I disagree. According to a
study by the U of Va, the main benefit of the rf tether is in side impacts, which we know are the most dangerous types of crashes. The additional neck loading in front impacts with a tethered seat is well within accepted limits and FTMP is balanced by slight improvement in safety in that type of crash.
IMO, the rf tether really doesn’t matter when it comes to front or rear impacts. Sure, intuitively you don’t want to see the kid’s head smack into the back of the seat (or glass), but there’s not much in the way of hard data to back that up. It’s mostly a theoretical concern and we know that seats that rebound/cocoon are safe too.
I do see the ARF as a good thing- as anything that is absorbing crash forces would be. But is it really addressing a true safety concern? It prevents rebound with less neck strain than Swedish style tethering and that’s good. However, the data shows that the neck loading in a tethered seat really isn’t much of a danger (nor is the rebounding that it's preventing). However, using a tether improves performance in the more dangerous side impacts, for which I can't see the ARF doing a whole lot. :shrug-shoulders: