2012-2013

Quantifying Children’s Posture in the Rear Seat: A Naturalistic Study (Multiple Year Project)

Principal Investigator: Kristy Arbogast, PhD

The long-term goal of this research is to improve test conditions and optimize restraint systems to mitigate injury to actual child occupants in real world crash scenarios. The objective is to quantify the positions and postures that rear seat child occupants assume while riding in vehicles in order to provide data for development of both technological and educational interventions to mitigate injuries due to sub-optimal positioning. The specific aim…

Child Restraint System Misuse in the Field and in Full-Vehicle Crash Tests (Multiple Year Project)

Principal Investigator: Matthew R. Maltese, PhD

The objectives of this research are to: (1) convert from paper to digital format and analyze the field misuse data from the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project (PA TIPP) checkpoints, to further clarify behavior in the modern CRS consumer beyond what has been currently established, and (2) explain the performance of properly used and misused CRS in full-scale vehicle crashes, adding valuable data to previously published studies using sled…

Child Restraint System Misuse in the Field and in Full-Vehicle Crash Tests (Multiple Year Project)

Principal Investigator: Mark R. Zonfrillo, MD, MSCE

The objectives of this research are to: (1) convert from paper to digital format and analyze the field misuse data from the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project (PA TIPP) checkpoints, to further clarify behavior in the modern CRS consumer beyond what has been currently established, and (2) explain the performance of properly used and misused CRS in full-scale vehicle crashes, adding valuable data to previously published studies using…

Dynamic Comparison of Pediatric and the Small Female ATDs to Size-matched Pediatric Volunteers (Multiple Year Project)

Principal Investigator: Thomas Seacrist, MBE

The goal of this research is to quantify the dynamic differences between pediatric and 5th percentile female ATDs and matched pediatric volunteers in low-speed lateral and oblique crashes and apply that knowledge towards improved ATD biofidelity requirements. Through synthesis of existing data and collection of new data, this project builds on several previous and current projects at the Center.

Analysis of Child Comfort in Forward-facing versus Rear-facing Child Restraint Systems

Principal Investigator: John H. Bolte IV, PhD

The long-term research goal of this project is to identify comfort level of larger, older children in rear-facing child restraints in order to support AAP and NHTSA guidelines. The specific aims of this study are: to identify variables for analyzing child seating position comfort (including parental perception); to analyze comfort and posture of young children (2-3 years old) in forward-facing and rear-facing child restraints; and to conduct a pilot…

Serious Teen Crashes: Identification of the Most Common Scenarios and Factors

Principal Investigator: Allison Curry, PhD

The long-term research goal of the project is to continue to build scientific foundation for interventions and evaluations that reduce teen driver crash and fatality risk by gaining a more comprehensive understanding of teen crashes, and exploring similarities and differences of teen vs. adult crash scenarios.

Serious Teen Crashes: Identification of the Most Common Scenarios and Factors

Principal Investigator: Catherine McDonald, PhD

The long-term research goal of the project is to continue to build scientific foundation for interventions and evaluations that reduce teen driver crash and fatality risk by gaining a more comprehensive understanding of teen crashes, and exploring similarities and differences of teen vs. adult crash scenarios.

Quantifying CRS Fit in the Vehicle Seat Environment: Dimensional Comparison Approach

Principal Investigator: Amanda Agnew, PhD

The research goals of this study are to quantitatively define good fit of a child restraint system to a vehicle, to develop a correlation matrix to characterize good fit between various child restraint systems and vehicle seats; and to quantify any changes to child restraint system characteristics that influence good fit over time. 

Quantifying CRS Fit in the Vehicle Seat Environment: Dimensional Comparison Approach

Principal Investigator: Julie Mansfield, PhD

The research goals of this study are to quantitatively define good fit of a child restraint system to a vehicle, to develop a correlation matrix to characterize good fit between various child restraint systems and vehicle seats; and to quantify any changes to child restraint system characteristics that influence good fit over time. 

Kinematics of Rear Seat Child Occupants in Small Overlap Crashes

Principal Investigator: Kristy Arbogast, PhD

The long-term goal of this line of research is to gain insight into injury causation for common injuries seen by restrained occupants in the rear seat. The project objective is to quantify the kinematics of rear seat adolescent occupants in small overlap crashes and to explore the combination of crash dynamics and initial occupant position that leads to movement of head towards the lateral structures of the vehicle.

Injury Risk and Causation Scenarios of Children Involved in Rollover Crashes

Principal Investigator: Aditya Belwadi, PhD

The broad long-term goals of this research project are to gain insight into causation of common injuries sustained by children in rollover crashes; and to provide vehicle and restraint system manufacturers with data needed to develop rollover injury-mitigation systems for children.

Development and Validation of a Biofidelic Pediatric ATD Lower Extremity

Principal Investigator: Amanda Agnew, PhD

The goal of this study is to design and validate a prototype 6-year-old ATD lower extremity.