NHTSA in hot seat after troubling baby car seat tests found
The Chicago Tribune is shaking a rattle at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Its investigation has found 31 cases of infant seats exceeding injury limits or disconnecting from their bases during federal vehicle frontal impact crash tests. The NHTSA slams countless cars into barriers each year, like the 2008 Dodge Caravan in the gallery below. In addition to the sensor-laden crash dummies, some of the vehicles are also fitted with infant or child seats. According to the Tribune, the unreported child seat failures in those tests – crashes conducted only to test vehicle safety, not the safety of the child seats – has uncovered a serious flaw in infant/child seat testing.
In the United States today, infant seats are only tested on a sled. Before being sold, the seats must demonstrate the ability to survive a "simulated" head-on crash at 30 mph. On the other hand, the NHTSA crashes actual vehicles into a barrier at 35 mph (although it is only 5 mph faster, the impact is significantly greater). Sled tests are effective in some studies, but they fail to test the variables found among different vehicle interiors and the unique seat designs that change from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Responding to the Tribune report, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a written statement Friday that he ordered a "complete top to bottom review of child safety seat regulations." He will also make changes to make the crash-test results "more available" to consumers. Government crash test regulations have held automakers to the fire, and the result has been much safer vehicles for adults. Now it's time to bring infant/child seat manufacturers to the same flame and improve small occupant safety, as well.
Gallery: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan Crash Tests
[Source: Freep, image by NHTSA]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
A.N.E. 2:48PM (3/03/2009)
Is it suggesting that they test all possible combinations of baby seats to cars?
So to test one baby seat, you have to crash it in a variety of cars to rate its performance?
Is that economically feasible?
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Rocketboy 2:55PM (3/03/2009)
That's what I read as well....
Corey W. 3:04PM (3/03/2009)
Yeah.....basically, that's how I read it also. Technically, if you take this to the extreme, cars will have to be designed to cause minium injury to a passenger, in a car seat, anywhere the seat can be placed....right? That might be taking this too far, but that's what the scope of this testing sounds like.
Michael Harley 3:08PM (3/03/2009)
It seems the most logical (and cost-effective) approach is to modify the sled with "doors" and "front seats" to simulate the "typical" vehicle interior. Instead of testing at 30 mph, the speed should be bumped to 35 mph to match NHTSA velocities.
- Mike
XJ 3:39PM (3/03/2009)
I agree with Michael. You simply can't test ALL car seats in all crash test vehicles without doing multiple runs on every make/model, which is economically unfeasible.
Increase the sled test to 35mph. You may also want to have different types of sled configurations -- if not already in place. For example, a sled to mimic a sedan, a minivan, bench seats, bucket seats, etc... And add some front seats to the sled while you're at it.
bayous 10:17AM (3/04/2009)
I don't think econics should be our biggest worry here, besides banks and big corp are throwing our money away. This would help to keep our kids safe. I believe that is the most important objective here.
siriusorion27 12:33PM (3/04/2009)
does it matter?
James 3:02PM (3/03/2009)
I just can't see this actually happening - how my Lexus RX350s are they going to have to crash just to show how it does with the wide variety of car seats available? It would be better to adjust the sled test on the baby seats to simulate the key differences in the majority of cars and then give the seat a set of results.
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blumx357 3:25PM (3/03/2009)
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/steven_levitt_on_child_carseats.html
Pretty interesting perspective on child carseat safety. I know there are a few holes in his data, but its still pretty far from what one would expect.
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Rich 4:04PM (3/03/2009)
Given that everyone else is throwing their hands up in despair crying "Impossible! We could never cover the permutations", I suggest that every child is carried by their mother, wedged between her ugly fat belly and the steering wheel, so that liquid refreshments are on hand and the person on the other end of the cellphone call can hear the screams when "it" is crushed by the airbag and the aforementioned ugly fat belly.
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Level 4:34PM (3/03/2009)
why dont we just all drive these and call it a day?
http://www.armored-trucks.com/images/Project22.jpg
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1970Dodge 5:09PM (3/03/2009)
Duh.... Doesnt have a connection for my iPod....
P.V. 6:38PM (3/03/2009)
I think it's déjà vu all over again.
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Enok 7:30PM (3/03/2009)
This is a poorly-written article. I have read it twice and still don't understand what the Tribune's beef is.
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cdwrx 8:21PM (3/03/2009)
German TUV standards test car seats for side intrusion I believe. That would be the best way to update the standard - to adopt the TUV standard. It's the reason I bought Recaros, or rather it's the main reason my wife agreed to let me buy the awesome Recaros.
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Rick 10:34AM (3/04/2009)
I think in the least, they could use a different car seat from a unique manufacturer for each test crash and record those results. Why not record the results from the crash tests since you are doing them anyways. But I agree that it's not logical to crash a car for every seat.
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Sue 11:08AM (3/04/2009)
This is EXTREMELY alarming to me as the mother of a small toddler. If my son's car seat will not protect him in the event of a crash, it is useless. My son is not riding on a sled when he is in his car seat!!! I can't believe that THAT is their test!!! I am shocked--completely shocked! Make the car seat manufacturers pay for the tests. I don't care how much it costs!!! If they are going to market and sell something that supposedly protects a child in the event of a car accident, then their product and claims MUST be accurate and true. This is outrageous!!!
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Guermo1osito 11:34AM (3/04/2009)
I agree with you! With the amount of money I have paid for car seat and booster seats for my children, plus the fact that they are required legally, they should be able to contribute to the testing costs. I want my children to be as safe as possible!
cdwrx 6:31PM (3/04/2009)
The car seat companies would pass the cost of additional testing along to you, the customer. Are you willing to pay them to test every car seat in every car? In every position? In every attachment method? Even if you could afford it, realize that people who can't afford it still have to transport their children and would be forced to do so without the benefit of car seats. So unless you propose to fund the testing with progressive taxation government funding, poor children will be at greater risk than they presently are. Please consider the unintended consequences of proposed solutions.
cliff corsom 11:09AM (3/04/2009)
just checking any given company web site (looked at target.com) there are several hundred car seats out there -- I counted 223 from that site alone.
if you consider how many different styles of cars out there and used the different car seat models and tested each in each specific car type, you'd be talking about crashing tens of thousands of cars each model year. and if a new car seat comes on the market you add those vehicles as well.
what needs to be looked at it the parameters of the tests. lkook at the specific "style" of vehile and do tests that way, as well as looking into doing tests based not only on the frontl/rear collisions that the sled uses but also side impact as well
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