Principal Investigator: Julie Mansfield, PhD

Commercial aircraft are beginning to incorporate shoulder belts for some passenger positions. The shoulder belt should be designed to fit passengers from two years old to a 95th percentile male, but testing is needed to understand how the shoulder belt should be designed to perform adequately for this wide range of occupant sizes. This study aims to identify the benefits or drawbacks of shoulder belts for children in aircraft seats via sled testing and to explore the potential for updating aircraft standards to allow booster seat use in certain seating positions.