Child Seat Research Articles

Affordability and Availability of Child Restraints in an Under-Served Population in South Africa.

Background: Child road traffic injuries are a major global public health problem and the issue is particularly burdensome in middle-income countries such as South Africa where injury death rates are 41 per 100,000 for under 5′s and 24.5 per 100,000 for 5–14-year-old. Despite their known effectiveness in reducing injuries amongst children, the rates of use of child restraint systems (CRS) remains low in South Africa. Little is known about barriers to child restraint use especially in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: We carried out observation studies and parent/carer surveys in 7 suburbs of Cape Town over a three month period to assess usage rates and explore the knowledge and perceptions of parents towards child restraint legislation, ownership and cost; Results: Only 7.8% of child passengers were observed to be properly restrained in a CRS with driver seatbelt use and single child occupancy being associated with higher child restraint use. 92% of survey respondents claimed to have knowledge of current child restraint legislation, however, only 32% of those parents/carers were able to correctly identify the age requirements and penalty. Reasons given for not owning a child seat included high cost and the belief that seatbelts were a suitable alternative. Conclusions: These findings indicate the need for a tighter legislation with an increased fine paired with enhanced enforcement of both adult seatbelt and child restraint use. The provision of low-cost/subsidised CRS or borrowing schemes and targeted social marketing through online fora, well baby clinics, early learning centres would be beneficial in increasing ownership and use of CRS.

Comparative Analysis of Child Restraint Systems Safety Parameters in Relation to the New Regulation No. 129 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN/ECE)

This study presents a comparison of the common Child Restraint Systems (CRS) which reduces the value of dynamic loads affecting the child’s body during car accidents. The analyzed systems were: child seats, booster seats, and straps—adjustable vehicle seat belts adapted to children’s stature. The effectiveness of the analyzed devices was assessed on the basis of experimental tests carried out in the accredited laboratory approving the Child Restraint Systems. The tests were carried out in accordance with the new Regulation No. 129 UN/ECE. The authors examined whether the tested devices meet the guidelines of the new Regulations No. 129 despite approval in accordance with Regulation No. 44. Based on the research results, better safety parameters of some new solutions dedicated to children’s safety could be observed. Almost all the selected CRS met requirements stated in Regulation No. 129. The only exception was for abdominal pressure in one of the tested devices. Head Resultant Acceleration in tested devices was 14.7–39.0% less than the limit determined in Regulation No. 129 whereas Chest Resultant Acceleration was 17.4–37.6% less. Abdominal pressure was 46.4–81.4% beneath the limit (apart from one case which did not meet the requirements). The HPC parameter (Head Performance Criterion) was 45.4–74.5% less. The final results show that there are still some possibilities for improving the safety of young vehicle passengers.

Comparing ASEAN NCAP Ratings between Editions of the Same Models


 
 
 From a total of 20 car models crash-tested by ASEAN NCAP, seven models from four makes have undergone ASEAN NCAP assessment twice, whereas two car models from two domestic powerhouses had undergone the assessment thrice. This study shall evaluate the improvements to the newer editions which supposedly led to better safety ratings. The focus is on the passive safety systems comprising airbags, seatbelt, and child seats. ASEAN NCAP star rating is mainly based on the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and Children Occupant Protection (COP) for passive safety as well as some elements in active safety. The ratings and points earned for the AOP and COP were compared between previous and newer editions of the same car models. An analysis was conducted as to whether or not the different editions used the same protocol. There is a difference between the inaugural and the latest protocols to assess both the AOP and COP. Cars using different protocols were analysed in terms of the chest deflection value, in which the value from the latest protocol shall be calculated using the previous protocol to obtain AOP scores and making the comparison. Overall, the new batch of car models was rated to be safer and mostly the newer edition of the car models obtained better COP scores compared to their predecessors.
 
 

Establishment Procedure of Child Restraint Systems Reference List for ASEAN NCAP


 
 
 Babies and children below the age of 12 are the most vulnerable road users compared to older children (i.e., 12 years and above) and adults. To reduce the risk of severe injuries in the case of crashes or emergency braking, it is important that these groups of children are transported properly using age- or size-appropriate Child Restraint Systems (CRS) for as long as possible. As part of the ASEAN NCAP protocol, a so-called "CRS Reference List" that contains a sample of widely available, well-performing child seats in the ASEAN market was established to assess the vehicle's ability to safely and correctly accommodate child seats. The reference list should be reviewed every two years following a systematic revision process and published in ASEAN NCAP's website. In this paper, some shortlisted CRS identified in previous work would be assessed following ASEAN NCAP Child Occupant Protection (COP) protocol where the CRS performance is evaluated. The technical assessment is explained in detail in this paper, where several measurements taken during vehicle impact tests using several shortlisted CRS are shown. The final "CRS Reference List" would then be established by ASEAN NCAP following the systematic assessment process based on the findings and recommendations from this work for the future ASEAN NCAP COP assessment.
 
 

Design of the top tether component for the premium car market segment: Case study of Volvo Cars

The positive correlation between successful car design and high perceived quality is indisputable. In the highly competitive premium car market segment, the implementation of methods for perceived quality evaluation is an integral part of the strategic development plans of car manufacturers. However, to correctly define the perceived quality requirements and address market opportunities, the car manufacturers need to capture diverse customer demands. This study seeks to understand how customers perceive and prioritize attributes that are associated with the perceived quality of the premium car market segment. During the study, we evaluated the next generation top tether design concepts for Volvo Cars sedan models S60 and S90. The top tether is the part of an ISOFIX system used to connect a forward-facing child seat in a car and is a critical safety component significantly reducing potential injuries. We applied the Perceived Quality Attributes Importance Ranking (PQAIR) methodology to understand the importance of different perceived quality attributes from a customer perspective. In other words, we investigated the meaning of “premiumness” for the customers, applied to the specific car component. This approach was tested on 200 respondents representing the customer target group and was performed in collaboration with Volvo Cars technical experts. Our results verify the rationality of the applied method and indicate the improvement of engineering practices regarding the evaluation of perceived quality.

Analysis of vertical vibrations affecting a child transported in a child seat during a car passing over the release speed bump

The article presents the results of research on the assessment of vibrational comfort of children carried in child seats. The work analyzes the impact of the child's mass and the speed of the car passing through the speed bump on the level of vibration to which the passenger (child) transported in the child seat mounted on the rear seat of the car is exposed. The tested car seats were installed in a passenger car using the ISOfix base. During the tests, the measured values were the acceleration of the seat child seat, the backrest of the child seat, the rear seat of the car and the child seat ISOfix base. As part of the research, car drive through the speed bump were carried out at different car speeds and with different mass simulating the mass of a child. The test results were analyzed in order to determine the magnitude of vibrations generated during car drive through the speed bump. Based on the results obtained, the level of vibrational comfort of a child trip in a child seat was assessed.

Responses of the scaled pediatric human body model in the rear- and forward-facing child seats in simulated frontal motor vehicle crashes

Objective: The study presents the first-ever endeavor at developing 18-, 24-, 30-, 36-, 42-, and 48-month-old pediatric finite element models from the 6-year-old PIPER human body model as a baseline and comparing their responses systematically in rear-facing and forward-facing simulations across similar boundary conditions.Methods: A 6-year-old PIPER model was scaled down to create anthropometric models of the 18-, 24-, 30-, 36-, 42-, and 48-month-old child using the PIPER scaling tool. The models were installed on a convertible car seat (rear-facing and forward-facing configurations) installed with a 3-point lap–shoulder belt in the rear outboard seat of a 2012 Toyota Camry vehicle model finite element model and setup for full-frontal crash simulation (24 G, 120 ms pulse).Results: The forward-facing models showed higher head resultant accelerations for 24-, 36-, 42-, and 48-month-old models (reduction for rear-facing seats ranging from 10% to 32%). For the 18- and 30-month-old models, the maximum head acceleration showed similar values (difference of less than 10%). Upper neck forces and moments were consistently lower for rear-facing models compared to forward-facing. The neck forces were reduced by 83%–90% and the neck moments were reduced by 63%–85% in the rear-facing models compared to their respective forward-facing configurations. The reduction in head injury criterion (HIC36) for rear-facing models ranged from 14% to 51%. The neck injury criterion (Nij) for all forward-facing models was 6 to 9 times the values of their rear-facing counterpart.Conclusions: The study shows the potential benefit of rear-facing orientation compared to forward-facing for children up to 4 years of age in a controlled environment.

A rapid market survey on the availability of car seats in Qatar: Implications for child passenger safety.

Introduction: Despite the high income level in Arabian Gulf countries, people in the region need to improve their use of child restraint systems (CRSs) to reduce the incidence of preventable injuries to child automobile passengers. Anecdotal reports have attributed the resistance to using CRSs to the expense and unavailability of the systems, prompting car seat giveaway programs. Previous studies have not assessed the adoption of CRS. This study reports the results of a rapid market survey (RMS) to understand the availability, characteristics, and affordability of CRSs in Qatar and recommend future child restraint policies and legislation. Methods: The RMS identified all retail outlets that sell CRSs in Qatar and collected standard data on each restraint system: brand, model number, age/weight limits, compliance with standards, availability, and language of the owner's manual. A previously utilized metric for child safety devices was used to measure affordability. Results: The RMS showed a sufficient number (83) and variety (five types) of car seat models at 15 retail outlets, selling at a wide price range of $14–$1,399. All the car seats complied with the European standard. Only 2% showed a manufacturing or expiry date. A user manual was available for 71% of the seats and in different languages, but only 28% appeared in Arabic. The median CRS price was equivalent to the wages for less than one day of work. Conclusion: The RMS demonstrates the availability, variety, and affordability of CRSs in Qatar. Unavailability and expense cannot be cited as barriers to use CRS, and the market is prepared for legislation requiring car seats for children in Qatar. Areas for improvement include requiring user manuals for all seats, especially in Arabic; requiring that all car seats comply with globally accepted safety standards, especially for expiry/manufacturing dates, given the harsh local climate; and encouraging further varieties of CRSs in the local market.

Study of unattended child presence detection system for ASEAN NCAP safety rating

Cases regarding children death due to the entrapment in the vehicles during hot weather is increased. Our research aims are to study the opinions amongst parents regarding the safety awareness on the child safety in the vehicles and to investigate the preferred operations of child presence detection system in the vehicles. A quantitative research was carried out with surveys of audience awareness while driving with children inside vehicles and the preferred operating child presence detection system in the vehicles. Results found that many parents in Malaysia are aware of the need of the safety for their children because most of the parents are aware to prepare the child seat in the car. They also alert with the safety measurement taken while carrying the children in the car and proposed to all parents in Malaysia to have children car seat in the car. The survey results also found that the majority of the parents preferred to have better sound indicator for child detection system in the vehicles from the car reminder system. Based on the information obtained, 70% of the parents also are willing to pay higher priced for the child detection system in the car because they believed that leaving their children in the car for more than 30 minutes can caused death. Therefore, child presence detection system should be design and applied to all vehicles in Malaysia by applying a smart reminder system while considering the affordable price for the market.

Online Implementation of the RTE Mandate

This case chronicles the events in the life of a security guard who would like to enroll his five-year-old daughter in a private school under the Right to Education Act (RTE). Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act mandates that private schools reserve at least 25% of their seats for children from marginalized and economically weaker sections of society. This case can be used for classroom discussion in a course that deals with e-governance, ICT for Development or Technology deployment/digital service delivery in developing countries. It helps students think of an evaluation framework for assessing an e-governance solution for the disadvantaged and use the framework to critically assess the Gujarat government's digital solution for the RTE programme.

CHILD SAFETY ON VARIOUS BICYCLE-MOUNTED SEATS DURING VEHICLE IMPACT

This research addresses an important gap in the state of the art by investigating the safety of vulnerable road users – children transported on bicycle seats. The article focuses on three forms of bicycle-mounted child seats and their kinematics during an accident scenario involving a motor vehicle. The front, rear-frame and rear-rack mounted child seat mounting configurations were considered in this study. The research covers the impact of a sports sedan vehicle against a bicycle equipped with the child seat. The assessment of the child safety was done through numerical simulations by coupling the codes of MADYMO and LS-DYNA. The after-impact kinematics for various baby carriers is presented with the emphasis on child’s head and neck injuries. The results were compared to the full-scale test available in the literature. The findings prove a low protection level for the child provided by the bicycle carriers in all considered cases. The study is further devoted to directions of increasing child safety in this means of transportation.

A matrix analysis of carrying device-related injuries in preschool children

A new injury process analysis framework, Objects in Injury Process Matrix (OIPM), is proposed. This framework links objects and actors to a sequence of events in three stages, underlying, intermediate, and the point of injury, to examine the origins and evolution of injury events. In order to demonstrate the usefulness and workability of this framework, injuries to preschool children associated with typical child-carrying devices (baby slings, strollers, bicycle-mounted child seats, and car seats) were analysed. Data were taken from the Childhood Injury Surveillance Database compiled from medical treatment records at the National Center for Child Health and Development Japan. The Database contains coded data such as age and gender of child, time of injury, and treatment. In addition, the narrative part of the record contains rich information to help understand the roles of objects and actors at different stages of the injury process. In order to utilize this information in a systematic manner, the OIPM framework was employed and narrative texts were transformed into coded data. The results of the analysis show that analysing injury data based on the OIPM framework gives better understanding of the injury mechanism, which helps both designers of objects and actors involved in injury events.

Safety seat and seat belt use among child motor vehicle occupants, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

BackgroundUse of seat belts and car seats for children are among the most effective interventions to reduce injury severity when a crash occurs. The use should be enforced in order...

Transmission of lateral vibrations to children during car traveling and possibilities for their reduction

The publication addresses the need for technical solutions to reduce the transmission of lateral vibrations to passengers, especially children traveling by car in a child seat. A special design of a pendulum type tilting child seat has been proposed. Results of road trial conducted on a specific mountain road section are shown. The differences in the values of lateral accelerations acting on a child traveling in a conventional and in a tilting seat are given. The power spectral densities of lateral accelerations for both types of child seats are presented and compared. The root mean square values of lateral acceleration are given. Results for the values of the seat tilt angle are presented.

The impact of the unbalanced rear wheel on the vibrating comfort of the child seat

Abstract The paper presents the results of research on the assessment of vibration comfort of child seats in a passenger car. The research involved the impact of wheel unbalance on the size and frequency characteristics of vibrations to which a small passenger is exposed - a child transported in a standard car seat placed on the back of a car. The studies recorded the acceleration of the car floor, the seat of the child seat and the seat of the car under the child seat, for various speeds. The results were analysed to determine the intensity of the vibrations generated by the unbalanced wheel. Based on the obtained results, the degree of vibration comfort of the child seat has been assessed.

Parent's knowledge, attitude, and practice about children car seats at Unaizah city, KSA.

Background:Motor vehicle collision (MVC) is a major cause of death in children worldwide. Using children car seats will stabilize them during accidents and decrease the morbidity and mortality from MVC dramatically. There is no study in Saudi Arabia about car seat use and relationship between using it and children morbidity and mortality following a car accident.Objectives:To assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of children car seats among parents at Unaizah city, KSA, to assess the level of awareness regarding the children car safety system, to determine the parent level of education, socioeconomic status, and other factors affecting their behavior regarding car seats, to determine the prevalence of car seat use among parents in Unaizah city, and to assess the effectiveness of car seat policies on parents’ behavior.Design:Cross-sectional study.Settings:Public and private pediatric clinics at Unaizah city in Qassim region.Materials and Methods:The study was conducted from May to June 2018, among parents with child ≤7 years old. Anyone who could not complete the questionnaire for any reason was excluded from our study. SPSS version 20 has been used to analyze all data.Main Outcome Measures:To assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of children car seats among parents at Unaizah city, KSA.Sample Size:350.Results:There were 350 participants who were included in this study of which females were dominant 77.1%. The age range of parents was 25–35 years old. Most of them complied with the seatbelt policy (56.7%). Among these numbers, 130 participants use a seatbelt for security reason while others were to protect from irregularities. More parents do not put baby seat in the car (57.3%) while 57 participants use child seat every time the child rides in the car.Conclusion:The overall knowledge, attitude, and practices toward children car safety seat in this study was relatively low. This signifies the need of parents to step up their awareness to safe guard their children while on the road.Limitations:Small sample size and limited to pediatrics clinics visitors.

Child Passenger Safety.

Child passenger safety has dramatically evolved over the past decade; however, motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for children 4 years and older. This policy statement provides 4 evidence-based recommendations for best practices in the choice of a child restraint system to optimize safety in passenger vehicles for children from birth through adolescence: (1) rear-facing car safety seats as long as possible; (2) forward-facing car safety seats from the time they outgrow rear-facing seats for most children through at least 4 years of age; (3) belt-positioning booster seats from the time they outgrow forward-facing seats for most children through at least 8 years of age; and (4) lap and shoulder seat belts for all who have outgrown booster seats. In addition, a fifth evidence-based recommendation is for all children younger than 13 years to ride in the rear seats of vehicles. It is important to note that every transition is associated with some decrease in protection; therefore, parents should be encouraged to delay these transitions for as long as possible. These recommendations are presented in the form of an algorithm that is intended to facilitate implementation of the recommendations by pediatricians to their patients and families and should cover most situations that pediatricians will encounter in practice. The American Academy of Pediatrics urges all pediatricians to know and promote these recommendations as part of child passenger safety anticipatory guidance at every health supervision visit.

Overcoming barriers to use of child car seats in an urban Aboriginal community\u2014formative evaluation of a program for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

BackgroundLittle is known about the barriers to use of child car seats in Australian Aboriginal communities, or the acceptability of programs to increase appropriate car seat use. This formative evaluation sought to consult and partner with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) to develop and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a program intended to improve optimal use of child car seats.MethodsFocus groups were conducted with parents and carers of Aboriginal children to identify the barriers and facilitating factors for child car seat use, and staff of two ACCHS were interviewed to inform program development. Following the implementation of the resulting multi-faceted program, consisting of staff training, education, hands-on demonstrations and a subsidised car seat distribution scheme, interviews were conducted to assess process issues and acceptability with 13 staff members.ResultsParents and carers in the focus groups reported a lack of awareness of child car seat use, confusion about the right car seats for different aged children but agreed about the importance of safety and community responsibility to keep children safe in cars. Interviews with service staff informed an approach to deliver relevant information. Information and resources were delivered to families, while the car seat distribution scheme supplied 33 families with child car seats. Following the conclusion of the program, staff reported that the program was relevant to their role. They also valued the car seat distribution scheme. Staff training in selection and installation of car seats increased confidence in staff knowledge.ConclusionsWe developed a program to promote child car seat use in ACCHS, which focused on developing capacity, made use of existing infrastructure and developed resources for use in this setting. The program shows promise as a means to promote child car seat use in Aboriginal communities; however, the impact on child car seat use will need to be evaluated in a larger scale prospective trial.

Current use of safety restraint systems and front seats in Korean children based on the 2008-2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Purpose The use of proper safety restraint systems by children is vital for the reduction of traffic accident-related injury and death. This study evaluated the rates of use of safety restraint systems and front seats by Korean children.Methods Based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2008 to 2015, I investigated the frequencies of safety restraint systems and front seat use by children under six and 12 years of age, respectively.Results The percentage of respondents who said they always use safety restraint systems increased from 17.7% in 2008 to 45.0% in 2015. The rate of children who did not use the front seats at all was 47.3 % in 2008 compared to 33.4% in 2015. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a decrease in safety-restraint-system use as age increased (odds ratio, 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51–0.77). The use rate of front-passenger seat belts by the mother is significantly correlated with the safety-restraint- system use rate by children (odds ratio, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.12–4.06).Conclusion Although the rate of safety-restraint-system use for children is increasing annually, it remains low. Additionally, the use rate of front passenger seats for children is high. To reduce the rates of injury and death of children from traffic accidents, it is necessary to educate on the appropriate use of safety restraint systems according to age and body size and to develop stronger regulations.

Development of an Automatic Vehicular Heatstroke Detection System

The cases of children being left in a car and died of heatstroke are on the rise every year. Car manufacturers have not implemented any sort of alert system that could prevent these unfortunate events from happening. There are many baby car seat alert systems available in the market, however, they are mostly inconsistent and unreliable. There is a need for more effective and efficient alert system to remind the users of their forgotten child. This paper aims to provide solutions to caretakers through application of multiple sensors for integration of a child detection system and also to discover the best placement of the sensors for a more effective system. The selection method is based on experimental setup with a test subject which is a human being. A prototype for the detection system is fabricated and results show a combination of ultrasonic and motion sensors produces the best results. The best position to place the ultrasonic and motion sensor is determined to be above the child seat and in the middle of the car respectively. The prototype of the detection and alert system is validated via a set of assessments to determine its accuracy, adaptability and reliability.