The Sensor-Espio & Swim Alert conform to all Federal, State & Local pool alarm codes. For more information, please visit:Friday, March 21, 2008
MG International - Pool Alarms
MG International's AquaSensor Pool Alarms Are ASTM Certified
The Sensor-Espio & Swim Alert conform to all Federal, State & Local pool alarm codes. For more information, please visit:
The Sensor-Espio & Swim Alert conform to all Federal, State & Local pool alarm codes. For more information, please visit:
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Britax
Side Impact Crashes: Physics 101
The Problem
It’s indisputable that side impact crashes pose a serious threat to child safety:
One in four of all motor vehicle crashes that involve children up to 12 years old is a side impact crash*.
Side impact accidents result in more critical injuries and a significantly higher fatality rate than front or rear crashes*.
But understanding what happens in a side impact crash, why they are so severe and the best forms of protection requires a little more explanation.
Understanding Injury
When a car is in an accident there are two sources of injury to the occupants: the acceleration of the body as the car comes to a sudden halt, resulting in energy (G forces) being placed on the body, and contact with any intruding objects such as glass, metal shards, car doors, etc.
When a car is hit from the front and a child is properly secured in a car seat in the back, there is not much risk from intruding objects. They are minimized because the car’s hood combined with the front seat creates a buffer between intruding objects and the child. When a car is hit from the side, however, this buffer is eliminated, making intruding objects a danger and often resulting in more severe injuries.
Once you understand how a child is injured during side impact crashes, it’s also important to consider where a child is injured. Everyone knows that head injuries are serious. Injuries to the chest, however, can also be fatal. The chest is important because
-more-
it protects the organs. It is especially exposed in a side impact crash because the child’s shoulders are wider than the head and are therefore likely to be the first point of contact with any intruding objects coming from the side, jolting the chest. So protecting both the head and chest is vital during a side impact crash.
Managing Energy, Minimizing Risk
Energy cannot be destroyed but can be transferred from one object to another. So the key to minimizing the risk of serious injury during a side impact crash is to make sure energy from a crash is transferred to something other than the child. In order to do this in a side impact crash, it is critical to have a car seat with a rigid barrier around the head and torso. The car seat’s shell should be lined with softer energy absorbing material, such as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam to gently cushion the child.
In addition, a car seat should anchor the child in place. Then, in the event of a crash, the seat and child will slow down with the car. In a side impact crash, this means not only employing a five-point harness to prevent a child from moving forward, but also using a car seat with close-fitting sides that minimize side-to-side motion. If a child is properly secure, the movement of his or her body will slow down when the vehicle slows after impact, minimizing the G forces the child absorbs and lowering the risk of injury.
Britax True Side Impact Protection
Armed with this knowledge, Britax developed side impact protection for its full line of products, with several of its car seats featuring True Side Impact Protection®, the highest level of side impact protection available.
Britax developed True Side Impact Protection by creating a rigorous testing regime that simulates side impact crashes based on proven European test methods. The seats were evaluated on how well they contain the head and minimize head, chest and pelvis acceleration. Many products were not only tested at Britax’s state-of-the-art testing facility in Charlotte, but also in Europe.
The result is a combination of design features that transfer energy away from the child during a side impact collision: 1) an energy-absorbing foam liner over a stiff structure to distribute crash forces; 2) side walls that shield the child from vehicle intrusion; 3) deep head wings and side wings for head and body containment; and 4) an adjustable head support to minimize lateral head movement during a crash. Britax has implemented True Side Impact Protection in its car seats since 2002 and is committed to the continued development and evolution of the technology.
*Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The Reynolds Communications Group, Inc.
230 W. Monroe St. Suite 650
Chicago, IL 60606
312-541-9300
Submitted by Sarah Tilton
The Problem
It’s indisputable that side impact crashes pose a serious threat to child safety:
One in four of all motor vehicle crashes that involve children up to 12 years old is a side impact crash*.
Side impact accidents result in more critical injuries and a significantly higher fatality rate than front or rear crashes*.
But understanding what happens in a side impact crash, why they are so severe and the best forms of protection requires a little more explanation.
Understanding Injury
When a car is in an accident there are two sources of injury to the occupants: the acceleration of the body as the car comes to a sudden halt, resulting in energy (G forces) being placed on the body, and contact with any intruding objects such as glass, metal shards, car doors, etc.
When a car is hit from the front and a child is properly secured in a car seat in the back, there is not much risk from intruding objects. They are minimized because the car’s hood combined with the front seat creates a buffer between intruding objects and the child. When a car is hit from the side, however, this buffer is eliminated, making intruding objects a danger and often resulting in more severe injuries.
Once you understand how a child is injured during side impact crashes, it’s also important to consider where a child is injured. Everyone knows that head injuries are serious. Injuries to the chest, however, can also be fatal. The chest is important because
-more-
it protects the organs. It is especially exposed in a side impact crash because the child’s shoulders are wider than the head and are therefore likely to be the first point of contact with any intruding objects coming from the side, jolting the chest. So protecting both the head and chest is vital during a side impact crash.
Managing Energy, Minimizing Risk
Energy cannot be destroyed but can be transferred from one object to another. So the key to minimizing the risk of serious injury during a side impact crash is to make sure energy from a crash is transferred to something other than the child. In order to do this in a side impact crash, it is critical to have a car seat with a rigid barrier around the head and torso. The car seat’s shell should be lined with softer energy absorbing material, such as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam to gently cushion the child.
In addition, a car seat should anchor the child in place. Then, in the event of a crash, the seat and child will slow down with the car. In a side impact crash, this means not only employing a five-point harness to prevent a child from moving forward, but also using a car seat with close-fitting sides that minimize side-to-side motion. If a child is properly secure, the movement of his or her body will slow down when the vehicle slows after impact, minimizing the G forces the child absorbs and lowering the risk of injury.
Britax True Side Impact Protection
Armed with this knowledge, Britax developed side impact protection for its full line of products, with several of its car seats featuring True Side Impact Protection®, the highest level of side impact protection available.
Britax developed True Side Impact Protection by creating a rigorous testing regime that simulates side impact crashes based on proven European test methods. The seats were evaluated on how well they contain the head and minimize head, chest and pelvis acceleration. Many products were not only tested at Britax’s state-of-the-art testing facility in Charlotte, but also in Europe.
The result is a combination of design features that transfer energy away from the child during a side impact collision: 1) an energy-absorbing foam liner over a stiff structure to distribute crash forces; 2) side walls that shield the child from vehicle intrusion; 3) deep head wings and side wings for head and body containment; and 4) an adjustable head support to minimize lateral head movement during a crash. Britax has implemented True Side Impact Protection in its car seats since 2002 and is committed to the continued development and evolution of the technology.
*Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The Reynolds Communications Group, Inc.
230 W. Monroe St. Suite 650
Chicago, IL 60606
312-541-9300
Submitted by Sarah Tilton
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
MG International
MG International's AquaSensor Pool Alarms Are ASTM CertifiedThe Sensor-Espio & Swim Alert conform to all Federal, State & Local pool alarm codes.
For more information, please visit:
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