2026-2027

Analyzing Near-miss Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke Cases in the US

Principal Investigator: Jalaj Maheshwari, MS

Studies on pediatric vehicular heatstroke (PVH) have primarily concentrated on fatalities, but little is known about non-fatal cases of children left behind in vehicles. The research team will analyze a novel PVH database as an important step toward understanding near-miss PVH cases, their circumstances, their distribution across the US, and how they are similar to/differ from PVH fatality data.

Associating Booster Seat Design Parameters to Pediatric Occupant Kinematic and Kinetic Outcomes in Frontal Impacts

Principal Investigator: Jalaj Maheshwari, MS

This study aims to tie booster seat design variables and belt fit metrics directly to the kinematic and kinetic measures of a child occupant in frontal crashes via finite element modeling.

In-Depth Photo Analysis of CRS Involved in Fatal and Serious Crashes in Ohio

Principal Investigator: Gretchen Baker, PhD

This study will gather detailed child restraint system (CRS) information through review of crash photos for five years of Ohio crash data involving pediatric occupants in serious and fatal crashes, including CRS installation, potential misuse, and detailed CRS features. After combining the detailed CRS dataset with Ohio crash data and autopsy reports, rates of detailed CRS variables will be assessed and variation in injury outcomes with detailed CRS…

Are There Unintended Risks of Injury in Rear-seated Occupants Adjacent to a Child Seat Equipped with Side Bolsters in Far-side Impacts?

Principal Investigator: Valentina Graci, PhD

Through sled testing with both pediatric and adult anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs), this study aims to characterize the kinematics and kinetics of the adult ATD when seated adjacent to a child restraint system with side impact bolsters and examine if the kinematics and kinetics of the adult adjacent ATD changes based on side bolster design.

Does Hood Geometry Impact Child Pedestrian Injury Risk in PAEB Collisions?

Principal Investigator: Maitland Witmer, MSE

Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking (PAEB) automatically applies the brakes when a collision with a pedestrian is detected and will be equipped in all new vehicles starting September 2029. This study will examine the association between categories of PAEB pulses resulting in crashes and hood geometries across injury levels in order to inform vehicle manufacturers to avoid combinations of PAEB pulse and hood shapes leading to severe pedestrian…

Child Safety on Aircraft: Novel Shoulder Belt Restraints

Principal Investigator: Julie Mansfield, PhD

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.

Evaluation of System Fidelity: Dynamic Performance of CRS on the FMVSS 213b Bench vs. Production Vehicle seats

Principal Investigator: Julie Mansfield, PhD

As new updates to the federal regulatory test bench are set to be implemented via FMVSS 213b, new data are needed to determine whether the updated regulations provide realistic responses of child restraint systems (CRS) compared to modern vehicle seats. This study will use sled testing to conduct frontal impacts of the same CRS conditions on the FMVSS 213b bench, a vehicle sedan (bench) rear row seat, and a second-row vehicle captain’s chair.

Energy Management of the Head Restraints of Rearward-Facing CRS Models

Principal Investigator: Declan Patton, PhD

This study will evaluate the relationship between the impact parameters and anthropomorphic test device (ATD) head injury metrics and examine the underlying structure of the head restraints across a range of rearward-facing CRS models.

Finite Element Simulations of Rearward-Facing CRS and Front-Row Seatbacks in Full-Scale Vehicle Frontal Crash Tests

Principal Investigator: Declan Patton, PhD

This study aims to further the understanding of interactions between rear-facing child restraint system (CRS) models and the front-row seatback, particularly the relationship between CRS-seatback distance and head injury metrics, using finite element (FE) analysis.

2025-2026

Effects of Pretensioners/Pre-Pretensioners on the Belt Fit and Posture of Booster Occupants

Principal Investigator: Gretchen Baker, PhD

As belt-positioning boosters rely on the vehicle seat belt to provide the primary restraint of the child, boosters offer the opportunity for child occupants to benefit from other vehicle safety technologies, such as pretensioners and pre-pretensioners. With the prevalence of rear seat pretensioners expected to increase, this study aims to investigate the ability of pretensioners or pre-pretensioners to reduce initial belt gap and how this might vary.

Leveraging the National Digital Check Form (NDCF) Database to Assess Real World Child Restraint System Use and the Effect of Car Seat Check Education

Principal Investigator: Gretchen Baker, PhD

The National Safety Council compiles car seat check inspection data (National Digital Check Form, NDCF) which represents 270,000+ inspections, offering a valuable dataset to assess real-world child restrain system (CRS) use. This project aims to provide in-depth analysis of the NDCF dataset from 2018-2024 to better understand the characteristics of current CRS use and how this varies with child and vehicle characteristics.

Child Injury Trends in Recent Motor Vehicle Crashes in the USA: A Comparative Analysis of Rural vs. Urban Cases

Principal Investigator: Valentina Graci, PhD

Research suggests a higher fatality risk for children in rural areas compared to urban settings, yet current studies lack an updated, comparative analysis of pediatric injury trends. This study aims to address this gap by analyzing motor vehicle crash injury patterns in a predominantly rural region, with a focus on the children’s hospital catchment area, and comparing them with national trends.

Current Child Seat Portability Challenges: The Effect of Different Child Seat Geometries and a Pretensioner Belt on Child Occupant Crash Dynamics

Principal Investigator: Valentina Graci, PhD

This project leverages the Consumer Reports survey of caregivers to gather insights on currently used portable child restraint systems (CRS). The most commonly used models will be identified and tested to examine child motion during frontal impacts and compared to traditional CRS such as a high-back booster.

Influence of Vehicle Rear Seat Design on Booster-Seated Pediatric Occupant Response in Frontal Impacts

Principal Investigator: Jalaj Maheshwari, MS

Vehicle seat design parameters can significantly affect the kinematics and kinetics of pediatric occupants in crashes. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of vehicle seat geometry and stiffness on a restrained child occupant. This study begins to explore the vehicle seat design parameters that have the greatest effect on booster-seated 6-year-old and 10-year-old occupant kinematics and kinetics in frontal impacts.

Influence of Arm Position of the Q3s in Side Impacts

Principal Investigator: Julie Mansfield, PhD

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213a describes the regulatory nearside impact test for child restraint systems (CRS). The standard requires the use of the Q3s anthropomorphic test device (ATD) to represent children in certain types of CRS. The goal of this project is to conduct simplified table-top impacts on the Q3s to isolate and quantify the effects of arm position on chest deflection.

Comparison of US and European Belt Paths of Rearward-Facing CRS in Frontal-Oblique Impact Sled Tests

Principal Investigator: Declan Patton, PhD

This study will perform frontal-oblique sled tests to compare the European and US belt paths used to attach rearward-facing infant CRS models in terms of head and chest injury metrics of a 12-month-old ATD.

Physical Testing of Front-Row Seatbacks

Principal Investigator: Declan Patton, PhD

Recent sled test studies have attempted to quantify the influence of the distance between the CRS and the front row seatback on head injury metrics. However, such tests lack the fidelity of full-scale vehicle tests. In this study, impact tests will be performed on a sample of front-row seatbacks using a pediatric ATD headform to quantify the relationship between the impact parameters and injury metrics.

Bringing the Latest Advances in Dynamic Temporal Analysis to Driving Safety: Predicting Young, Novice Drivers Who are at Risk of Crashing

Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Walshe, PhD

The CHOP-developed virtual driving assessment (VDA) can safely and reliably expose young drivers to common crash scenarios. This study seeks to mine the richness of the dynamic VDA data that may provide better prediction of crash risk by utilizing a new dynamic approach which transforms time-based data into meaningful intervals and makes patterns easier to analyze.

Estimated Injury Risk for Child, Teen, and Adult Pedestrians Struck by Vehicles Equipped with PAEB Technology

Principal Investigator: Maitland Witmer, MSE

Starting September 2029, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will require Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking (PAEB) in all new vehicles. Prior PAEB research has shown that children are challenging to detect and avoid, and teens are more likely to engage in risky behavior. This study aims to identify the PAEB acceleration pulses that minimize injury risk for child, teen, and young adult pedestrians struck by motor vehicles.

Caregiver Perceptions of Child Distraction and In-Vehicle Child Monitoring Technologies

Principal Investigator: Thomas Seacrist, MBE

This project aims to understand caregivers’ perceptions about child distraction while driving and preliminarily assess the desire for child-monitoring technologies, including caregivers perceived need and desired features. A survey will be developed and administered to caregivers at in-person and virtual car seat checks conducted by CHOP at various community locations and events.