Consumer Reports - 1972(!!!) Crash Tests

BabyGearCollector

New member
What a surprise to me to stumble across this vintage crash test web page from CR...back in 1972 of all years! Shows crash tests for several seats produced at the time including a Strolee #590 which I've been hunting for as a collectable item.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/resources/streaming/PDFs/CR_Aug1972_Child_Car_Restraints.pdf

Looking at the photos, it sends chills down my spine thinking how many parents had their children riding in these "safety" seats back then, most unaware the seats wouldn't hold up well in an accident situation. Sad to think about the unfortunate children who experienced first hand just how unprotected they actually were in a crash. :(

Dave
 
ADS

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
I think another member here (classicseats) posted that before. He also posted a document (from NHTSA, perhaps?) from the same time period that looked at actual crash performance of mid-late '70s car seats. What was amazing was how well they held up and worked, even with gross misuse.

I'm not sure if it's the Consumer Reports thing or the other document, but it was also interesting to see the recommendations that were made, some of which we're still making today. (I believe a side-impact standard was suggested?)
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Hey, look, the RF seat wins! :whistle: (Sorry, I'm cranky from elsewhere.)

Anyways, that was a really neat read - thanks for posting! (I'd love to see something similar from the early 80s, I vaguely remember what my brother and I used...)
 

BabyGearCollector

New member
I think another member here (classicseats) posted that before.

You're right! I did a search by "Consumer Reports" and "Crash Tests" before posting it and didn't find any previous threads. I just now searched by "1972" and found his thread and link to this report. I should've remembered seeing a vintage classic seat topic. Guess old age is starting to creep up on me...:rolleyes:

Dave
 

Chila88

New member
Hey, look, the RF seat wins! :whistle: (Sorry, I'm cranky from elsewhere.)

Anyways, that was a really neat read - thanks for posting! (I'd love to see something similar from the early 80s, I vaguely remember what my brother and I used...)

I agree....I'd love to see something from the 80's too. I know from pictures that I had one of those rf GM buckets as an infant, but haven't the slightest clue what I rode in as an older baby and toddler. Hmmmm might have to ask my mom.....
 

mlohry

New member
My SIL died at age 7 that year when their truck rolled on top of her. Thankfully her mom and sister were ok. My DH was born a year later and none of them ever used safety seats. I did, I had the RF GM and the FF GM seat.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
You're right! I did a search by "Consumer Reports" and "Crash Tests" before posting it and didn't find any previous threads. I just now searched by "1972" and found his thread and link to this report. I should've remembered seeing a vintage classic seat topic. Guess old age is starting to creep up on me...:rolleyes:

Dave

Oh, no problem posting it again. I'm sure a lot of people didn't see it the first time around.

I'm fascinated by how far we've come, and how not-far we've come also. ;)
 

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