Do headwings really make a difference in side impact collisions?

[HappyMommy]

Hi,

Trying to decide whether or not I should get the radian XTSL or just a regular radian (65SL or 80SL). Are there any studies that show that headwings provide more protection in side impact collisions? Any reasons why you think headwings make a difference?
Thanks!

 

[bree]

No, there isn't any research available to us about headwings and the potential protection they could provide. They aren't regulated or tested to any standard, so companies can claim that they provide side impact protection, but we don't actually have any numbers or statistics to prove that the headwings do provide an actual safety benefit.

I went for the Radian XTSL. I wanted the potential for the 45 pound rear-facing limit, so that ruled out the 65SL for me. The XTSL was about $30 more than the 80SL, and I decided that the extra money was worth it for the headwings. Part of my reasoning was thinking that the headwings would make a nice place for my son to rest his head while sleeping (and they do) and part of it was for the potential for side impact protection.

Right now, the seats I use for my kids all have headwings or deep sides, but I've used a Marathon before, which doesn't have headwings or deep sides compared to a lot of other seats. I was comfortable using the Marathon rear-facing for my daughter, so it's not that I think headwings are necessary. I think with the Radian XTSL, where great online deals can be found, it was worth the extra money for me.

 

[mamabear]

this is a video (made by Britax, so they refer to Britax a lot) but it's still good about explaining a lot about side impact crashes and protection:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKdKjs6rhTU"]YouTube- Car Seat Side Impact Protection Explained[/ame]

 

[LISmama810]

A couple years ago I read a book ([ame="http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393324826/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274300875&sr=8-1"]Stiff[/ame]--hilarious yet SOOOOO interesting) about what happens when we die, including various uses of cadavers. One of the sections was about using cadavers in crash testing, and she went into a detailed explanation about side impacts and why they're so deadly. Basically, our heads are meant to bob backward and forward. They're not meant to bend to the side. Side-impacts can cause the neck to snap sideways.

I don't know whether side wings do much (if anything) to prevent that, but it seems logical that they would. Just my :twocents:

 

[SafeDad]

I would think that deep wings close to the head and padded with energy absorbing material of some kind would be at least a small benefit in a side impact. Probably a little more in a rear-facing install, where the head tends to be contained better in the wings. In a front facing install, it is more likely that the head will move forward beyond the wings and they will offer no added protection at all. That is because many side impacts have some forward motion, as the vehicle being struck is often moving and not stopped.

I'm not sure we will ever see real data on something like this. It's one of those factors easily masked by misuse and other variables that cannot be correctly documented after a crash.