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Article Excerpt
Virtually every state has enacted mandatory seat belt laws and spent millions of dollars on safety campaigns reminding motorists to buckle up. Ever since three-point restraint systems--lap/ shoulder belts--have been made standard equipment in all vehicles, collision fatalities have dropped almost 50 percent, saving thousands of lives every year. (1) However, these restraints do not work unless they are worn properly.
If a seat back is reclined, a three-point restraint becomes much less effective, if not useless, because the shoulder harness moves away from the passenger. Few people realize that the more space between the restraint and the passenger's chest, the greater the risk of death or serious injury. (2)
Automotive manufacturers have known about this problem for nearly four decades. At the 1964 Stapp Car Crash Conference--a forum for the presentation of research in impact biomechanics, injury tolerance, and injury protection--two safety-equipment engineers presented a report analyzing the effect lap belts have on reclined-seat occupants. The report discussed sled testing in which the seat back was reclined almost as far as possible. When the sled stopped suddenly, the test dummy submarined under the lap belt almost 10 inches, driving the restraint into the figure's abdominal cavity. (3)
In 1988, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a study that confirmed the danger of reclined seats. (4) A conflict arose between the safety board and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as to whether any action to correct the problem was needed. None was taken after auto manufacturers lobbied NHTSA to reject any new regulation.
As a result, there are no Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards that apply to this hazard, and automakers...
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