​COLUMBUS,
Ohio – A team of researchers from The Ohio State University College of
Medicine is assessing the feasibility of car seats’ installation and
their compatibility with various vehicles, and providing evidence to
support the proper type of seat based on a child’s age and size.
According to
previous research, 73 to 90 percent of all car seats are installed
improperly, some due to installation errors and others due to
incompatibilities between the car seat and the vehicle. In an effort to
create a set of guidelines for caregivers to reference when shopping for
a car seat, researchers from Ohio State College of Medicine's
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences collected a sample of
dimensions from 54 vehicles and 59 car seats currently on the market and
identified the most common sources of incompatibility.
Data from 3,186 car seat-vehicle combinations were collected and analyzed. The
results showed: seat pan angle, especially for rear-facing car seats –
43.6 percent of all combinations were unacceptable; width of the car
seat compared to the width of the vehicle seat – 34.3 percent of all
combinations were less than ideal; height of seat back, especially for
forward-facing car seats – 22.2 percent of all combinations were
unacceptable; clearance space behind front-row seats, especially for
rear-facing car seats – 20.5 percent of all combinations did not fit
with the front seat at mid-track; and length of top tether – 7.7 percent
of all combinations were too loose.
“Car
seats themselves are safe. They may just not fit properly in a
particular car. We want caregivers to consider taking a few measurements
and note some key dimensions of their vehicle before making a decision
about a car seat. Taking a few measurements might save a child’s life,”
said John Bolte, associate professor of anatomy and director of Ohio
State’s Injury Biomechanics Research Center.
Another Ohio State
study is seeking to identify the comfort level of larger, older children
while riding in rear-facing car seats according to American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) guidelines. The AAP and NHTSA recommend that children ride in
rear-facing car seats until they are two years old, or until the maximum
weight limit for their car seat is reached. While research has shown
rear-facing car seats to be better than forward-facing car seats and
protect children’s heads and necks during car crashes, studies also show
that only 13 percent of children 12 – 23 months of age ride in
rear-facing car seats.
“Many
parents transition their child to forward-facing car seats too early
because they believe that their child has outgrown the rear-facing car
seat and the child is too large to be comfortable in that
configuration,” Bolte said.
For Phase I of this
comfort study, 20 children 22-26 months of age were recruited to sit
rear-facing and forward-facing for 20 minutes each in a lab setting.
Video footage was analyzed, and parent surveys were collected to help
gauge the children’s comfort levels. Researchers concluded that parental
perception scores reflecting comfort levels for rear-facing and
forward-facing car seats were similar, and video footage revealed the
same.
“Based on the
preliminary data of this study, comfort scores are similar for rear and
forward-facing car seats and support the extended use of rear-facing car
seats. Caregivers should always choose the option that is safest for
their child,” Bolte said.
For
Phase II of the comfort study, Bolte and his team will examine video
from a family’s vehicle while the child rides in each car seat
configuration.
See more at: http://www.medicalcenter.osu.edu/mediaroom/releases/Pages/Ohio-State-Researchers-Evaluate-Safety-of-Child-Car-Seat-Fit,-Position.aspx#sthash.w8T8ETIq.dpuf