Booster frontal crashes. Are they all this bad?

bnsnyde

New member
Are all frontal crashes this bad for boosters? I mean, it looks like the child is perfectly fitted in the belt (in a Cybex X-FiX, which is a study seat). And it looks like the dummy dies. The head, OMG!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=ZjKq9rvxeGY

And similar...
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdb-ZHlgcHw"]Cybex Solution X Crash-test - front impact - right view - YouTube[/ame]

We just put our 6-year-old in an Oobr booster and this video is unsettling. We actually have the Cybex, too, if needed.
 
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bubbaray

New member
Well the harnessed child didn't do so well either. Without further info on the sled speed, it's really hard to judge. Some of the crash testing is for unsurvivable crashes.
 

bnsnyde

New member
In the first clip the harnessed seat is not belted, I forgot to add.

I'm just wondering what a frontal crash in a booster should look like. It all looks bad in my mind, but I don't have enough visuals to go with it. I found these and they look awful! There are a few more, mostly of Cybex, on Utube.
 

bubbaray

New member
But frontal crashes look even more horrible with a harnessed seat if you look at the forces on the head vs the neck. I'm ok with arms and legs flailing everywhere. Heads snapping the neck, not so much.

There are also videos of Tbone crashes. Those arent pretty either.

Boosters are statistically very safe if the child is old enough to sit properly in them all the time and heavy enough that they dont submarine under the belt.

ETA. Both of my girls moved to boosters at age 5 and 40 lbs. I feel they are just as if not safer than a harnessed seat. My DD2 is still in her FR in my vehicle (2ndary car) ONLY because I hate dealing with that seat and I know it will be a huge PITA to switch it to booster
 

canadiangie

New member
The Transport Canada research crash testing is to me a more realistic idea of how boosters (and other seats) work in real vehicles. There's an explanation to go with each stage of seats, discussing what went on, the why's, the how's, etc.

The problem with random YouTube videos is that often there is no explanation as to what went on, if the seat was used correctly, the outcome, etc.

I'm not sure if that is the case with the Cybex video, but it certainly seems odd to me that they crash tested an unsecured ff seat directly beside the booster. I'm guessing this is misuse crash testing of some kind. Just a guess, though.
 

bnsnyde

New member
Yes, the head was my concern. So it looked like the head (in various videos, not just one) flailed way to the side, possibly snapping the neck.

My question would then be what's happening to the head/neck in the harnessed video?

In other words, I wish there was some testing of some sort that would determine if the head is better off boostered or harnessed. And if there is some critical point or weight, etc. when this comes into play...

Last I heard, neck loads were speculation as being a potential problem for harnessed seats. I understand that concern. Just wish I had enough information to feel better about my decisions!
 

Phineasmama

New member
:( I hope something was off with that test! We love our X-Fix and it is by far the best booster fit I've ever seen on DD.
 

bnsnyde

New member
Since we know kids necks can snap in FF harnessed seats (I can think of some cases in kids under 2), wouldn't necks snapping remain a huge concern in harnessed seats? Maybe at 3 or 4 they can better withstand it...but why the concern only for older kids (6+ maybe) about neck load in a harnessed seat? Meaning, what happens between ages 3 and 6 that would suddenly make the harnessed seat possibly less safe for their neck? Aren't their heads bigger in relation to their body when they are younger, anyway?

I'm just trying to think this through. :)

One example might be the 40 lb. 5-year-old. I even have one! I know there is no real evidence either way, but what do people think based on physics? Harness or booster? (And let's assume she sits properly).
 

henrietta

Well-known member
I thought the whole point of being in a booster was so that the belts fit the child correctly and he stays IN the belt during a crash. No matter the speed, that was still a frontal crash. That really bugs me how the dummy came completely out of the shoulder belt. Did it not lock on impact? It looked like it did, and the dummy still came out.

I don't think the Cybex itself is a problem. We love ours, too, and it has fantastic belt fit on both my boys. I like how the lap belt seemed to keep the dummy's rear well in the seat. It's the shoulder belt that bugs me.

Does that happen in most crashes w/kids in seatbelts or boosters w/seatbelts?
 

_juune

New member
Those X-Fix videos are obviously from this ADAC test year 2009: http://www.autoliitto.fi/tietopankk.../turvaistuintestit/cybex_solution_x-fix_2009/ [use translate.google.com if needed]. It was still rated "good".
As far as the videos go, sort of looks like it worked better for the smaller dummy, in the sense that the smaller one's shoulder didn't come out of the belt.
It was tested in 2011, too: http://www.autoliitto.fi/tietopankk.../turvaistuintestit/cybex-solution-x-fix-2011/ .

And the failing seat next to the X-Fix is obviously this one: http://www.autoliitto.fi/tietopankki/testi-ja-tutkimustuloksia/turvaistuintestit/renolux_360_2009/
 
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_juune

New member
The question whether the shoulder coming out is "normal" caught my interest. http://www.autoliitto.fi/tietopankki/testi-ja-tutkimustuloksia/turvaistuintestit/ has a lot of videos [for some years there are plenty, for some just a few -- to each test entry]. It seems that in videos with the P10 dummy it's shoulder comes out of the belt quite often [but sometimes it doesn't], yet with the smaller dumies [all of them Q-series] there are hardly any videos where the shoulder problem can be observed. Is it purely because of the size difference? Or maybe it has something to do with P-series dummies being "more simple"?
 

bnsnyde

New member
Why is the shoulder coming out of the belt?
Does this happen in seatbelts, too?
It looked like since the shoulder came out of the belt (which seemed positioned perfectly) that allowed the head to do some wacky moves, probably fatal. :(
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Why is the shoulder coming out of the belt?
Does this happen in seatbelts, too?
It looked like since the shoulder came out of the belt (which seemed positioned perfectly) that allowed the head to do some wacky moves, probably fatal. :(

That's why I like my kids belts as close to their necks as they can stand...to prevent the 'rollout' you see in this video.
But really, the seatbelt kept the child in the car and prevented a lot of forward motion while allowing ride down time, so it did it's job as intended, as awful as it looks.
 

MyTwoSons

New member
That's why I like my kids belts as close to their necks as they can stand...to prevent the 'rollout' you see in this video.
But really, the seatbelt kept the child in the car and prevented a lot of forward motion while allowing ride down time, so it did it's job as intended, as awful as it looks.

I've been following this thread as I am already beginning my obsession with boosters for my son's future (not going in one any time soon though).

I'm still trying to figure out all of the safety dynamics and while I understand your thought of keeping the belt closer to the neck to prevent 'rollout' (which sounds good cause these videos concern me), would there be a chance that would cause the shoulder belt to hurt the neck in an accident?

I ask because the 2nd video down in this link -- http://www.autoliitto.fi/tietopankki/testi-ja-tutkimustuloksia/turvaistuintestit/renolux_360_2009/ -- concerned me. The seatbelt with the booster looked to be positioned correctly (though I am no expert) and it appears to sort of strangle the child's neck during the impact. :eek: Is that normal?
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
The collarbone and the sternum will protect the throat. The problem with having the belt too close to the neck is that a child may be uncomfortable enough to put the belt behind their back or under their arm, not because it's actually dangerous to have the belt too close to the neck in a crash. :twocents:

:)
 

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