Side impact protection?

10021812 · Mar 20, 2009

I want to thank the contributors to this website for opening my eyes about extended rear facing. I understand the importance of this with respect to frontal impact.

Side impacts also being very dangerous...what are the best practices for protecting your kids? Does RF/ FF matter in that case, or does it really just come down to the safety of the car (side impact air bags?) and the side protection the specific car seat offers?

wendytthomas · Mar 20, 2009

Any harness offers a lot of SIP, and rear facing provides even more (the seat can rotate, whereas when it's forward facing it cannot). However, a tethered rear facing seat can rotate to an extent without over rotating, and so is likely best in a side collision. In the US, though, we have no side impact standards and so we can't say for sure. We do know, though, that rear facing is MUCH safer for both frontal and sides, and rear impacts are so rarely serious that they're often not even taken into account. And even the worst rear impact is going to be about half as serious as the worst frontal.

Wendy

joolsplus3 · Mar 20, 2009

To keep my own kids optimally protected in case of side impact crashes, I...
1) Rearface as long as possible, to the weight limits of a tall convertible (rearfacing is about 4 times safer in a side crash than front facing).
2) Harness as long as possible forward facing, using a top tether (if your car doesn't have one, most cars can have them added). A seat with deep sidewings and EPS or EPP foam may be a bit safer, but as Wendy noted, really, the harness does a great deal of protecting in a side crash.
3) Booster as long as possible in a seat with deep headwings. My 11 year old still rides in a highback booster in my van, because we have no side curtain airbags in it, and I want the extra head protection a highback provides. This article is where I got that idea... http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/chop-htb090905.php
If I had it in the budget, I'd replace that van with one with better side (and even better rear impact ratings!) crash protection, www.iihs.org and www.informedforlife.org are good resources for that, but if I can't afford anything better soon enough, I'll just ensure they are buckled properly and drive carefully

twinsmom · Mar 20, 2009

joolsplus3 said:
3) Booster as long as possible in a seat with deep headwings. My 11 year old still rides in a highback booster in my van, because we have no side curtain airbags in it, and I want the extra head protection a highback provides. This article is where I got that idea... http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/chop-htb090905.php

Hey Jools, you always reference such great articles. Thanks! There was a quote from this one that I was curious about:

"The recently passed SAFETEA (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity) Act of 2005 requires NHTSA to upgrade its side-impact standard by July 1, 2008".

Does anyone know what that's about? I thought the US had no side-impact standards.

joolsplus3 · Mar 20, 2009

twinsmom said:
Hey Jools, you always reference such great articles. Thanks! There was a quote from this one that I was curious about:

"The recently passed SAFETEA (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity) Act of 2005 requires NHTSA to upgrade its side-impact standard by July 1, 2008".

Does anyone know what that's about? I thought the US had no side-impact standards.

Yeah, I've been hearing about this SAFETEA act for some time now, and am never sure what it's status is. That would sure explain why seats all seem to have EPS foam and Side Impact testing labels now, though... (and makes me wonder even more why several Cosco seats *don't* have foam or labeling and how can they be allowed to keep being sold? There are often extensions on acts like this that we may not have heard about, though...)

Side impact protection?

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