Interesting booster study

joolsplus3 said:

I just read this yesterday...I swear I want my kids in boosters forever.... waaaah http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-01/esv/esv19/05-0258-O.pdf

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This study was mentioned by Joolsplus3 in another thread. It seems to have interesting info in relation to boosters w/without LATCH and tethers. I've read in other places that latch/tethers in booster may help with side-impact, but this study seems to imply that they may help with frontal impact as well:

"The results of this study, though still preliminary, suggest that protection, specifically of the chest, may be enhanced if the booster seat is anchored to the vehicle seat, as one would attach a CSR. Use of the LATCH and tether produces a more effective coupling than typically produced by the vehicle's lap/shoulder belt."

The data about the 5-pt harness for 4-6 yr olds vs. booster was also interesting though didn't seem conclusive.:

"Restraining the dummy in a CSR rated to the appropriate weight limit may be a viable option for children between the ages of four and six. The chest is restrained by a 5-pt harness, which distributes the loads well and effectively couples both the upper and lower torso of the dummy to the vehicle. Though the neck loads remained elevated, the level of injury risk that may be associated with these values is not known and further investigation, through accident reconstruction is needed to validate the biofidelity of the dummy neck........the stiffness of the dummy spine contributed to high neck forces and moments that were not representative of the injury potential." I thought this was interesting in relation to the Swedish studies about neck loads in FF 5-pt harnesses.

Anyway, if this info is already well known, sorry! It was new to me!

Interesting, isn't it? I think I'll use it as an excuse to replace the Parkway in my van with a Monterey (I've printed up the study, I'll highlight the relevant bits and leave it on DH's desk )

I thought it was very interesting too. Thanks for posting it!

Very cool, thanks! Happy that my main boosters latch and/or tether.

So does anyone think a LATCHable booster (ie- GN) would be better than a booster with biggeri headwings (ie- Vivo)? I was thinking about getting J a Vivo when he outgrows the GN in harness mode (if finances allow by then). I like that it has bigger head wings. But, maybe we should just keep the GN.

I think this study may answer the question of why some manufacturers allow it and some don't. Interesting that there were 2 seats that consistently had higher injury values when used with LATCH/tether compared to just the seatbelt, while the remainders seemed to perform better when LATCH/tether was used. Interestingly enough the loads on the dummy were also among the lowest on the 2 boosters which performed better without LATCH/tether when compared to the other results.


(I'm wondering why they did LATCH/tether for terminology instead of UAS/tether considering it's a Canadian paper and LATCH already includes tether. )

this topic has intrigued me for a long time. it's interesting that more boosters are coming on the market that are LATCHable. i've discussed this study before:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=37160

And Rigid LATCH in boosters has been shown to offer even more safety in side impact crashes than flexible LATCH. Seriously, there are not enough booster seat choices out there with Rigid LATCH. We need more. Lots more. Are the manufacturer's reps who visit here listening.....

Wineaux said:

And Rigid LATCH in boosters has been shown to offer even more safety in side impact crashes than flexible LATCH. Seriously, there are not enough booster seat choices out there with Rigid LATCH. We need more. Lots more. Are the manufacturer's reps who visit here listening.....

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I hope so! :thumbsup:

I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the Oobr and the new Britax (Parkway 120?) to get details/try them out/etc to make this decision. More options are ALWAYS good!