Introduction
Child restraint systems are seats designed specifically to protect children from injury or death during collisions. Child safety seats provide passive restraints and must be properly used to be effective. Some automobile manufacturers may integrate child safety seats directly into their vehicle's design such as Volkswagen Company but most commonly, these seats are purchased and installed by consumers themselves.
History
In early 1900s where the first car was build, many automobile manufacturers do some research and modifications to improve the safety of the driver and passengers but they only concern the safety of the adults not the child. Even though the child seat was build in 1930s, the purpose for the seat does not for safety but it is for booster seat where the seat height can be adjusted so that the driver could see them. Then in 1962, Leonard Rivkin, of Denver Colorado were inventing in the child protection purpose.
Manufacturing
There are variations of child seats that are available around the world but it use the same material in manufacturing process that is a tough plastics called polypropylene. The main properties of this plastic is hard to crack. Indiana Mills Company is responsible in manufacturing the adjustment mechanisms and buckles for most child safety seats. Padding of individual seats is made up of foam while vinyl and fabrics are used for the outer layer of the seats. Each child seats must have label of manufacturers according to Federal standards. The manufacturing of the child seats begin with the polypropylene is put in molding the shells of the seats. Since the polypropylenes are in tiny pellet form, these pellets are melted down and put into a mold of the desired seat design. The seat then moves down into assembly line. On this assembly line, all of the goods from the suppliers are added to the mold such as the foam padding, the fabric covers, the harness, and any buckles or attaching mechanisms. The labels of the manufacturers and instructions for the consumer are also attached. Then the product moved at the packing department. The seats are wrapped in plastic and packed in cartons which then get stacked and stored and ready to be marketed.
Types
Infant seats -
These seats are designed for a baby that is below 9kg and should always remain facing the rear of a vehicle.
These seats are designed for a baby that is below 9kg and should always remain facing the rear of a vehicle.
Convertible seats -
Similar to the infant seats, the type of car seat is the convertible. This seat can be adjusted to rear or forward facing position and is used for children maximum weight 22kg.
This is a forward facing only seat and it has the 5 point harnessing system for children 18kg. this type of seat is not recommended for the infant below 9kg.The infant that is above the 18kg still can use this type of seat but need to remove the webbing and use belt positioning booster
Booster seats -
The purpose of the booster seats is to provide elevation to the child so the shoulder belt rests appropriately on the shoulder blade and does not ride up the child’s neck. This seat is available for children 18kg and above.
Hazards
Even the manufacturers have the quality control to ensure the child seat is safe but it is not guaranteed that the child seat can prevent the child from the hazard even the consumer followed the instruction and label given.
Hazards are available when:
· Child seat are not suitable with the child
· May be hooked to the vehicle loosely
· May be the child seats are not suitable for some of the vehicle itself
· Harnesses are incorrectly fastened to the child
· May be incorrectly installed in front of the air bags.
In 1997, the accident statistics shows that six out of ten children were killed in the vehicles that are not correctly restrained. A recent case study had been done and the result shows that mostly the children were killed because of the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This syndrome is cause by the breathing problems where the children are slowly losing the supply of oxygen or choked.
Tips to Protect Children from Transportation-Related Risks –In the Vehicle – Child Passenger Safety
- All children should be placed in child safety seats, booster seats or seat belts – every time they ride in a car or truck.
- Children 12 and younger should be buckled up in the back seat.
- Infants must be placed in rear-facing seats until they are at least one year old and 20 pounds.
- Children between 20 and 40 pounds should be placed in forward-facing safety seats.
- When child outgrows his or her forward-facing safety seat, use a booster seat until child is at least 8 years old or over 4-feet 9-inches tall.
- Seat belts alone are made for adults. A booster seat raises a child up so the seat belt fits.
- Children who have outgrown booster seats should always use seat belts and parents should buckle up.
Design features
Different types of child restraint systems have been developed to cater for the changing anthropometric and biomechanical characteristics of children:
1-Infant capsules cater for infants aged up to approximately six months (less than 9 kg or 70 cm).Important design features of infant restraints are:
- Ability to provide support for the head
- Ability to distribute crash forces uniformly over the whole of the infant’s torso and head
- Ability to prevent unwanted motion between the head and the torso, and prevention of contact between the internal harness system and the ‘soft’ parts of the infant
- Ability to protect the head, in terms of both excessive motion in frontal impact towards the vehicle’s seat back, and contact with the vehicle interior in side impact
- Ability to provide support for the head
- Ability to limit forward excursion of the head in frontal impact
- Ability to protect the head in side impact
- Ability to prevent unwanted motion between the head and the torso, and prevention of contact between the internal harness system and the ‘soft’ parts of the infant.
3-Booster seats provide the transition between dedicated child restraint systems and adult seat belts and are designed for use by pre-adolescent children (100-145 cm in height). A child’s height is a more important indicator of the need for a booster seat than age or weight. Important restraint design features include:
- Raising the child up to a sitting height that allows correct positioning of the lap/shoulder seat belt
- Allowing close fit of the seat belt
- Constructed of material not too easily compressed
- Providing lateral support for a sleeping child
- Ability to provide some head protection in side impact
CREATED BY :-
1-MOHD IKZWAN BIN SAHIDAN (54270209212)
2-MOHD KASRAN BIN MD JUSOH (54268208275)
