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Why does the seat need Side Impact Protection? Side impact
crashes pose a serious threat to child safety and therefore make
side impact protection a necessity for child seats. In fact:
- 1 in 4 crashes occur from the side
- Injuries are more severe in side impact crashes
- 30% of fatalities are a result of side impact crashes
- Vehicle side air curtains are designed to protect adults,
not children
Source: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
It’s also important to understand how a child is injured in a
side impact crash to understand how Side Impact Protection can
prevent injury to your child. A child could possibly be injured
by:
- The lack of a “crumple zone” between your child and the
vehicle door resulting in direct impact of the oncoming
vehicle.
- Contact with any intruding objects such as the car door,
glass, metal shards, etc.
- Acceleration of the body as the car comes to a
sudden halt; a quick change in speed is what causes injury to
the body.
How does Side Impact Protection
work?
During a side impact crash both your child’s head and chest are
extremely vulnerable to injury. The chest is more exposed because
your child’s shoulders are wider than their head, and therefore
likely to be the first point of contact with intruding objects
coming from the side and jolting the chest. Your child’s head
should always be protected to avoid serious and permanent injury.
Side Impact Protection utilizes the rigid seat shell, lined
with energy-absorbing foam, to keep your child’s head and chest
protected from the side impact crash forces. More specifically,
Side Impact Protection does three things:
- Distributes crash forces:
Crash force energy cannot be
destroyed; it can only be managed or diverted away from your
child. The combination of deep side walls, energy-managing
foam and head restraint allow for a larger surface area to
divert crash force energy away from your child during impact.
- Shields the child from vehicle
intrusion:
Again, during a side impact
crash, your child could possibly be injured because of the
lack of a crumple zone and/or coming into contact with any
intruding objects. The combination of the deep side walls and
head restraint create a barrier between your child and any
possible intruding objects.
- Contains the head and body:
A side impact crash does not
necessarily result in another vehicle making direct contact
with your child, however you still want to keep your child
from “rolling” out of the seat and making contact with the
vehicle door or window. Here, True Side Impact Protection
helps to contain your child’s head and body in the seat.
How long has Britax incorporated Side Impact Protection in their seats?
Britax began incorporating Side
Impact Protection in many of our seats since we first began to
serve the North American market in 1996.
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