in-traffic incidents.  For many incidents that occur off of roadways, KAC was the first to begin collecting incident data, and it was instrumental in securing the 2005 legislation that required NHTSA to begin surveillance of these types of events. Read More from “Needed: Data on Pets Injured or Killed by Cars”

Five Years Later: How CR Types Are Affected by NHTSA LA Attachment Limits

In the past couple of years, the introduction of such LA adjusters as Evenflo’s EasyClick and Graco’s EZ Tight is an encouraging sign that NHTSA’s requirements for LA attachment weight limits have not squelched CR manufacturers’ interest in innovating to improve LATCH ease of use.  Now that five years have passed since the regulation went into effect, it is a fitting time to reflect on how the regulation has affected CR types, in general.

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A Refresher on Belt-Shortening Clips—and Where to Find Them

All CPSTs have been trained in how to use a belt-shortening clip (BSC), the heavy-duty device that holds webbing so that a CR can be installed using a lap belt with an ELR retractor.  However, few CPSTs have used one outside of certification training because, of course, vehicles with belts that require this device are now old—and, even back in the 1980s and ‘90s, such belt systems were not particularly common.

Still, it is good for CPSTs to know how to identify situations that require a belt-shortening clip and how to help a parent use one, if needed.  The situation might be rare, but if a CPST encounters a child who is riding in a vehicle so old as to need a BSC, then the vehicle is also lacking other modern safety features.  In such a vehicle, tight installation is even more critical.

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