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Accessory child safety harnesses: do the risks outweigh the benefits?
Julie Brown1, Derek Wainohu, Peter Aquilina
1Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, and University of New South Wales, Barker St., Randwick 2031, NSW, Australia. j.brown@powmri.edu.au
Accident; Analysis and Prevention
|November 6, 2009
Summary
Accessory child safety harnesses, used with booster seats, show no benefit over standard lap-shoulder belts and increase submarining risk. Misuse, like overtightening, causes dangerous dummy motion and neck contact in frontal crashes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric safety engineering
- Road safety research
- Child restraint systems
Background:
- Accessory child safety harnesses are increasingly used in some countries, often with booster seats.
- Concerns exist that misuse risks may negate potential benefits compared to standard restraints.
- Evidence regarding their safety performance, especially with misuse, is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance of accessory child safety harnesses against lap-shoulder belts.
- To compare these systems with and without booster seats in simulated frontal crashes.
- To investigate the safety implications of common accessory harness misuse.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory simulated frontal crash tests were conducted.
- Performance was assessed using accessory child safety harnesses and standard lap-shoulder belts.
- Tests included correct usage and common misuse scenarios with booster seats.
Main Results:
- Correctly used harnesses offered no performance advantage over lap-shoulder belts and increased submarining risk.
- Overtightening the harness led to severe submarining and undesirable dummy neck contact.
- Accessory harness misuse resulted in significantly poorer outcomes than correct usage.
Conclusions:
- The risks associated with accessory child safety harness systems likely outweigh their benefits in frontal impacts.
- Proper usage and understanding of restraint systems are critical for child safety.
- Further research into misuse scenarios and alternative restraint designs is warranted.
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