2026-2027

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.

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.