Military aircraft mechanics are fond of asking a trick question; "What is the primary purpose of an ejection seat?" The answer: to provide a place for the pilot to sit. The secondary purpose, hopefully never used, is to provide a fast, safe means of escape from a crippled aircraft. While cars don't have ejection seats, the car's seat is, never the less, a very important piece of safety equipment. Most drivers tend to think of the car seat in terms of comfort and appearance while ignoring the fact that the seat is a critical piece of safety equipment in a crash.

The most common type of crash on America's roadways is the rear- end crash and the most common injuries drivers experience from that type of crash are whiplash and spinal injuries. The reason for this is simple. One of the laws of motion says "an object at rest wants to remain at rest." While sitting in a car seat, your body wants to remain at rest. If you are struck from behind by another vehicle, your body will want to remain at rest while the car is rapidly pushed out underneath it. If your seat isn't properly positioned, your body will snap back, followed by your head. This rapid snapping back of the spine and neck is what causes all the back injuries. Those of you who may have experienced this type of injury know that you don't really start to feel the muscles tense up and the associated pain until the next day. If it goes untreated, the trauma can cause long term and sometimes permanent injury.

The seats position and its ability to remain upright in a crash, is so important that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (the folks with the crash test dummies) actually test the seat separately from the car. They remove the seat from the car, put it on the track and simulate a rear end crash to see how well the dummy fares in a crash. You can see how these tests are conducted at: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/head_restraints/head_restraint_info.html. You can also look up the seat's ratings for your particular vehicle.

Too many people now days tend to place the reclining seat slightly back and drive in a slightly reclined position. While it may be relaxing, this is a very dangerous practice. The further back the seat, the greater distance your body will be stretched backwards in a crash. To provide the greatest protection, your seat should be in the full upright position with the headrest just barely touching the back of your head. In this position, your body will be protected by the seat and prevented from snapping back so violently in a rear-end collision.

The other advantage of placing the seat in a full upright position is to help keep you alert on long trips. Leaning the seat back may be more relaxing but it can be too relaxing, allowing you to become drowsy on long trips. To take full advantage of all the safety features in the vehicle, you should adjust the seat's position so that your body is a minimum of ten inches from the airbag. Your seat belt should be fastened with the lap belt low over your hips and the shoulder harness crossing the center of the chest and centered over the shoulder. Never drive with the shoulder harness behind you. If the shoulder harness doesn't fit properly, you can adjust the position where it attaches to the car's frame. If your car doesn’t have a shoulder harness adjustment mechanism, you can purchase a shoulder harness adjustment fitting for a very low price at your local auto parts store.

Labels: air bags, car seats, driver safey, driver training, seat belt, seat belt law, seat belt safety

Hyperthermia is Leading Cause of Non-crash Child Vehicle Deaths

Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warned parents that the risk of a serious injury or death during hot weather is greater for children left alone in vehicles. Recently released research shows that hyperthermia (heat-stroke) is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle deaths for children.

"Even with the windows rolled down two inches, it only takes 10 minutes for the inside of a vehicle to reach deadly temperatures on a hot summer day," said Ronald Medford, Acting Deputy Administrator of NHTSA. "Children should never be left alone in or around a motor vehicle, not even for a quick errand. Any number of things can go critically wrong in the blink of an eye."

According to a new NHTSA study, 262 children under the age of 14 are killed and 115,000 are injured in non-crash incidents on private roads, driveways and in parking lots each year. Of that number, 44 fatalities and 105,000 injuries are the results of non-crash incidents such hyperthermia, strangulation by power windows, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Many of the remaining deaths and injuries in non-crash incidents are the result of a child being backed over by a vehicle where the driver did not see the child.

The NHTSA's safety tips to prevent hyperthermia include:

• Never leave a child alone in a vehicle.

• Do not let your children play in an unattended vehicle. Make sure they understand that a vehicle is not a play area.

• Never leave infants or children in a parked vehicle, even if the windows are partially open or if the engine is running and the air conditioning is on.

• Always inspect the front and back seats of the vehicle before locking the door and walking away.

• If your spouse or partner is taking your child to daycare, and normally it's your responsibility, call your spouse or partner to make sure everything went according to plan.

• Ask your childcare provider to phone you immediately if your child does not show up for childcare. To remind yourself that a child is in the vehicle:

—Write a note and put it on the steering wheel or anywhere you will see it when you leave the vehicle.
—Place your purse, briefcase or something else you need in the back seat so that you will have to check the back seat when you leave the vehicle.
—Keep an object in the car seat, such as a stuffed toy, to remind you that a child is in the vehicle. When the child is buckled in, place the object where you will see it when exiting the vehicle.

• Always lock vehicle doors and trunks and keep keys out of the reach of children. If a child is missing, inspect your vehicle first, including the trunk.

• Call 911 if you see a child alone in a hot vehicle. Get them out as quickly as possible if they are in distress due from the heat. Cool the child as quickly as possible.

Labels: car seats, child safety, driver education, driver safety, driver safety tips, seat belt safety, summer driving, summer vacation, vehicle safety

Secretary Calls for New Car Seat Side Impact Safety Standard

Recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it would implement a new consumer program to assist parents and caregivers in finding a child seat that fits in their vehicle. The new program comes on the heels of an exhaustive review ordered by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to improve child passenger safety and Federal child seat standards.

Secretary LaHood also ordered the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop a new side impact safety standard for car seats. Side impact crashes make up one-third of all highway deaths of children under thirteen years old.

The internal review found that current standards, which require child seats to withstand forces that are more severe than 99.5 percent of real-world crashes, are effective. Still, Secretary LaHood urged NHTSA to do better.

"Infants and children are our most precious cargo," said Secretary LaHood. "We need to constantly improve our track record and help parents to choose a child seat that fits in their vehicle."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration task force, which examined child safety regulations, was made up of a team of 30 experts. They cautioned that while current standards offer a high degree of protection, the agency should consider adding a first ever side-impact standard for child safety seats. It also recommended research on future improvements to the current frontal impact standard.

Beginning with the 2011 model year, the NHTSA will institute the new program to make it easier for parents to choose child safety seats. Car manufacturers will recommend specific seats for individual vehicles in various price ranges that fit. Car manufacturers including Nissan and others in Europe already offer similar recommendations.

The review also discovered that 50% of all children between the ages of zero to seven years of age who died in motor vehicle crashes were not in child safety seats.
"A child safety seat cannot do its job if it's not used at all," said Secretary LaHood. "Parents and caregivers need to make sure their children are buckled up properly and child seats are installed correctly."

Did you know that courses are available to educate drivers on the rules of the road and the latest defensive driving techniques? Try one now!

Labels: car seats, child safety seats

A Father Urges Florida High School Students to Buckle Up

On a recent sunny morning in Florida, almost 200 Newberry High School students stood in silence as a former classmate's father urged them to buckle their seat belts whenever they get into a car.

Tom Solberg, whose son Richard Jaggers was among four Newberry students killed in a car wreck a year ago, said, "It's an act that only takes a second to perform, an act that if not done could end your life in seconds." He added that the students might have lived if they had been wearing seat belts.

Jaggers and his friend, Alexander Coppock, both 18, perished in a crash after veering off State Road 24 on an early Sunday morning in May. Neither had been wearing a seat belt, and both young men were hurled from the vehicle.

Solberg made his request while the students watched the unveiling of the first of several signs that will be mounted at high schools around Alachua County. In gold letters, the blue signs at the student exits from Newberry High read, "Buckle up Panthers." Inmate crews will be installing signs at other high schools. The Eastside High sign will spell out "Buckle up Rams."

Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Gina Busscher said the signs were a public-private partnership involving donations of time and material.

With spring break starting soon, Alachua County Sheriff's spokesman Art Forgey said that this week is a good time to remind students about the importance of safety.
Sheriff Sadie Darnell told the Newberry High students that she and others are focusing on traffic safety because "traffic crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens. Driving is the most dangerous thing most of you will do in your lives. Every time you see one of these signs, we want you to remember that there is a very simple thing you can do to save your life. Buckle up."

About 200 of the nearly 600 Newberry were on hand for the sign-unveiling ceremony. While Solberg spoke, the students listened intently as he recalled seeing two Florida Highway Patrol troopers turn into his driveway, arriving there to tell him that his son had died.

"What a heavy burden for law enforcement officers to have to carry - to tell someone their child has died," Solberg said. "Make the right decision. Wear you seat belt. Always."

Is your teen a safe driver? The National Safety Commission has developed a new Teen Injury Prevention course to emphasize driving safety for teenagers. For more information, including a Driver Education Book for Parents, visit www.safedriver.com.

Labels: car seats, seat belt, seat belt law, seat belt safety