DEVELOPMENTS IN INFANT AND CHILD OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS IN THE UNITED STATES

The history of child restraint design, regulation, and use problems in the United States is outlined, and the major features of the new child restraint standard are reviewed. Two aspects of the standard, the buckle-release minimum force requirement and the fixed or movable surface requirement, are highlighted and discussed as potential sources of use and injury problems. Efforts are recommended to reconcile market forces with good restraint design principles and to develop performance standards that encourage the best possible child restraint system designs.