Assessment of Vehicle Interior Dimensions and Lap/Shoulder Belt Fit

摘要

Vehicle interior measurements were taken for 51 vehicles, both without and with a 3 year old dummy seated in a forward facing convertible child restraint seated in the vehicle. The 3-dimensional anchorage locations for the lap/shoulder belt restraints were also measured in 34 of the vehicles surveyed. Lap/shoulder belt fits for 3 and 6 year old dummies in 4 belt positioning booster seats were evaluated in 8 vehicles. Measurements taken with the 3 year old dummy were compared with the excursion limits for the head and knees in FMVSS No. 213. It was found that the currently specified limits of 32 inches for the head and 36 inches for the knees both lie within the ranges of available head and knee room distances observed in the survey (18.5 inches to 42 inches for the head and 17.75 inches to 40.25 inches for the knee). Proper lap/shoulder belt fit was observed in less than 50 percent of the vehicle, booster seat and seating position combinations for the 3 year old dummy. For the 6 year old dummy, proper belt fit was observed in over 88 percent of the combinations.