The Protective Effects of Rearward Facing CRS: An Overview of Possibilities and Problems Associated with Child Restraints for Children Aged 0-3 Years

Small children cannot use adult restraint systems in passenger cars. Their size, anatomy, tolerance to trauma and their social behaviour are factors that must be considered when designing child restraint systems (CRS). Surprisingly, and differently from adult restraint systems, CRS are not designed in the same way indicating that in different parts of the world, the analysis of the best protective systems is not the same. In the Nordic countries the tradition has been long in protecting children up to the age of 3 years by rearward facing systems. As they have proven to be very effective, it is important to share the experience with countries where less effective restraint systems for small children are used.

In this paper, several aspects of rearward facing systems are presented. From accident studies, the effectiveness, and the remaining problems can be generated, and from crash tests, the difference between forward and rearward facing systems becomes clear and a basis for the understanding of the casual relationship between the protective effects and the technical explanation. The problem of misuse is also addressed as well as the future problem of the interaction between rearward facing CRS and passenger-side airbags.