Safety Seat Research Articles

Effects of rear seat design on occupant injury risk during frontal crashes: A parametric study using finite element analysis

Rear seat occupants in newer vehicles might face a higher injury risk during traffic collisions compared to front seat occupants, whose seats have significantly improved over the last few decades. In addition, the rise in ridesharing and automation could increase exposure of rear seat occupants. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effects of various characteristics of rear seat design on occupant safety during frontal collisions. A simplified seat model was developed and validated against sled test data (ΔV of 32 km/h). Ten seat characteristics of the simplified seat were then investigated using two Design of Experiments techniques. Occupant injury risks were derived from crash simulations, and the correlation between the seat design and injury probabilities was evaluated. The results indicated that a more vertical seat back angle, specific D-ring location (a more rearward, inboard, a higher), and seatbelt anchorage location (wider and higher) would improve rear seat safety performance. Optimal seat models were developed based on the DOE results, and their superior performance was confirmed in finite element (FE) crash simulations. Overall, the whole-body injuries in optimized seats were significantly lower than the average injury risk in the DOE cases for both 50th percentile male Hybrid III (38.5% vs. 70.5%) and THOR (52.8% vs. 78.1%) dummies. These findings suggest substantial potential for improving rear seat designs to enhance occupant safety.

Analysis of traffic injury trends, and strategies for road safety promotion in Lithuania

Abstract Every year, about 1.3 million people die on the world’s roads. The aim of the study was to analyze the mortality trends from traffic injuries, and to discuss strategies for the prevention of road traffic injuries and road safety promotion in Lithuania. A longitudinal study was conducted, and regression analysis was applied. The study showed that, when analyzing the changes in mortality from the main causes of death over 2009-2019, the greatest progress in mortality reduction was observed in the category of deaths from external causes; whereas, the number of deaths from diseases of the circulatory system did not change, and the number of deaths from malignant tumors increased slightly. In Lithuania, the death rate from traffic injuries per 100,000 inhabitants decreased significantly over a 50-year period (1971-2020) (in the whole population, and in the subgroups of men and women). In Lithuania, during the fifty-year period (1971-2020), pedestrian mortality rates decreased significantly in the whole population, and children and adolescents (0-14, 15-19, and 0-19 years). Over 1998-2020, road traffic injury deaths decreased significantly in children age groups 0-14, 15-19, and 0-19. After exploring the preventive strategies used for road safety promotion, it was revealed that the most effective results were achieved, when education, safe environment creation, and legislation with enforcement were used. It was important to create a safe engineering environment, to separate pedestrian and bicycle paths from high-speed traffic on roads, to improve the visibility of road users, to apply measures that reduce driver’s fatigue, and to combat the usage of mobile phones while driving. Preventive activities were aimed at alcohol control, speed limitation, education of safe behavior of drivers, promotion of safe cars operation. The usage of safety belts and safety seats, helmets for motorcyclists and cyclists were increased through legislative and educational measures.

Multi-objective optimization design of automobile seat backrest considering coupling effect

To investigate the impact of the coupling effects of carbon fiber reinforced polymer in the seat back layer on the performance of car seats, this paper presents a comprehensive optimization design method for composite materials. In detail, the finite element models firstly established and validated through five typical working conditions of automotive seats based on experimental data. Then, the optimized variables are divided and determined through backrest stress nephograms for each working conditions of the automotive seats, in which the various perspective are taken into account, such as the total mass of seat backrest, safety performance, and comfort index. Subsequently, an optimization strategy for unequal thickness layers lay-up design is constructed, which combines strength factors, optimal Latin hypercube sampling, best-worst method, gray relational analysis, and Visekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranje method for the optimal design of the automotive CFRP seat backrest. Additionally, the impact of layer coupling effects on different performance indices of the seat is examined through simulating and analyzing the seat backrest with various layer coupling types, while incorporating the classical laminate theory. The study reveals that by minimizing the laminate coupling effect, the comfort of the seat can be enhanced. Finally, a comprehensive comparative analysis of the optimal trade-off solution is carried out in terms of optimization strategies. The results show that ensuring the safety performance, the total mass of the seat backrest decreased by 21.3%, as a result of the optimization strategy proposed in this paper, and the comfort performance is also improved to some extent. Therefore, the multi-objective optimization strategy proposed in this paper performs well in terms of effectiveness and provides a reliable reference for related composite material multi-objective optimization.

Analysis of factors influencing family support for child safety seat legislation based on Probit-Adversarial Interpretive Structure model

Objectives In recent years, China’s motorization process has accelerated, urban road traffic has become increasingly complex, and the safety of children has become increasingly prominent. China aims to encourage the use of child safety seats (CSSs) and stipulates in the Law on the Protection of Minors that “Parents or other guardians of minors shall take measures, such as equipping child safety seats.” However, the utilization rate of such seats in China is still low (<5%, 2021), an important reason is the lack of mandatory legislation. This study focuses on developing cities in China that do not have mandatory legislation on the use of CSS, explores the factors that families support child seat legislation, and explores the impact of children’s feedback on the transmission of values within families and the use of CSS in family decisions. Methods Four hundred and eighty-two subjects in several neighborhoods in Changsha City participated in this survey through an online questionnaire. We use the data to do a Probit analysis to find the influencing factors of parental support for child safety seat legislation, and the Adversarial Interpretive Structure model is used to assess the hierarchy of the influencing factors and the relationship between the influence of internal factors. Results The results showed that educational level and children’s feedback are root cause factors; monthly family income, number of children, confidence level in CSS, number of cars, and others’ behavior are intermediate factors; gender, penalty support, and subjective perception expenditure are surface factors. Conclusion Finally, the results have focused recommendations for the direction of child safety seat legislation, focused recommendations for law enforcement, advocacy, and educational interventions, and recommendations for installation training before the use of CSS.

A technological solution to child safety seat errors: Efficacy of the cellular car seat

Objective Although child safety seats are highly effective in preventing injuries, they are frequently misused. Experts have identified two leading “critical misuses”: (1) loose harness straps and (2) loose vehicle attachment at the base. We designed an innovative child safety seat system that educates, instructs, and alarms participants of safety seat errors. The system includes both the Cellular Car Seat (CCS) smartphone app and a network of car seat sensors. Our objective was to determine if CCS system users had fewer child safety seat misuses than users with a child safety seat manual alone. Methods During the study visit, 92 participants completed three safety seat scenarios using a mock vehicle setup, test doll, and a convertible child safety seat: A) fully install a convertible safety seat, B) recognizing/correcting loose harness straps in a seat with intentionally loose straps, and C) recognizing/correcting loose attachment to the vehicle seat at the base in a seat with intentionally loose attachment. Intervention participants (n = 46) were asked to use the CCS app during each scenario and control participants (n = 46) were given only the paper child safety seat manual. For each scenario, researchers determined errors/misuses present at the end of the scenario, time to complete scenario, and tension achieved on the harness straps (collected via load cell). Results Compared with controls, intervention participants had significantly fewer errors and higher average harness tensions for all three scenarios; furthermore, a greater portion achieved a harness tension of 4 newtons. During Scenario A, the rate of loose harness strap errors was more than three times higher for controls and loose base attachment errors almost six times higher. We observed similar trends in Scenario B, with harness strap errors more than double for controls. In Scenario C, the rates of both critical misuse errors were four times higher for controls compared to the intervention group. Conclusions The innovative CCS system was highly effective at reducing child safety seat use errors, especially critical misuses. Reducing critical misuses will decrease injuries and fatalities among crash-involved children. The CCS system can alert families to everyday harnessing and installation errors and provide families and caregivers with ongoing, accessible support.

Analysis of the usage and awareness of child safety seats for children aged 0-6 in Leshan City, Sichuan Province, China.

To investigate the current situation of child safety seat use and children's cognition of safe riding in Leshan City, and to provide a basis for the promotion and application of child safety seats in Leshan City. From November 2021 to February 2022, a total of 500 car-owning families who visited or were hospitalized in the department of pediatrics of our hospital were surveyed by self-filling questionnaire method. Through the investigation of personal situation, family situation, travel habits, use of child safety seat, cognition of safe riding, etc., the influencing factors of possession and use of child safety seat and cognition were analyzed. The ownership rate of car seats was 57.8%, the use rate was 47.6%, and the always use rate was 18.8% among all families with children surveyed. There were no statistically significant differences in the use rate and always use rate of child safety seats among different genders of children, parents' education background, and car ownership price. The use rate and constant use rate of child safety seats in urban households were significantly higher than those in rural areas. When the main driver was the mother, the use rate of child safety seats was higher, and the difference was statistically significant. From the perspective of cognition, the use rate and constant use rate of the child safety seat of parents with correct cognition were 64.5% and 25.7% respectively, while the use rate and constant use rate of the child safety seat of parents with incorrect cognition were only 11.1% and 4.3%, which were significantly lower than those with correct cognition, and the difference was statistically significant. In terms of cognition, 10.4% of parents think it is safe for children to sit in the back seat with adults in their arms, and 9.0% of family members think it is safe for children to sit in the back seat with seat belts alone. At present, the ownership rate, utilization rate, and parents' correct cognition of child safety seats in Leshan City are all at a low level, and there is a lack of regional legal guidance, so the safety situation of children in cars is worrying. To effectively improve the use of child safety seats, the promotion of child safety seats should be promoted from three aspects: improving parents' cognition, forming good traffic habits, and legal guidance.

Safety climate and seat belt use in the fire service

Objective Motor vehicle incidents or apparatus crashes are a leading cause of firefighter fatalities in the United States. Nonuse of seat belts has been linked to some of these fatalities. This research seeks to understand the relationship between safety climate and seat belt use among firefighters, as findings will provide insights into factors that may bolster seat belt use and protect firefighters. Methods Data were collected from 208 career firefighters working for a city fire department in the southeastern United States. Structural equation modeling was used to test a hypothesized model and to assess the relationships between organizational safety climate, work group safety climate and seat belt use. Results It was determined that positive perceptions of workgroup safety climate, as a higher order factor, comprised of supervisor support, horizontal cohesion, and vertical cohesion, was positively associated with seat belt use within a sample of firefighters. Organizational level safety climate did not have a significant relationship with seat belt use but did positively influence workgroup safety climate perceptions. Conclusions Safety climate has been associated with safety compliance and participation behaviors, but more research was needed to specifically examine the impact of safety climate on seat belt use in firefighters. The findings point to the importance of safety climate as a leading indicator and predictor of seat belt use. Bolstering safety climate through safety programs, commitment to safety, effective communication, supportive supervisors and cohesion should ultimately aid in bolstering seat belt use among firefighters, which is important to curtailing firefighter injuries and fatalities.

Child passenger safety: Implementation and evaluation of a virtual educational intervention for parents and caregivers

ObjectiveThe objective of this project was to determine how a virtual educational intervention on Child Passenger Safety (CPS) impacts post-intervention knowledge and self-efficacy levels. MethodsThe intervention included watching a video related to CPS and completing a virtual car seat check with a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST). A quantitative pre- and post-test project design was utilized. Self-efficacy was measured using a confidence assessment and knowledge level was measured with a comprehension test. Participants were included if they had access to the internet, were English speaking, and parents or caregivers of children aged 12 years or younger. The program was active between February and April of 2021. Out of 58 individuals who expressed interest in participating in the program, the completion rate was 41 %. There were 24 participants who completed all steps of the intervention with a range in days to completion of 59 days. ResultsA video-based education intervention combined with completing a virtual car seat check with a CPST was shown to have a statistically significant impact on the knowledge and self-efficacy levels surrounding the use and installation of Child Safety Seats (CSSs) by parents and caregivers. There were a total of 34 car seats that were assessed during the virtual car seat checks and results showed that 65.6% of the car seats that were assessed on arrival had at least 1 error present. In whole, there were 34 car seat errors identified by the CPSTs throughout this project timeline. ConclusionsA video-based educational intervention combined with a virtual car seat check with a certified CPST has a positive impact on the knowledge and self-efficacy levels of participants. The data analysis shows the project was a successful and meaningful intervention to promote improvements in the field of CPS. This study design allows for the implementation of additional resources and supports for CPS within rural areas and at-risk populations and can help to address public health issues related to a lack of resources based on geographic location.

Optimisation design of child seat based on chaos mutation MOPSO

To improve the safety of the children in child seats when a vehicle collision occurs, a finite element model of a child safety seat is established, and LS-DYNA is used for crash simulation. Select backrest inclination, headrest inclination, and seat belt centre height as design variables to establish response surface models. The application of chaotic mutation theory in particle swarm optimisation (PSO) is proposed, and the optimal solution of child seat parameters is obtained by using the chaotic mutation based grouped multi-objective particle swarm optimisation (MOPSO). The optimal solution was used to carry out the simulation experiment again, and compared with the original performance. It turned out that the Head Performance Criterion (HPC) is 47.08% better than the original child seat. Besides, the rib deformation is reduced by 21.30%, the neck shear stress is reduced by 55.74%, and the thigh stress is reduced by 48.55%, which indicate significant improvements. The results suggest that a certain parameter combination of the child seat leads to the optimal overall performance in child injury prevention, which indicates significant improvement in the damage of all parts of the child.

Review of United States Car Safety Seat State Laws: Lessons Learned

Car safety seat laws and professional guidance, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Child Passenger Safety recommendations, are essential for parents and health care providers when choosing an appropriate car seat. This project reviewed car safety seat state laws for commonalities, variations, and themes. Car safety seat laws for all 50 states and the District of Columbia (N = 51) were reviewed through electronic sources. Data collection focused on gathering common legislative language in each car safety seat grouping. All car safety seat laws were based on age, height, weight, manufacturer limit, any combination of these, or were not specified. The most common category result was “age only” except for rear-facing car safety seats, which was “not specified.” Variations in clarity, terminology, and completeness were found. Owing to great variance in AAP and state laws, health care providers should use AAP guidelines, know their specific state’s car safety seat laws, and advocate for legislation to meet or exceed AAP guidelines.

Use of Child Safety Seat and its Determinants in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study.

A child safety seat protects children from injury during motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). However, there is a lack of enforcement of regulation regarding its use in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to determine the use of child safety seat and its determinants and barriers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study was based on a structured face-to-face interview across Jeddah among families who drove in cars with children aged ≤5 years. The study used stratified multistage random sampling across the population of the governorate of Jeddah. A total of 675 parents were included, of which 311 (46.1%) reported having a child safety seat in their vehicle, and only 165 (24.4%) reported its regular use. Awareness levels among parents regarding child safety seat use and its benefits, parents' level of education, family size, family income, and the belief in the need for laws governing child safety seat were key determinants of child safety seat use. Poor awareness among parents regarding the utility of child safety seat in reducing child injuries, low education levels among parents, larger families with multiple children, poor affordability, low family income, and a clear lack of laws mandating the use of child safety seat were identified as key barriers. The regular use of child safety seat for children aged ≤5 years is low in even one of the most urban populations of Saudi Arabia. This indicates the need for large-scale awareness drives and stricter implementation of laws enforcing the use of child safety seat in Saudi Arabia.

Knowledge and Attitude Toward Child Safety Seat Use in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Car safety seats (CSS) are a well-established strategy to reduce injuries and fatalities among children involved in road traffic accidents. However, the use of CSS is generally low globally due to limited knowledge of its benefits. This study assessed parents' knowledge and attitudes toward CSS in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional study used an online self-administered survey distributed among residents in different regions of Saudi Arabia to assess their knowledge and attitude toward CSS. Data were analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 23.0(IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results A total of 383 Saudi residents participated in the study. The mean age was 37.14 ±9.10 years, with a female predominance (62.1%, n=238). One-third of the participants were from the western region of Saudi Arabia (30.3%, n=109). Non-use of CSS was reported by 25.8% of the participants, while 11.7% reported that they rarely used CSS. The mean total knowledge score was 2.15 (range 0 -3). A lower knowledge score was significantly associated with a lower educational level (p=0.008), not having information regarding CSS (p=0.005), none or rare use of CSS by the parent (p<0.001), and the use of media or self-education as a source of information regarding CSS (p=0.002). The mean attitude score was 12.52 (range 4 -20). The attitude score was significantly associated with gender (p=0.002), education (p=0.014), number of children (p=0.005), monthly family income (p=0.028), use of CSS by people other than the parent (p<0.001), information about CSS use in the car (p<0.002), source of information (p<0.001), and use of CSS by the parent (p<0.001). Conclusions The knowledge and attitude of the Suadi population towardCSS use are inadequate, highlighting the need to enhance awareness and understanding of the importance of CSS use.

Parent&amp;apos;s knowledge, attitude, and practice of children car seats in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Objective: This study aimed to examine parents&amp;apos; awareness of car seats in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data for this study were collected through a structured self-administered questionnaire distributed among parents with children aged less than seven years in various areas of Saudi Arabia. The survey was conducted from June to September 2023. The questionnaire was developed in english and translated into Arabic, and the parents took 3-5 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Results: A total of 767 parents took part in the study, and it was discovered that 60.4% used child car seats and a high willingness (93.8%) to use care seats in response to legal violations. The findings discovered significant discrepancies in parental beliefs and behaviors in Saudi Arabia. Conclusion: Saudi Arabia needs targeted educational programs and interventions to improve parental awareness of using child safety seats and encourage healthy attitudes and behavior.

항공안전에 대한 초등학생의 선개념에 관한 연구

This study aims to understand preconceptions about aviation safety and explore foundational data for developing age-specific transportation safety, particularly aviation safety, education courses and content throughout the lifespan. Targeting elementary school 3rd-grade students, who initiate basic logical reasoning, the research employs semi-structured questions, descriptive interviews, and drawing techniques to assess preconceptions about aviation safety in the early stages of childhood. The findings reveal six types of preconception awareness: causal factors of accidents, forms of accidents, safety rules, risk and safety factors, awareness of seat safety, and visual perception of airplane safety. In conclusion, the study proposes the utilization of these preconceptions through a comparative analysis with scientific concepts in actual aviation safety education. This information can inform the development of educational content and instructional designs for aviation safety in the future, tailored to the developmental stages of students.

A Rare Combined Injury in Children during Side Impact: The Possible Mechanism and Treatment Results.

Proximal humeral fracture combined with contralateral midshaft clavicle fracture is an extremely rare injury in children. Few studies focus on the injury mechanism and treatment scheme. The aim of this study is to propose the possible mechanism of this injury and present the treatment results. This retrospective study included children diagnosed with proximal humeral fractures combined with contralateral midshaft clavicle fractures from August 2016 to March 2019 in the correspondingauthor's institution. The patients received elastic stable intramedullary nails and external fixation as treatment. The radiological and clinical outcomes of treatments were evaluated using the imaging and the Constant-Murley score (CMS) in follow up. Twelve patients (eight males and four females) with an average age of 7.83 years old (age 5-12) were included in this research. All the patients had suffered a side impact in a road traffic accident or outdoor environment. Hypothesis about the mechanism was the proximal humerus was directly impacted at first and caused the surgical neck fracture, then the contralateral shoulder hits the solid object and the contralateral midshaft clavicle was fractured. During the average 45.2 months (range 36-57) follow-up, all the patient's fractures achieved clinical and radiological union before 14 weeks without complications. Every patient had a satisfactory score (range from 92 to 100) on the CMS criteria for both shoulders. The hypothesis about the mechanism of this combined injury in this study sounds reasonable. It highlights the need for safety-related education about using a safety seat or wearing a seat belt to parents and caregivers, so as to avoid such injury even if the treatment with external fixation (EF) and proximal humeral and elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) showed good results.

Towards Sustainable Development in Road Safety: Assessing Public Awareness on Basic Road Traffic Practices in Batu Pahat, Johor

Road accident contributes to high fatality rate around the world and being the 8th leading cause of death of all ages worldwide. Thus, road safety is essential for ensuring the safety and security of individuals of all ages, as well as reducing the number of traffic accidents and injuries as a one way to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 2030. This study aims to assess the level of road safety awareness in terms of basic road traffic practices among public who use Jalan Kluang Federal Route 50 (FT050). The level of knowledge on basic road traffic practices, the level of perceived real practice on basic road traffic practices, and the relationship between their level of knowledge and perceived real practice on basic road traffic practices were investigated. A survey method via questionnaire was distributed randomly to 200 respondents who are adults aged 18 and above and who live around Batu Pahat areas using Google Form online platform. Relevant statistical methods via Statistical Package for the Social Science Software version 26.0 (SPSS) such as descriptive, Mean Score Method, Correlation and Regression analyses were used to analyse the data. It is found that the level of knowledge on basic road traffic practices among public is high. Meanwhile, the level of perceived real practice on basic road traffic practices among public is low. Regression analysis results show that the awareness on knowledge of basic road traffic practices variable (β = 0.624, t = 11.229, p &lt; 0.05) demonstrate a statistically significant relationship with perceived real practices, indicating that, the better an individual’s awareness on knowledge of basic road traffic practices (e.g. importance of safety belt, safety helmet, child restraint system (CRS) and speeding) the better the individual to actually apply the basic road traffic practices (e.g. the use of seat belt, safety helmet, CRS and speeding).

Population knowledge and commitment regarding a child’s car safety seat after implementation of the new traffic regulations in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the understanding and adherence to child car safety seat (CSS) guidelines among the general population in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia following the implementation of new traffic regulations.MethodA four-section questionnaire addressing knowledge and attitudes regarding CSSs was distributed among the general population of Makkah city in light of new traffic regulations. Data were collected from 487 respondents, and the chi-square test was utilized for statistical analysis.ResultsA total of 144 (29.6%) respondents reported using seat belts before the implementation of new regulations, while 101 (20.7%) started using them afterward. Only 31 (6.4%) stated that they would not use them. A total of 318 (65.3%) reported that their behavior towards using child car safety seats abroad will not change. Additionally, 452 (92.8%) believed that government financial support for car seat costs would increase usage and compliance. The knowledge level among those using CSSs (40.3%) was significantly higher than among those who do not (11.3%) (p = .001).ConclusionsMost of the respondents believed that governmental financial support for CSS costs will lead to increased compliance. Furthermore, there is a direct correlation between knowledge levels and compliance. Therefore, further investment should be focused on raising awareness and enforcing strict regulations.

Child Safety Seat‒Use Behavior Among Parents of Newborns: A Trans-Theoretical Model‒Guided Intervention in Shantou, China, 2021.

We evaluated the effect of a trans-theoretical model-based intervention on child safety seat (CSS)‒use behaviors among parents of newborns in Shantou, China. Parents' knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy scores on CSS use were significantly higher at one, three, and six months after the intervention compared with scores at baseline. Parents' stage of CSS use also advanced as the intervention progressed. The trans-theoretical model‒based intervention and evidence generated from this study may provide guidance for future individualized interventions to improve CSS use. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(12):1271-1275. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307415).

The effect of social media campaign on parental knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the use of children car seats in the Gulf region

BackgroundMotor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of child deaths in the Gulf Cooperation Council. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a social media educational campaign on parents' knowledge of child safety seats.MethodsWe conducted a pre-post interventional study as an online educational module in Arabic and English. The module link was shared on social media and was accompanied by a pre-post survey that included questions about demographics, knowledge, and practices of car seat use.ResultsA total of 303 participants completed the campaign, with 23.8% fathers and 76.2% mothers answered the survey. The majority of participants were from Saudi Arabia (95.7%), while 4.3% were from other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Most parents agreed on the importance of organizing awareness campaigns and having a law to enforce the use of car seats. The pre-survey mean knowledge score was 11.64, which significantly increased to 13.1 in the post-survey (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe intervention of the educational campaign through social media resulted in a significant increase in parents' knowledge and awareness of the importance of using car seats correctly. This study highlights the potential effectiveness of social media campaigns in improving parents' knowledge and awareness of child safety seats.

Comparison of Head, Neck, and Chest Injury Risks between Front and Rear-Seated Hybrid III 50th-Percentile Male ATDs in Matched Frontal NCAP Tests

&lt;div&gt;The objective of this study was to compare head, neck, and chest injury risks between front and rear-seated Hybrid III 50th-percentile male anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) during matched frontal impacts. Seven vehicles were converted to rear seat test bucks (two sedans, three mid-size SUVs, one subcompact SUV, and one minivan) and then used to perform sled testing with vehicle-specific frontal NCAP acceleration pulses and a rear seated (i.e., second row) Hybrid III 50th male ATD. Matched front seat Hybrid III 50th male ATD data were obtained from the NHTSA Vehicle Crash Test Database for each vehicle. HIC15, Nij, maximum chest acceleration, and maximum chest deflection were compared between the front and rear seat tests, as well as between vehicles with conventional and advanced three-point belt restraint systems in the rear seat. Additionally, a modified version of the NCAP frontal star rating was calculated for the front and rear seat tests. All injury metrics, except for chest acceleration, were higher in the rear seat compared to the front. In addition, injury thresholds were exceeded or nearly exceeded in the rear seat for Nij in three vehicles, chest acceleration in one vehicle, and chest deflection in three vehicles, while no thresholds were exceeded in the front seat. When comparing advanced and conventional restraints in the rear seat, all injury metrics were higher in the vehicles with conventional restraints. All vehicles with conventional restraints in the rear had a star rating of 1, while those with advanced restraints in the rear ranged from 2 to 3. Conversely, all vehicles had 5 stars for the front seat, except one that had 4 stars. Overall, these data highlight the disparity between front and rear seat occupant protection and the benefits of advanced rear seat safety restraints, and the need for future testing.&lt;/div&gt;