Evaluation of a novel head and neck restraint for harness-restrained children.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Evaluation of a novel head and neck restraint for harness-restrained children.
Authors: Maltese, Matthew R.1 (AUTHOR) matt@mrmanalysis.com, Eran, Avital2 (AUTHOR), Cohen Gazit, Ben2 (AUTHOR), Safir, Oleg3 (AUTHOR)
Source: International Journal of Crashworthiness. Jun2025, Vol. 30 Issue 3, p273-282. 10p.
Subjects: Child restraint systems in automobiles, Traffic accidents, Neck injuries, Head injuries, Head
Abstract: Motor Vehicle Crashes (MVCs) are a common source of neck injury and, although rare, catastrophic neck injury occurs in restrained children up to age 10 years old. Recently, a head/neck support (HNS) that cradles the head during sleep was developed. The objective of this study was to determine if the HNS improves injury criteria measured on anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) in front facing 5-point harness child restraint systems (FFCRS). Nineteen matched pair frontal impact sled tests were conducted with ATDs representing the 12 month old, or 3 or 6 year old child in FFCRS. HNS reduced HIC36 by median 22.2%, maximum resultant head acceleration (3ms clip) by 16.2%, head excursion by 8.2%, and neck tension by 12.2%. Providing supplemental restraint directly to the head has the potential to improve injury outcomes while not adding to harm during common misuse scenarios, but further research is needed to determine if these benefits persist in real-world crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Engineering Source
Description
Abstract:Motor Vehicle Crashes (MVCs) are a common source of neck injury and, although rare, catastrophic neck injury occurs in restrained children up to age 10 years old. Recently, a head/neck support (HNS) that cradles the head during sleep was developed. The objective of this study was to determine if the HNS improves injury criteria measured on anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) in front facing 5-point harness child restraint systems (FFCRS). Nineteen matched pair frontal impact sled tests were conducted with ATDs representing the 12 month old, or 3 or 6 year old child in FFCRS. HNS reduced HIC36 by median 22.2%, maximum resultant head acceleration (3ms clip) by 16.2%, head excursion by 8.2%, and neck tension by 12.2%. Providing supplemental restraint directly to the head has the potential to improve injury outcomes while not adding to harm during common misuse scenarios, but further research is needed to determine if these benefits persist in real-world crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:13588265
DOI:10.1080/13588265.2024.2371185