When you buy a car, you’re essentially buying into a product’s safety. But what happens if that product fails in the field? It turns out, car seats are one of the most common areas where consumer products fail. And even though manufacturers are required by law to test their products in a crash test, the results can often be deceiving. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at how car seats are crash tested and what the results really mean. We will also discuss some ways that you can help ensure your safety when driving and buy a car seat that will protect you in the event of a crash.
How Crash Tests Work
Crash tests are used to evaluate the protective ability of a car seat against the forces that can cause a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducts frontal, side, and rear-impact crashes using a variety of test dummies. In each test, the dummy is placed in the driver’s seat and then hit in the head, torso, and legs by an instrumented front end.
Car seats are generally rated according to their level of protection from these types of crashes. A car seat with a five-star rating is meant to protect children from fatalities in a frontal collision, while a two-star rating is good for protection from injuries such as broken bones.
Types of Car Seats
There are five types of car seats that are crash tested: convertible car seats, booster seats, rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, and standard car seats.
Convertible car seats are a type of seat that can be used in either the front or the back of a vehicle. A booster seat is a type of seat that is designed to help children reach the appropriate height for a safe ride in a vehicle. Rear-facing car seats should be used until your child reaches the maximum height and weight limit allowed by federal law. A forward-facing car seat should be used until your child reaches age 12 or age 1, whichever comes first.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducts crash tests on different types of car seats to determine their safety in collisions. The NHTSA also produces ratings for different types of seating in order to help parents make informed decisions about which one is best for their child.
How the Seats are Tested
Every car seat sold in the United States is subject to a crash test. This test is designed to determine how well the seat protects a child in a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducts the crash tests on a specially constructed dummy. The dummy’s weight, size and shape are similar to those of an average child.
The car seat is placed in the dummy’s lap and the dummy is then crashed into a pole at speed. The force of the impact is measured using sensors. NHTSA also tests how well the car seat holds up to being moved around during a crash.
Results of Crash Tests
Crash tests are a common safety procedure used to evaluate the safety of car seats. In order to be crash tested, a car seat must meet specific criteria regarding its construction, testing methods and results. Crash tests are conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in two types of crashes: frontal offset and side impact.
The frontal offset crash test is used to determine how well car seats protect against injuries to the child in the front seat. The side impact crash test is used to determine how well car seats protect against injuries to the child in the rear seat. Results from both crash tests are combined to create a rating for each car seat. The rating ranges from 5 stars (the best protection) down to 1 star (no protection).
In order for a car seat to be certified for use in frontal offset and side impact crashes, it must pass all five tests in each category. The first test measures how well the restraint system works in a static position. The second test measures how well the restraint system protects against spinal cord injury when a dummy is dropped onto it from an angle of 30 degrees from the vertical. The third test measures how well the restraint system protects against head injury when a dummy is dropped onto it from an angle of 30 degrees from the vertical. The fourth test measures how well the restraint system protects against abdominal injuries when a dummy is dropped onto it from an angle of 30 degrees from the vertical. The fifth and final test measures how long it takes
Conclusion
Crash testing is an important safety process that is used to determine the safety of vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducts tests on new and updated models each year in order to ensure that they meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. In order to be approved for sale, a vehicle must undergo crash testing and meet all applicable standards.