Tether anchors and head excursion

sb518

New member
So I have been thinking about this for a while. Wouldn't a tightly tethered FF seat put MORE strain specifically on the neck, versus the entire upper torso & neck on a non-tethered seat?
 
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NannyMom

Well-known member
So I have been thinking about this for a while. Wouldn't a tightly tethered FF seat put MORE strain specifically on the neck, versus the entire upper torso & neck on a non-tethered seat?

But the point of the tether is to reduce head excursion.... how far the head can fly forward. And possibly strice the front seat or something in the vehicle.
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Neck loads, yes, I think it would. But it reduces head excursion, which is the distance the head moves forward, as NannyMom says.

If I am wrong, and it doesn't increase neck loads -- that would be great. And if someone could explain to me how it *doesn't* increase loading on the child's neck, I would be much obliged!

ETA: My understanding is that most kids' head injuries are from striking the vehicle interior, not from the actual loading on the neck, but I may be incorrect with that.
 

sb518

New member
Interesting. I think I'd rather my kid hit the padded back of my seat, than have her head ripped off of her body. Are there statistics somewhere for how many injuries tethering has prevented?

What about tethers in SIP collisions? Are they beneficial?
 

hrice

New member
tumblebug said:
Interesting. I think I'd rather my kid hit the padded back of my seat, than have her head ripped off of her body. Are there statistics somewhere for how many injuries tethering has prevented?

What about tethers in SIP collisions? Are they beneficial? Probably, huh? From the kid hitting the door of the car or window. Hmmm...

That padding is on a steel/metal frame though. :(

And yes TT can help with side to side movement in a side impact collision.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Basically, at extreme forces, the untethered maximum limit is high enough that kids often end up with extreme, fatal or disabling head trauma. Higher neck loads are the tradeoff.
 

DaniannieB

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Like a PP alluded to, the back of your seat isn't as padded as you think, especially when you're talking crash forces.

Also, in a crash where the head contacts the interior, some of that force is still going to be transferred down to the neck and spine.

Reducing head excursion while increasing ride-down (and therefore reducing neck loads) is the purpose of some of the features we're seeing on seats like the Safe Stop on the RNs, the rip-stitch tethers on Britax seats, crumpling bases, etc.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
If the backs of the front seats were covered in EPS foam, like they are in busses, that might change the equation. But as it is, the people who make the standards have determined that head excursion is a bigger issue than neck loads.

That doesn't mean neck loads aren't a concern. Reducing neck loads for young children whose spines are not yet hardened is exactly the point of ERF.
 

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