NHTSA: Rear seat crash tests from 2019 Crash test dummies, who have dutifully endured thousands of simulated accidents from the front seat, are about to get a ride in the back.
Safety advocates say the design changes to front seats has had an unintended consequence for those in the back: some have a tendency to collapse in even low-speed rear-end collisions, killing their occupants or the children seated behind them. Quote:
as part of a new emphasis on the safety of back-seat passengers, including children in car seats, which has lagged advances made for those riding up front. Lending urgency to the effort: the rise of Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and a new car-sharing economy that has more people riding in the rear.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to test dummies in back seats in new models as part of its 5-Star Safety Ratings Program beginning in 2019. The program, started in 1978, has so far only measured safety for drivers and front-seat passengers
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People assume a 5-star rating extends to all seating locations, but it doesn’t - automakers should make greater use of airbags in the back, improve seat belts so they work more like the ones in front that tighten during abrupt speed changes, and conduct education campaigns to encourage buckling up in the rear. http://www.autonews.com/article/2016...r-riders-safer |