original law

ProudMomof5 · Dec 1, 2015

Where did the original law of 20lbs and 1 yr come from? Wasn't it that carseats weren't made to withstand a higher weight while rf?
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Patriot201 · Dec 1, 2015

That would be my guess. Carseats used to have what we would now consider to be very low rear-facing limits (both height and weight limits).

I'm not 100% sure where the 1/20 "rule" originated, though.

ProudMomof5 · Dec 1, 2015

Thanks. I read it somewhere a long time ago.
i just can't quite remember.
I was hoping to use it to convince someone to not turn their baby at 1 yr!
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lgenne · Dec 1, 2015

I wouldn't necessarily call it "original". I was certainly FF'd before a year and 20 pounds, and out of a harness before 40 pounds (although I think I was 4, but it was also a lap belt only). And my mom was a "safety nut", requiring us to use seat belts every time, even before it was illegal to drive without them. And of course, my mom was totally unrestrained as a kid.

But I'm curious where those numbers came from, too. They were sort of industry standard/standard recommendation for what seems like a long time.

joolsplus3 · Dec 2, 2015

The 9 month old crash dummy is 20ish pounds, it's possible that 1 is the CDC growth chart of when many kids hit that weight?
http://www.umtri.umich.edu/content/UMTRIChildRestraintTestingBrochure

Here's a chart of the dummies they use...
DUMMIES
Several different anthropomorphic
dummies are available for use in child
restraint testing. Additional weight can be
added to some dummies as requested.
Several dummies are instrumented to
measure head and chest accelerations.
Standard dummies used in FMVSS 213
and CMVSS 213 crash testing are listed
in bold below.
Riley Low Birth Weight Infant (2.2kg)
Part 572:K CAMI Newborn (3.4 kg)
Part 572

CAMI 6-Month (7.9 kg)
CRABI 6-Month (7.8 kg)
Part 572:J TNO P-3/4 9-Month (9.0 kg)
Part 572:R CRABI 12-Month (10.0 kg)
CRABI 18-Month (11.3 kg)
Part 572:C Hybrid II 3-Year (15.1 kg)
Part 572

Hybrid III 3-Year (15.5 kg)
Part 572:I Hybrid II 6-Year (21.5 kg)
Part 572:N Hybrid III 6-Year (23.4 kg)
Part 572:S Hybrid III 6-Year

Seats finally started reflecting crash testing with the heavier 1 yo and having 22lb limits back when my oldest two were babies, that's been a long, long time now, but the 1 and 20 mantra really persists!

original law

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