Infants and children in the adult world of automobile safety design: Pediatric and anatomical considerations for design of child restraints

Abstract

The infant and child differ structurally from the adult in a number of ways which are critical to the design for protection against impact forces and for adequate occupant restraint systems. The purpose of this paper is to bring together a profile of the anatomy, anthropometry, growth, and development of the infant and child. Age differences related to the proper design of child restraint systems are emphasized. Problems discussed include child-adult structural differences, center of gravity of the body, the head mass in relation to the neck and general body proportions, positions of key organs, and biomechanical properties of tissues.