cchips@email.chop.edu
Roberts Center for Pediatric Research 2716 South Street, 13th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19146
RESEARCH PORTFOLIO
Principal Investigator: Rachel Myers, PhD
The goal of this study is to create a unique source of epidemiologic crash data that enables novel description of use and installation patterns of child restraints among crash-involved children and— following linkage with hospital discharge and death certificate data—novel description of child occupant injury outcomes based on restraint use and installation (rear- vs. forward-facing).
2016-2017
- Emergency Autonomous to Manual Takeover in Driving Simulator: Teens vs. Adult Drivers
Principal Investigator: Helen Loeb, PhD
Semi-autonomous vehicles are emerging, with some in the auto industry targeting 2020 for autonomous cars. A high level of vehicle automation has great potential to improve safety by dramatically cutting the traffic fatality rate. The challenge, however, is to deploy these vehicles safely. While the general expectation is that the self-driving technology will bring us ever closer to the Vision Zero objective of no traffic fatalities, it is imperative to…- Driving Analytics: Comparison of Teen and Adult Naturalistic Car-following Patterns (Multiple Year Project)
Principal Investigator: Helen Loeb, PhD
This study will lead to a better understanding of the adult and teen driver behaviors which lead to crashes, as well as their specific reactions (such as swerving or braking) in emergency situations. The broad long term objective of this study is to quantify the human errors that lead to crashes and assess the potential impact of new active safety systems, such as Forward Collision Warning or Lane Deviation Warning, on driving safety. The study will use…- Evaluation of Side Impacts with a Frontal Component for Children in Child Restraint Systems (Multiple Year Project)
Principal Investigator: Kristy Arbogast, PhD
This project quantifies kinematics and injury metrics for 3 year old anthropomorphic test device (ATD) in oblique side impacts with a focus on assessing the potential for head injury, thus fueling understanding of head injury mechanisms for rear, center-seated occupants. This project, with its focus on an understudied area, will assess the need to prioritize future research and development efforts for car restraint system (CRS) manufacturers in the…- Evaluating the Efficacy of Belt Positioning Booster Seat Design (High-back, Low-back and Height-less booster) in Frontal and Far Side Oblique Impacts
Principal Investigator: Aditya Belwadi, PhD
Principal Investigator: Aditya Belwadi, PhD, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Fidelity of the Upgraded FMVSS 213 Bench
Principal Investigator: Matthew R. Maltese, PhD
In March of 2015, NHTSA released the drawing package and specifications of a revised Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 213 Bench (213R) that will be intended for use in regulatory sled tests. This study aims to characterize the fidelity of the 213R Bench as a system, as compared to real vehicle seats. Researchers will also characterize the current FMVSS 213 Bench, to assess any change in fidelity that would result if the current bench…- Measuring the Strength and Stability of the Lower LATCH Anchors across a Range of Anchor Spacing
Principal Investigator: Aditya Belwadi, PhD
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) is an installation system created to help standardize and improve the ease in which child restraint systems (CRS) are attached to vehicles. The broad objective of this research is to gain insight into the strength and stability of the lower LATCH anchors dynamically. The aims are to determine the dynamic strength of the lower anchor bars across a range of anchor spacing; and to understand the role of lower…- Parental Driving Behaviors of Child Passengers Ages 4-10 Years
Principal Investigator: Catherine McDonald, PhD
This national survey of parental driving behaviors examines attitudes toward driving while a child of 4 to 10 years old is a passenger in the vehicle. Focus will be on parent distraction and choices made in relation to car seat usage or non-usage.- Performance of Rear-facing CRS in Rear Impacts
Principal Investigator: Julie Mansfield, PhD
In frontal and oblique impacts, rear-facing (RF) CRS distribute crash forces throughout the occupant’s back and keep the head, neck, and spine safely aligned. However, in a rear impact, the overall kinematics of the crash are reversed and the five point harness becomes the primary loading surface for the occupant’s weight. The objective of this research is to investigate the response of RF CRS occupants in rear impacts, a currently under-addressed…- Maturation of Driving Skill from Teen to Young Adult to Experienced Adult using SHRP2 Naturalistic Data
Principal Investigator: Thomas Seacrist, MBE
Young adult drivers should exhibit improved driving behavior compared to teen drivers due to increased driving experience. However, previous naturalistic driving data suggests otherwise. This study will identify the specific predictors of crashes and near crashes among young drivers and determine if these predictors vary across age and skill level. The specific aims are to 1) categorize and quantify the factors contributing to young adult crashes and…- Usability of Non-standard Lower Anchor Spacing for CRS Installations
Principal Investigator: Julie Mansfield, PhD
Vehicle manufacturers are under increased pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to provide the option of using LATCH in the rear center position of vehicles. One possible solution to this request is to allow consumers to “borrow” the inboard lower anchor from each outboard LATCH position to create a “simulated” center LATCH position. However, these borrowed lower…- Pediatric Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (Multiple Year Project)
Principal Investigator: Ashley Weaver, PhD
This project’s goal is to create scoring systems to better classify motor vehicle crash-related injuries in children. A second goal is to use these scoring systems to develop a refined advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) algorithm and to evaluate its benefit to society. This algorithm is intended to serve as a part of a comprehensive trauma system to deliver children to appropriate treatment facilities. Year 4 of the project will further refine…- Usability of Non-standard Lower Anchor Spacing for CRS Installations
Principal Investigator: John H. Bolte IV, PhD
Vehicle manufacturers are under increased pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to provide the option of using LATCH in the rear center position of vehicles. One possible solution to this request is to allow consumers to “borrow” the inboard lower anchor from each outboard LATCH position to create a “simulated” center LATCH position. However, these borrowed lower…- Pediatric Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (Multiple Year Project)
Principal Investigator: Joel Stitzel, PhD
This project’s goal is to create scoring systems to better classify motor vehicle crash-related injuries in children. A second goal is to use these scoring systems to develop a refined advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) algorithm and to evaluate its benefit to society. This algorithm is intended to serve as a part of a comprehensive trauma system to deliver children to appropriate treatment facilities. Year 4 of the project will further refine…- Survey of Car Seat Usage, Knowledge, and Attitudes
Principal Investigator: John H. Bolte IV, PhD
Despite the careful development of best practice recommendations from the child passenger safety community, high rates of child restraint system misuse exist today. This study will identify topics of greatest concern to consumers by opening the lines of communication between consumers, industry, and researchers. Specifically, the study will gauge current caregiver attitudes regarding car seat usage; identify the reasoning behind parental car seat…- Active Safety Technology and Teen Drivers: Impressions, Perceived Need, and Intervention Preferences
Principal Investigator: Thomas Seacrist, MBE
Recently developed advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have the potential to compensate for skill deficits and reduce overall crash risk. Yet, ADAS is only effective if drivers are willing to use it. Limited research has been conducted on the suitability of ADAS for teen drivers. The goal of this study is to use qualitative research methodology identify teen drivers' perceived need for ADAS, receptiveness to in-vehicle technology, and…- ATD Lower Extremity Interaction with the Front Seat Back during Sled Tests
Principal Investigator: Laura Boucher, PhD
Over the past five years a series of CChIPS-funded projects have focused on developing a more biofidelic Hybrid III 6 year-old ATD lower extremity. The broad objective of this research is to expand the understanding on how ATD legs are interacting with the front seat back and/or vehicle interior. This project will provide important evidence that the use of a front seat back during sled testing provides an important realistic environment for more adequate…- Lateral Cervical Spine Stiffness in Children
Principal Investigator: Laura Boucher, PhD
Side impact crashes have become a major point of focus in the child passenger safety field due to the high injury and fatality rates associated with this type of crash. As new side impact testing standards are developed, the biofidelity of anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) and human body models (HBMs) in the lateral direction becomes increasingly vital. The long-term objective is to provide data that are not currently available to those who are using…- Lear First Year Project: The roles of Vehicle Seat Cushion Stiffness and Length in CRS Performance
Principal Investigator: Yun Seok Kang, PhD
Due to the wide variety of rear seat occupant sizes, optimization of seat parameters is complex. Recent work supports the adoption of shorter seat cushion lengths to better accommodate the adolescent and small adult population. However, shorter seat cushion lengths may be detrimental to the youngest rear row occupants who ride in CRS with large base footprints. This study aims to investigate whether seat cushion length plays a role in CRS performance and…