What Happens In A Motor Vehicle Crash?
In every vehicle collision, there are three separate crashes:
1) The vehicle crash - when the vehicle collides with another vehicle or stationary object
2) The human crash - when the occupants of the vehicle collide with the interior of the vehicle, the airbag, and unrestrained objects in the vehicle
3) The internal crash - when the occupants' internal organs collide with other organs or bone
When you use a car seat correctly to restrain your child, you dramatically increase their chance of survival in a crash.
1) Car seats keep the child in the vehicle. Research shows that when occupants stay inside the vehicle, they are more likely to be uninjured and conscious after a crash.
2) Car seats focus crash forces on the strongest parts of a child's body. Before puberty, a child's body is not fully formed and their bones are not as strong as an adults. Car seats help direct the crash forces to the parts of their body that are strong enough to withstand impact.
3) Car seats stop the impact from focusing on just one part of the body. A harness or lap and shoulder belt used in conjunction with a booster seat distribute impact forces over the strongest parts of the child's body. Crash forces are spread over the shell of a rear-facing car seat to protect the child's head, neck, and spine.
4) Car seats keep the child's head, neck, and spine from impacting the seat in front of them. They stop the child from flying forward into a seat back during a crash, which helps reduce injuries.
5) Car seats reduce the crash forces on the child's body by giving the child's body more time to slow down. Think about accidentally running into a wall. You get a bruise, right? It hurts to stop that suddenly. Now think about running into a nice cushy mattress that's leaned up against that wall. The mattress absorbs some of your energy and you slow down before you stop, so it's unlikely that you will be injured. The car seat is that mattress, slowing down the child and absorbing the crash impact so their body doesn't have to.
Now you know why car seats are such a vital part of motor vehicle safety!
