virsight hearing - Motor Vehicle Hazard Archive Project

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SEATBIII.T SAFETY: NHTSA ()VIRSIGHT 

HEARING 

BDFORE A 

SIIBCOMMITTD]' OF TIIE 

COM]VIITTEE ON 

GOYDRNMDNT OPDRATIONS 

HOUSE OF RI]PRESENTATWES 

ONE HUNDREYTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

JUNE 23, 1988 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Government Operations 

U,A, COVERNMENT PRTNIINC OPFICE 

for sl. tv lh" surrint nd.nr of l){*unn'nu Orntns$nrl sdl$ l)llrr 

tIs Ii,'rrrtm.{t l\intiqr t)mct. WtBhi'qtur' lX irl'4|'r' 

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SEATBELT SAFETY: NHTSA OVERSIGHT 

THURSDAY' JUNE 23' T988 

Housr oF RnPnnsENTATlvEs' 

GovnnxunNr AcrlvrrlEs AND 

TuxsPonrluoN SuscoMv ITTrr 

op rHn C,onrMlrrnn oN GovnnNr'lxNr OrenerloNs' 

Washington, DC. 

The subcommrttee mei, pursuant to notice, at 1-0:05 3m'' 

in room 

2rdi:'fffii,.;'Cffi""dh'[" e'iiaing, Hon' cardiss collins (chair- 

*ornutr " oi th" subcommittee) presiding' 

P;;;;ni, Representatives Citaiis C5ttins, Gerald D Kleczka' and 

Howard "lil;-t;";l;- C. Nielson. 

john Gallowav, staff director: Michael Skrak' prof";;i;i'";ff 

;"tn*.; C"c"tiu uorton, clerk; and Ken salaets' mrir',i.it"J'i't.'r*il;;;i 

itan' Committee on Government Operatrons' 

OPENING STATEMENT OF CHATRWOMAN COLLINS 

Mrs. Cot-urls' Good morning This hearing.-of the Government 

eJii.,iii""J."1 r.u"ip".t"tio" Subcommittee i,ill come to order' Although 

most consumers u." "oiu*uiJ of it' all cars man-ufactured 

liitii'ig?a ir:."-",ilii,p.i *itrr a"cttor points to permit the installation 

"' of rear seat shoulder belts 

efJ].',i"lt6*" b most consumers' shoulder. belts in combination 

*ifr"i;fi:Tk";ii;ii*i""- t-r'" p."t.ction of lapbelts.?]91: -+Tnuullv 

almoct 2,000 rear seat aubmobile passengers are killed and 200'000 

ir6'1":ii"J itt-ittis' "ou"ttv. Maiv of [hose deaths and iniuries 

could have been preventeo ..;;;;'h ;it"';;; oi-iear seat lai and 

shoulder "^'i"a-"iJ belts. 

""gofrtions on rear seal..s+ty. are, ambigloul pe'v $o 

,roi'r-"q;t" ;u"ofacturers to in-stall shorllde1 belus Simple lapbelis 

ilb;;t;;;';ft old'"u.. u'" iuii[i"nt on the o^ther hand' httings 

;?"";.,iiJi;;ll;.iil.k -u""t*iured since 19'73 to permit the installation 

of rear seat tnouro"iiiiupu to supplemeni federally re 

quired " "iri'ii3-iJ"iltiions laPbelts' 

do not, however' lequ i re man u fac t u rers.to p-rg 

'idil;; i;U;ii;i-t -.ii"ia6.'=ti"ps rhit. in turn' has ry19::{-* 

all but impossible lbr consu;;J'in -u"v-"*tt i9 oyl:ly "nd 

f,'i"" -iir.iiirlii Triut iire-saving feature To further comPound,mathave 

e1l:iii::ffi d;;U;;Httfi c;';;iir*ygl'JlI':,-'"^1"?"^1tl1,l\l 

"r;;-;;;i F:'::id*,:il*df 

ittouia"t :Ii*J""*t':yr"rk"\?t*'51;:ti,:ldf 

straPs' assuming their a Tli 

i; 

l-iTehter #i-i# side, Siii durins..the ii.".iitiit'" P*! piii v9,1't,Tl-"1 i"u', m6s.t car companies,have an- 

11l-cl 

;ffiffid iffi ,h"ii r 't oiunta"titv install rear seai shoulder belts 

in new cars. 

(1) 

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Clearly, t}e superiority of "nlrta", straps over laponly type 

belts is no longer at issue. Our hearing todiv has bein colled io 

consider means to encourage the greater availability of rear seat 

shoulder belts for cars already on the road. In particular, we will 

consider: (1) The failure of car companies to educate consumers on 

the need for rear seat shoulder belts; (2) the failure of certarn car 

companies, such as Volkswagen and Ford, to provide rear seat 

shoulder straps for certain models; and (3) the refusal of new car 

dealers thr

3 

tems in American automobiles, .?.1 

i8s"9 yhi"ll-tI::l:ll-t:*1"* 

i""Jf""" "lpo"ut" to- h.arm for,millions of Amertcan consumera' 

'- 

ihe lnetiiut€ for Injury Reduction was. organized to carryôut re 

'i;;;;i,c"tion -ani 

*;;;;, 

public "ducatlon- involving h.e 

-t ^product 

dmign, performan"" u"o.u* *-hLh contributes needlessly to deaths 

iri""u'lri*. Ft.auct related injuries includinq t^t-"F'::g-:l 

l$i 

iii-tt*Iv' ct""tto are a. wide, lCading cause ol death 

.and,serlous 

iniurv. Unlbrtunat€ly tnouSn' -oti ""o""utn"* and most folks that 

i'i'ii itt "ut" sre unaware of thoee rieks' 

It is the job ol the uover"*""i t"gut"mty qgenci1,1lctr..as the 

Nuiio"uf Fiighwuy Traffirc Safety Administration. are 

-whlchi/ou 

i,"1r.-ri-nir itii"t"a;i, to . 

p rom ul gate an d e n force v e h I c I e pe r I orm ance 

i."uluiio.t"'",fti"h will assisf in -a developing min im.um-.basrc per- 

, 

i;il;;;; ;tt"li;ii" to assutu minimurn level or safetv in all 

motor vehicles. 

The institute rs commrtreo to reducing the maJhtmtn 

l!1-hiCl: 

*;;" G;i-;;t be indirecttv caused bv produci'. desrgn' rs our 

-rr 

thouehtthatbetterProductaesig"cai'ieduceinjury'andleseen 

;ilffi&'i;; tn" "*G i-potJ "'po" societv bv thCse injuries and 

death6. "irr'i 

-o-"nt, Mr' Kelley will describe to ygu. ouT work-involving 

t";; ;;;l;-p.;iy petfortiance -oGutotnbbiles as compared to harnegs 

'Ehoulder 

Derformance in the rear ""tf 

Also we will 

.todal 

5;;;;i; v* the testimonv oi Mr' Sa^k"va" dealing with some 

verv real incidents to oemonJtraL ihe eifectliueness or lackôf effec' 

ii,&l"J'"i *-"-i"r"ty systems provided in automobiles in America 

The immediate ,t".o t t"*"'"Gp" to rectify -a. very. serious safety 

d;fi ii;;i;;;hicles manufactured and sold in this country was 

hishlisht€d bv the report or i'tte f'{tss i" 1986 w-hich accounted for 

;"";fil;-"ii.;ielti"tv setio"t iniuti"" and deaths in cars beins 

used *ii;;;;;iil; in this country. 

liistorv of automobile safetv tq"lTgl'ry-3"d *e"l";;;;i;;;ly 

.it-o*" tttul.]-"ticans are exposed to an unnecessary 

risk which rtre all take *n""'-*" [ui[i" up ior safety with only lap 

otifnrt" 

t, is true, as Mr' Nielson mentioned' that w€arlng a laP 

belt is better than.none ar ali- itt tost occasions'. and ii is clearly a 

correct statement -t,t .t n" ttt'ni ieats of automobil-":.t3.tl:Yt"i -lI 

nins into the windshield .in a cras-h' the dynamics t" 

-oJ -Il:'.J*""* 

the rear seat of automobrles-is diff*t"ttt and the injuries that we're 

seeins are not a result ot "*iig "i""t"a and not a iesult of striking 

a windshield. but are a.result"oi'peopi" in thos€ cars Y""tilg-lif 

il"iii"i.i l"iiti lnjured bv the lapbeli svst€m that thev re wearmg' 

From the outset or t* ;;g"Ei"ty ictivity in the,late sixties' 

l.rirbEi l"i""J"a tnat its '"'&nJaidl *ould- require lap/shoulder 

belt protection to. '"u' "",ui-i.'iUouta *"uputtt" as wefl as front 

seat outboard occupanu' t"Lltiii"t thoughi had its foundation in 

research that goes p-ut* to uit"*i fg64 Ii some attachments that 

I've included wii'h the ttutil*Tioaty'. tJrele i1a report from Dr' 

il;;#" c;;pb;-l1 *i',o **ii'i'iuLJ"*ith tt'" cornell.lnstitute in 

which he pleadeo, rn t"t+*ttt"ui.. -u""f*turers include^ lap and 

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shoulder harness le-tt 'yt""'oi--it' all automobiles' in the front as 

*LiiJ ltt" back of those vehicles 

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Not surprisingly, the manufacturers have known about the value 

of those systems at least since the midsirtiea. AlBo attached to the 

material ar€ some internal documents from some Ford enAineerr 

responsible for studying injury in crashes and their conclusi,on, obvlouq 

-as it iE to uE Eitting here today, is that wearing a lap and 

shoulder harness system -provides superior protection to laponly, 

and it was recornmended by the Ford engrneera that lap and shoulder 

harness systeme be included in all outboard positions. 

In the lat€ sixties in Europe, Governmente paiaed regulations requiring 

that manufacturers install lap snd ihoulder harneso syetemE 

in the rear as well as the front seats of automobiles. Attsched 

to the material are regulations from the Swedish Government from 

1968 dealing with that very issue. Also attached and interestingly, 

are the design standards of the Ford Motor C,o. which manuiaitured 

and sold automobiles in Europe with lap and shoulder harness 

syst€ms because the Government required those Bystems. 

For those reasons, the institute recommends lhe fo[owinc: That 

initially and immediately, a statement be made to the public dealing 

with the danger imposed upon the users of laponly systems in 

the rear of automobiles. Second, that automobile manufac[urers 

specihcally send to their consumers warnings dealing with the risk 

of harm resulting from wearing lap-only systems in the rear of 

automobiles. Third, that manufacturers immediately notify all consumers 

directly that retrofit kits will be made available, and are 

available, and will be installed in vehicles at no cost to the conaumer. 

Fourth, that NHTSA immediately issue a regulation requiring 

retrgfi_t kiF be made readily available, and I emphasize "ieadily 

available." Fifth, that a three.point rear seatbelt system regulation 

be immediately imposed u pon- manufacturers for ihe rear ieats of 

automobiles. While automobile manufacturers have said thev will 

voluntarily install these systems, they are slow (o do so. As df this 

y9al, perhaps four or five model cars out of perhaps 200 sold in the 

United States have rear lap and shoulder syitems. 

We implore the committee to make thise recommendations rc 

NHTSA to in turn make these recommendations and these regulations 

to the industry immediately. 

Mr. CoBEN. Thank you. 

Mr. Kr.nczx.t [presiding]. Thank you, Mr. Coben, for your testimony. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Coben followsl

o 

TESlll'loNY 0F LAIRY t, CosEtl 

CHAINiU . IilSTTTUTI FOR JIIJURY REDUCTIOI{ 

ETFORI I HTARIIIG OF THE 

GowRl ,lE lr AcTl!tTIts Aflo TRAIISPoRTAT]0N 5U!C0R'{!TTEE ' 

HousE GovtRilllENT 0PERlTlolis coflll I TTt€ 

lflT0 

'SEAT 

SELT SAFTTY: liHTSl oVIRSIG}{l' 

JUHI 23. 1988 

Itrda|n Cir lrudtunr ltsnbtr3: 

I rn !.rry E, Cob.n, r trltl lttomiy lr(' tiltlftlpltl!' Plilttylvlnl!, 'nd ihc 

chiimdn of the tntllt!t€ fof lnJury R.ductlon. I !m tp!.!rinq t0d!v 'l.your 

liiiiiiii"" t"-ilriJii ii'e t'r,rr oi'"i'''urt belt lvstdns 1n Aro ri(!n lutrnobll'3 

-. ii- tssue $tih piescntly involvcs nc.dl.3! .xpo3ure to hari for hllllons of 

Th. lnstltute for InJ!ry Rcduction r.s fornl!6 !!rly thls ye'r !o c'Fy out 

r.r.olar"'-it'"ariitition- rnd publlc educ!tlon lnvolvlng prod!ct. d'!l9n' 

;;;;;:i;.. iiJi,iJir,tcl rnrv contrttutr r..dr.s3lv to d!r!h! !nd inJuFler' 

Prodlct-r!lit.d injurjts, includinP llto!! 3u3t.ln.d 111 cl'131's-' ! 

-dirtt 

l1ghl:I .l,r' 

firilini ""rt"-or 

ln rlc lJil!.d s!!t.3 -- . fr't which 13 not rldGlv 

;il;;;i"J b" .n. oori.. It i5 thr job o{ sov'rflnlnt 'caul!tor} 'q'nci!3'.ruch 

ii-ir,l ttittoi,ri tl;hx!y rrrffic 5!f.tv Adnlnrrtr!tion. 'ehlch vou !rr ov'rilgn!!ng 

ilaiJ- i"-i"ii,r"it.'rno cntorcc !.hjc1o p.rfomrnc' stand'rd3 rhlch ri,lll ' !t 

ililii p-"iti-iiit;r" listi protccttor tor YrlrclG ulcri, 'nd th'r'bJ 'ff!ct1vllt 

reauce itre ltotr nonber ot lnjurle3 and delths on our h1ghtlys. 

IIR te.ts to bulld.n lopmvld b!!. ol knorl.dge and publlc 'n!t'n'!s of -groduct 

iiirii!i'.ii iJ.iJa -iteiii""*"tti i; luPport of iil3 6!r'tv rllrlon -our lo!nd'r3 

iii ii'iir-ittiii-.ii rrri irrorO tholr irrctlccs hrve lerncd th' rr&nt to ritch 

d.fratlva products, ln.dequlla u3.r l;3trlrctlons lnd l'ck of ullnln!! hurt rnd 

iirr ..nori- rh.v !r! co;lttid to seelng itre rrryhsi rlducld. Ti' lntcgrltv of 

;;; a;;;' ror-'pioauii, ll.btl{tJ 3v;tri riu't be pr"'rY'd' lt 

-.99"tI:' 

;iltit';i;; oni o'r -ir,i 

fer r.Intlitng- indlYtdu.l lib'rtl€s ln thl3 cdipl'r 

iiiiiiv,--a-ilt*. 

loi thc frlt conicnrrtl-on of- e'rsonr. lnjlf'd !v 

-product 

iiirinl our connon llt tvltern and the f.d.rtl rcaullilon oJ groduct !!fl!y hlv' 

;;;i:;""il #'iil;; ;;;il.ch "ri Juniilonco r-s tntcnord-' Ho!!lt'-'-,'f--tt th' 

ln!titute r.all!a thlt. - fiof. lgg.csslre approrch to !tf!tJ c!n rlduc' thlg 

i'jiiiiii "iri-i.-. i-.-.lritiv' iiirrrore. ttic IIR r!! +ttt'd wlth the thouent 

tlrii- l"ttci proouct ocsrgn crn raotcj tnlr'rry rnc l'3!'n th' n"d fo!'-product 

itruttiw ctotr.. lln nanbershlD l3 opln to 'voFyone '- 'ttorntys.' lngln"rr' 

cil;i;i;:;;;;; sll,ir;i Dublti -- rho !upDort3 our D0bllc-h'rlth obJltuvc' 

oriiii-"i'niii..'i;l';liiirtti rcrutts !r. !v.ll!bl€ to 'nv orgrnlrrtl0n or.ptr'ton 

'tu 

;; ;il;;;;; il;:- triii"r,"*t t-o 'v-tirtt-nv 1r id€ti{l'd d'lcriPtlon of 

lln'c structur! rnd !trslon. ) 

In . oomnt l{r. l(ell.y tl1ll drtcrlb. ln d't'll our rcrk i'volvln! rc'r_t'!t' 

iip-"iiJ i.]t prrfomr'nce -'-|ork !h!t rtll'cts our-conclrn. rt th'.'rtlnt to 

rfilch th.3€ bclt !v!t.nst unrrxe rrorcrtv d!!t9ned l!D-shouldcl. !'lt 'yitrr" 

o..i.ni " ootintl"i for s€riout or trtli tn'turi to thclr r!'r'r!. ln-cn3h's' 

iiiil ir'J -lii-;li-o;rtv ot &'|.rlcln crrt Dn th! r;!ds lnd ln lhc dr'r'r. 'norrodB 

ifi; ;;-";;;.;;;;;i'scat lap rhouldcr or1t3, th't eotentlll 'lre'dv.h'3 

.brcd'p 

i";ir'i- ;":.fiiii- r; r nv rcir-crat octuprnt! -- lncludlng childron 'e!rlnt

l.r.onl, b!ltr. S.v.r.l tr.aic ex.Dpl?s ot lnjur.y.nd death to oor ch dr.n rfll 

1,. rt.rcrlb.d by ir. S.l.yrn thjs borning, 

6 

Ihr rnrtt.t r!3..rch !rotect undertrlen b-v the lnstltutr ,6s borne 

t.u!tr.tron 

out of 

€rr..!t1no trm thp frjture of the funerican Autorob e Indugtry 

!.ruhtrrll, 

to 

d,srtn Ind snt' rhelr Droducts Nith necpls.ry i* *"t r "",.i .*t 

orrr sysr?nr. tr1( .rustraUon haq 

-bppn cohlounded by "c l{.tl.n/t -rohr., 

Iriffic s.fety Adninistrdtion,s refusat ro prdiutgrte reqlutatjoni,lii",r : p"r"t 

3eat be-lt systens lland.tory ln the rear se.ts ot moto. vetricies ,oi,t tn 

Unlted 

rn" 

Stat€s. The jmpdidtc need ro tate_steps to rectify. very - serrolrs -ir,"--ioiion"r ,dret), 

d€sisn fln|' ias hjgl'))qhtpd b-v tne Juty 2S, t986 rJport oi 

Tr.nspDrtation Saf?ty Bnard, i; Hhjch tt revi;eed the Jit"-o ,ni.it.t. toce 

today becnuse all Aoericai-n.de v€hictes inctude top u"fti *itf,ori ,"r,outo"|. 

harnesses 

1n the redr s€ats, 

A,revier of,the historv of auto{Dbile sifety bett technology.nd regul.r,ron !Dt!s 

cle.r a nurnber of ba5ic points that bear directlv on ttre concern of_this hp.rln9, 

an( Hhich .re covered ih detait in Attachm€nt hB;: 

-- Automotive, e.nginee.rs a-nd Dhysrcians have lo.g recoonired thp haz.rds 

rrthr.rap-berr_cnr). 

:::"!:!l:9 

sfst€ris and the suoerjor protectjon afforded by 

D€rt syst_ems. As e.rty as the njd-1960's the car compnnies ,€re 

oPrno DUt on notice o. thc need for lap-shouldpr bet! systefis in a]] outooaro 

se.tin9 positions, both front .nd r€nr. 

-- Froih the outset of i t-s r'oul.tory activity io the'tite 1960,s, NHTSA jnt?nded 

rnat rts s!andards iould require lap-shoulde. balt p.otectjon far reir_seat 

outboard occupants! .s rcll as front-seat outboard occuDants. 

In July, 1969, a.positjon paper Dreoared by thp agency stressed th.t €v€n lf rt. 

oigs were- rntroduced to p.ot€ct front-se.t occup.nts, ,'both laD .nd strould€r 

oerts wrrr D€ requrred in re6r seat positiohs for thc foresee.ble future., 

Proposed rulemakinq of the period reflected th€ saFre intpntron_ -V"r, 

t"i.ur" or 

hnnu{acturer resistance, dgencJ indiffe.pnce, or a corbinntro. or tie tno, t}re 

"yle vis never put 

lliql 

into pl6ce. The resistance offered by the industr.y ts 

difficult- to understand rn-lt9hf nf certajn jnternal dDcuments l{hjch prov€ tnat 

rne manuracturers xere ie aware of tie need for 3 point belt 9yst.ng. As 

Attachrpnt 'g' 

rgveals. as e6rly as 1967. Ford ilotor Conpanv's top enqineers 

reconnended properly desion?d 3 Point se.t belt s.vstetlrs to replic. l.D betis. 

ln 1968, the ldtional Srcdish Rodd s.fety Board.nnouncad saf€ty belt requtdfions 

tftich reqIired the insta]lat'ion nf 3 point bett3 rn ati poiitloni e-it-"ot ,e 

Eiddle seit position. fAn exanple of the Ford t{oto. Company,s conrptianii xrtn 

this requlation, alona Nith the regulation itself is aopenied-as Attachnent.D".l 

Aherican ndnufacturers have told M{TSA thit in the future they wi]] voluntarily 

pr.vide standard-equiFne.t re.r lap-shouldpr belts in .n inire.stnq sh.re of 

their ney-car productiDn. and son€ .tready have begun to ao io in i tei "".r. 

1€t the the.gency, .gency, despite rs0ite decades decddes of nf research resear(h sho'lino shoring the ierar.ir hBzards nf of l.n-n.iv lao_onty h.rr belt 

systerns s.ysrerns 6nd despite desprre te the rhe t.he deriofistra, 

denofistratpd.bilitv denofistrated abititv of the conoanies 

conpanies to to lnit.ll-thn- 

install then, 

still h.s not proceeded 

proceeoeo to ro set a Fed€ral red€rat Hotor Fotrjr vehtcle vehicle Sifety s6fety Standard standard ,equirtni ,equirlnq 

r?ar-ieat l-.p--shoulder belt systens. Its only rnove in thai direction tral oeen 

noncoflnittal r.dyance notic€ oi proposed rulenittng. issue.a ,no.e if,ai i yeii 

(Attachment'E') 

ugo. 

!l 

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Until ftHTSA puts a st.ndard ln Dlace, of cou.se, ADericans rlll hav! to rcly 

rolely on tho good f.ith of the cdr cdnpanies for.dequrt€ r€dr-5Pat rP!tr.lnt 

protpction in crishes. lf the conpanies declde to discontinue pl.n5 for puttlng 

re.r-s€.t lap-rhoulder belts jn ney cars tornor.ov tDrning, thev iill be entirely 

t.ee to do 5o -- just as Gen€ral fiotors.nd Fard discontjnued thPir proni9€d i1r 

bao oronrihs in rhe 1970's becausp NHTSA h.d nor. put . 

"oassr!o 

restrrlnt' 

st.nd.rd ln place. 

Thus th€ i.dustr), not the regulato.y .gency, has €ffectively talca conlrol of 

providing or den)in9 idequate c.ash Drotection to rerr-saat occupants. Thls 

defies th€ lntert of !he ildtional Trafflc.nd flotor Y€hitlt Safety Act of 1966 

srncp in €ftect it t.urhs thc requlatary relns over to the nanufactur?r. 

The orly recourle available to people injured in cra5hes due to haa.rdous 

rear-seat la9-only b€lts is cofinon-lar.ction .q.inst th€ derellct fiafiofdcture. 

8ut, heie too, the manufacturers have n.d€ l€9al |nanuevers to thn6rt these clains 

on the basis that their anlv obligation is to meet thP ninimun st.ndard s€t by 

IHTSA -- in thls instanc€, th€ re;r-se.t ]!p-belt-only li;n-d;d. rhis lgnores 

the Act.'s cryst.l-clear injunction thrt c(mpli.nce yiith a mininum stand.rd does 

not protect a nanufacturer from co''rnon-lit actiDn rhen the nanufactu.er could 

have prevented or lessened the 5everitv of a crash injury by providing a better 

allernative safety 5ystein. In fact, a central Purpose of the Act and the 

st.ndards is to encouraq. m.nufactur€rs to Pxcepd the minimums rith improYed 

technologies nhenever po!sible. (see Attachment 'F" for a full discussion 6f 

this issue.) 

There is no €rcus€ for l(ttTSA's continued failure to 9et a Federal ltotor Y?hlc'1. 

Safety St.nderd requiring th.t at a nlninun. re.t_s€it outboard occupint5 of 

future new cais be given tap-lho0lder belt systeils to protect them in cri3hcs. 

Anything less nakes; nockery of the Actts intentions and llHTsA's ftission 

The IiHTSA 

should issup requlations regdrdinq thP nanu{scture.nd s.le o{ retrcfit 

3 Point re.r seat belt syslens, and_the iistallatron of factorY_built, 3 Polnt 

belt systefls in all neH vehiclee. 

-3-

3/20/ 88 

8 

INarr?urE rota INJtrRy REDUcrroN 

.-,,-;,. 

9uEsTlolrs At{D NSI|ERS ABOtrr 

.fHE 

INSTITUTE FOR INJVRY REOUCTION 

The Institure for lnjury ReductioD eas estabtrshed 

in arch,. 1988 to carry our and supporr rese.rch and 

educatior)al proqrans dealins wi!h producr-relared injuries. 

Its underlyinq p.enj.se is that if Anericans are berrer 

iDforned about the nature of deaths and inJuries j.nvolvlns 

product hazards, they Hill be bette! abtc to make judgnenrs 

and decisions that Iead Eo reducinq or elininatlnq those 

The folloerng qlesaioDs and ans{crs' .bour IIR ale 

to assrst prospective herbers and supporters in unde!srandina 

the or9aDrzation s purposes, proqrans and stluctur€. 

trDr Is lli t{e.d.al? 

Accidents involvinq products .ccount lor the vast 

najority of deaths and seri.ously di.sabling injuries ro 

Ahe!r.caDs fron btrth to retirenent aqe. The desiqn, 

naDufacture and use oI products play a pervasive role in 

qener.tinq sev€re aDd fatal danlge to human heaM - a rote 

larser th.n illnesses for host age groups. 

Yet the public is laroely uneduc6ted about rh.t role, 

alld unarare thaE product-r.lated r!auna rould be nuch less 

frequent aDd huch l.ss severc if producr desion and 

nanufactu!inq defects sere r.duced and adequare instrucrions 

and sarntngs Fere provided to product users- 

IIR s mission is t.o deslsn and carry out Drosrans ot 

infortnation, education. r€search and noti!icati.on that Filf 

i{piov€ society s kDoxledge ot producr-injury !.reracrions 

and councelneasures. Its qoal is ro help reduce productrelated 

t!auna rn Ane!ica; rts prenise is rha! better, nore 

qj.dely available rntornatton about such inju!ies and tbeir 

causes kilt coDt!ibute to achieviDg thar qoa1. 

lren't other croups Doipd This Alre.aty? 

No. A nunber ot orqanizations in qovelnnent anal the 

private secto! a!e involved in aEpects qf injury !eduction, 

but non€ works to carry out or supporr Froqlahs of educarion 

aDd research specifical.ly involvj,Dg produc!-related inju!ies. 

;

3t20tEA 

8 

INa'rtaurE FoR IriJlrRy REDUcrIow 

,sr orrror lot tt 

OUESTIONS AND ANSTERS AEO('T 

THE INSTITU}E FOR IN,'URY REDUCTION 

?he Institure tor Iniury ieclr,ctioD e.s esrabljsh€d 

ln Itarch,,1988 to carly our and supporr res€arch .nat 

ealucationaL prograns dealinq rith product-!elared injuries. 

Its underlying prenise is tha! if Aneric6ns are better 

inaorhed about the natule of dearhs and injuties invotvinq 

product hazards, they rifl be better able to nake judqnents 

and decisions cha! Iead to reducing or ellntn.!inq those 

The tollot|iDs 

"quesrions 

and ansr'€r3" abour IIR rre 

to assist prospective henbers and supporrers in und.rstandi'Ig 

the orqaniza!ion's purposes, prograrns .nd stEuciure. 

Acciderts involvins ploducrs account !or rhe vrst 

n6jority of deaths and serj.ously disabtinq injuries to 

Ahericans fron birth to !erirenent age. The desiqn, 

nan\r!acture and use of producrs play a pervasive role in 

qenelating severe and falaI danaqe ro hunan healrh - a role 

larger than itlhesses for: nost aqe sroups. 

Yet the public is Iargely uneducared about rhlt role, 

and unaeare lhat product-reLaeed rrauna eourd be nuch less 

frequent anil nuch less severe if DroducE desion and 

nanufacturing detecrs were reduced and adequaEe instlucrions 

and varniDqs rere provided to producr users. 

IIR s ntsston !s to design and carry oui pr:ograns of 

inforhation. education, research and notificatioD thac ritl 

inPlove society s knorledge ot product-injury rnreracrions 

and coudterneasules. Its qoal is to help re

IIR ttil1 tnake the results of its Drosrrtns av'il'ble to 

!11 !gencies !nd groups whose sctivitr's lnvolve 1nJ\rrv 

;;;"";'"" and cohtrol, aDd 1s prepsred to collaborate eith 

ir.i-.i"""i"".i*s on speciflc projects lhere apPloprlate 

!!s startcd l!!t-?, 

IIR has been torh.d b? a qroup ot lc!

All nerbers receive IIR's qu.rte!ly netrl€tter 

runnsrizine its dcti!ities and res€a!ih results. ln addition. 

founding. sustliDrnq ard orqanizati.onal nenbers receive 

copies of a1I !eports, 5tudies .nd lilhs published 

by IIR rtthoui separatc charoe. 

ToT Is I IR RUn? 

IIR s DolicynaLinq body is its Boald of Directors. Board 

rerbels sre elected annually by nenbers wiih voting !ights, 

shich iDclude all FouDdina. sustaiDlng and P.egular neDbers, 

on an 6nnuBl basis. currenr board charrnan rs La.ry E. 

Coben. Othe! hesbers iDclude $ayne Fisber, Be!!!ah H. 

Coldster.n, John R, Overchlck and David L, Perry. 

l 

The day-to-day managenent ot IIR is carlied out undcr the 

direcrion o! its presid€n!, A- Senjanin KelIey. a 1€adids 

authority on horor vehicte-related injury causation and 

prevenrlon- Ur- *elIey, folherIy senicr vjce p!esident of the 

lnsurance Institute for High,ay safety and.n official of the 

U.5. Dep.rtmenr or 1!dnsportation, has t'een active rn the 

inlury control field to! hore than t{o decades. 

D€scri.be IIR's Proor.,n. 

In qeneral,, lIR s concern extcDds to products in 

the autohotive, aviaiion, nedical, occupatronal, tar'I. hohe 

and all olher categories in which produ.t-rsJu.y 

!elationships a!€ tound. Its de!eloprns eFphasis in each ot 

these is j-n the follosinq areas of uoll: 

--CoIlectinE, anatyzinq and dis!!ibutinq data concelnins 

the narure, seve!ity, and t!equen.y.f p!oduct !el-Led 

j,njuries, rnd relating thcrn !o design, nanutdcture and use 

sources for such inforhation ri11 incl.ude research 

publisheil by governh€nt, private-secto! and acadenic groups; 

conpleted product-injury litr.gationj !egulatory aDd 

]egislative proce.dings concerned rith product injury issues. 

and specj.al res€arch and tacl-itndinq projecls unale!taxen or 

sPonsoled by IIR. 

l0 

--Providinq no!ice ro nanufactrr€rs, the rnedical 

corn[unity, goverDhent regulatory igencies ahd the general 

Fublic of product hazard 6nd injury-causatiob :.rtoihation.

--Conductinq o! sponsorins special resc!!cb, t€stinq 

denon.tration and anaryLical projects to ex^hrn! sp!c1t rr 

!ypes and Pattelns'ol inju!v qenerated bv !he deslgn, 

hanut.l.turr and use cf Products. 

--SuPPo!tinq out5ide research to incr€'se knoeledq' oI 

product Dazard lnJurv re) Jt -onshiDs 

!!9--sE!9!!t!4g5-&9-Dj!I9s!i9!-g-ll!-!gEqalsL? 

A TechDic.I Advisory Connittee, appolnted bv the 

aoard ot Directors, evaluates and approves Fropos!15 lor III 

rcsea!ch, testing and dara analvsis. Henbe!5 tuust be 

accrediied expertt in sci.entific or engioeerinq tieldi 

relared to inJury causa!ion and contro]' 

Boe can r AdvancE rfEj:_!_9!!-? 

Ey applyinq for benbership or cortribing nos! 

If you are able, applv to becone a Foundr.nq, 

Organizailonal or sustaininq nenb€r. Your dues 'ilI 90 l'! 

to;a!d helpinq IlR to brinq about inportant i,nprovehenls in 

th€ public s of producl-related lnjurles as eeIl 

as in the breadth and qualitv of research, ahalvsrs and 

nocilication concerned Hith proalucl baz.rds that result in 

or, you nay lish to hake a substantial one_line 

contributj.on losa!d lrR's start-uP eff€rt lhi1e jointnq at ' 

loser dues level. 

lrheiher you a!e inte!ested in Folndinq. orqaDizational 

Sustaining, Requla! ar Associate nenbership' uith or tr'hout 

a seD.rate contribution, it takes onlv a honenc to aPplv 

usinq ttre attached forn o! a letrer or card lo: IIR' P'o_ Dox 

3?5, Dunkirk. xd- You 1l receive a prompi respoDse aDd be 

bitled for your ilrst-yea! dues at that trne. 

(the Inslltute fo! Injury Reduction is a non-profit 

oie""rz.tion r".orp"riteb 1n the sta"e or Halvland to neet lhe 

"uj"..ir"" describ;d above rlR i5 in thc process of apPlvinE 

fo! an advance aleterrnination ot its cotrpliance {!th 

plovisions of the tnte!ha1 Reven!e code and regulatlons that 

;e!nic .ha.itable" tax deduc!1ons ior nehbership dues aDd 

;onl!ibutions to the orsanization. That de!erninalion, i! 

favo!able, till applv to all neFbership dues ancl 

cont!ibutions !eceived trom th€ tillle of lhe otganization s 

?

incorpor!lion- Horev€r, uDtil j.t is rec€ived, Drospective 

herhb.r6 3nd conlributors are c.u!ioned rhat no 9u5.rnree risy 

be ntde .s to the deducribility of dues and conrriburions 

recel ved 6t this rille.I 

tO: In3tttute to! InJury Reduction 

Post. office Box l?5 

Dunkirk, Harrland 20754 

5 

l2 

l. this is hrlour applicarion to becore . iFoundi.!9) 

lOrganizatj.onal) isustat.ning) lRegutart {lssocia!el heriber 

of the Insritute for lnjury Reduction_ please no!ify he o! 

appro!al ot this applicaEron and bitl ne ror Fy firs!-year 

?. r {ish 

{ 3isnEture ) 

co rake a conrribution to IIR'6 s tart -up et!orr 

{ Aj'll. ne. please. )

l1tffi 

Natr'nil lran6port;tron s'lc(! Bo're r'crlortn'ct 

., l.r' t'.lr' rr.'(' I'ontnl Cr'61!'t Julv ll'r l9a6 

REPSRENCES 

l. ^],ff'.!. Dl.ter. seal DeB18n -- A slanlrtc6t! Faclor for salctJ B€]l 

' 

H.i#ill;;.Tits"e;1"*!m.fl 

'' 

'' ffi îi,"*i;!: 

lt:t 

.:ln::l1l"r;r::::ru *":1"*i':"i';:;r-il *" 

' 

m:ili.ft"*.x ;L'efrru::ir h1';''' "-'* 

13 

' 

' 

4*l: : HiJl""l;-HlP*i:r,""H:i:'[]:l"l"y-"$fil:::tr". 

*gd"ilL'il"::Y.i:';i: 

li:l:n::1ry;i-l:ii:ul::; il:'i*''* 

' 

**;**, ryffi :::ffi ffi hfi iffi " r.IilF#;iil' " "' 

,r dH::i"^+!:" "ff I'i,F',"*T:ir*r 

l "$ : *rue; i!l;i'?;îi3'' 

," #:1lkl'3r,:1, *fifl'ff;"J*"T ti""îl1,i""i%Tl,]in";"" 

,, {#l}ffii:dHh,H{Hiiffi ;'ii lr,;il:"** *** 

ll ll xil;"I:;;i;. +;.*;.**i'"3]"h*i lio,.,. ""' p€'ro'atlon' 

t". #;iit;'i]'"i 3"lii"i"" Anarwls or ?8'ooo AccldPnt c€ses vrtlt 

'"-n*ru**:":u"l:; j**'^:x;"m**"'n'ly*::"':'t:"- 

" ";n*';'*s"f "'fl 

#+" U:Yil:l??:"fi ';"':'[ffio 

f#::l*'f il$;'t;r;;;;; Y8 """!ii1i; 

,6. ;fri"iil";l 

lllll,' 

*#Hi'-'j':+::iF'*, 

( 1967), 

*,v::r*":"*"*ll:i"":;"'' 

2:801 

''dHi'-*"*,Hll"h'il;"#"1il-1":Hr""#1"?"'*T::"rtl"" 

ii-r"cro."t a'o riarrt " I9* 9'"1:::l''.""marlonar srEpo-.lun dl 

1a- c€nob€lI. B.J. S€at !eIl Efrectlv' 

' 

s"itt g€tts, lblryo (19791' 

!h lnJury r€!e6!ch proaraE of Corr.U 

to. -**ar*'1.1i"1"ff 'Ii."ft ie;l tgi",. 

d, 

it 

r' 

I

]I ETERENCES 

14 

?1. ...ll:: lqlub€rs! 

l! 

Ja..rro X. sclr Bclt Elr.c!1v.re6! t'l trE 

srruat ron. p'.oceed'.r|8!, 7rh srap! c"; 

m;fl:""c-,r,-c_,r"*"." 

;;. C€ltpbell, H.E,- Folr ot thp 6a1eLy belL 1n nlnercen !u!o c.MDes. 

-- 

gll.iI.!4ll'-;*!6. 'r0: r55 (1955). 

l5 

-at- REFljRENCES 

'Dre 

!r ct al. F"latlomhlP Brtreen Belt F1t atd lbdc' I|al 

'- -Fnilei- 

L; npar s?at o"cupants. Proceed lnss, lth q"*ly. 

ltil irdllclplltlrJ HlShvav Sa-f etv Conf er€nce' r'lofl tFeal t I vc' ) 

LL. .t ai. Ll"tttteo. 

"PEprlnt" for Io85 SAt cd'rel4T' 

x5. [4trFai]]". ard Brsunsleln, P.x. lne seat be.r lyndrrn i ]gll' 

2:220 ( 1962). 

,,e. ci-r", c. irr oren rn InJurv lzv€I Accldcnts. Proc€edrnas ' 20lh aAM 

conference, Ailanla ( 1976). 

lr.0"..rt".n, F. et aI. tlNlual .bdqdj|!.r 4urtcs due to 'cat bel!3' J' 

lq!9tr Einst"rn qrd. ftr. r!:63 (1966). 

{8. c;;iG.-!. and Hobb5, J.A. Sote Patlems and cau3es or hJurv !r car 

- 

cr".t.*t". Pro.P^drrus, 5th Intematlonsl l\ecMlcsl Conlercnc' ol 

Ef,ueitr,'enlal saJetv lchlcles ( 197!) 

rq. c*!r. i.N, ;l al. rnvesr-lsatlon or lt{urJ rlechsnlsns tusoclated *lth 

- 

tutlr Restralned Psssctu'er vchtcle ftcupants ln london ' ('llarro' 

PFo.;ed1n6s, :lst $r,^1 conJP.mce rlo"7l- 

50- G.1de. C. lnfolflrlon on InJurles Obt_atned tr'n Reports ol Accldents 

'-' 

i;c". occupanls vearli€ s6Jetv B€lls Proceedltlgs ' confenenceôn 

Boad sarerr. Foundatlon I o: -,. 

Hili,"i""i?x,.i;,:r;:';"::;::l'., 

5I. -- Haddad, G.H. and Zlclel, 8'E Int 

l;;;; vertebra causd bv lap-t).P seat be1t. !:!: Eglg {' !S!' 

67:930 (1967). 

5r. H;;;;;;, F. and rarrrere,-c. rbs to Flrther loprove tne Prorectron 

' 

df OccuDants liearh8 Seal E€lB. Pfoce€dlngs ' l9th AAAV confenence 

( 1975). 

sr. n.n6"iion, J.lt. ard FleFdlwr' X' 

'he 

llftect or llandstorv seat Eell tbe 

'-- "t;-N;; 

sou.n ttut"", Auslralla. Proc'edlt6s, l?lh AAAI conter€nce' 

Okls}lctna cttY - ' (1973). 

ilr 

"i tt. ?ertoMce or Chlld R'straln:s ln Crsshes snd 

' -G-66.-atorv 'Ibsis. ProceedMas, s€at B€ll sertnar' llelboum€ 

(1976) 

s< 

et al. the Efrec! of s€at B€lt Deslp and anchora8e 

"' -G6;Eii!=;-r'uurJ 

Patlerr,s. ?ioceedlnss, 6!h Inremartonsl 

ConJerence of iMt4, Melbourne r19?7). 

56. N€rberr. D.c. Inlury reduc:Ion t'y dlaSonal 5nd otber veDlcle sarely 

.,. *t'"' !u9'* *i:*;ul."331]; "."r"*t-, ror cnlrdEn A.er.T,.lr 

- -fii-1rn 

Blrthday. Dept. of llolor Ti'al]sport ' lJee south 'bres-t rero'' 

*. niui!, i.i.--6" occuPant hJurv iattems Md nechsls4s Proceed ln6s ' 

'-' 'sir'-i.ii*rtion"r 

re;hrcal conf€'sce on ErFE.lnental safetJ 

Vehlcles. volfsbu.g (1980). 

-.i-.i " 

59. 15"1-""il"r . "'. n,i"',t rractu!'es or the lurbar sPl:)e' J^l1A 

I93:21r0 ( 1965). 

6' 

*r$t":: L.-H{:il iiff "",;i"n:iH:'%"#$H 1n aeduclrs s€'1ou! 

Iie;lrarn!, '*-' --'-'.--3iudv Ibronto (Alax' l9EI) ' 

of 13i Accrdents ltNolvlna l?? FstalltleE' HlShrev 

er. 

u,. @T*il"Tilftf;"H.ii"*i"!'lt#il f*lilj -'u ^"'.""" 

-Tr.as-A;-GAr 

?7ol rr3 ). 

61 lh€ Rear S€aL autd6bue hssenS'r 1t lYontal cmsh€s ' 

----ffiAEs, 

22d MArl conreEnce (1978)' 

.''--__-= 

eq. 

it'a cnetnlnd' ! A c

l6 

Rf,FEREITCES 42- .t 

I 

55. -IF6ceFdfru:, ct al. Injury Clulatldr ln nollover Accrdert3. 

iTth A A)1 confe.€nce, ct{l!}'(ru clty 09?l). 

66. _ 6nd Lav6on, t|.rlas E. IJ|Jurle! to near-Sea! p.lscngcrs -T6-nEtrfitsrptrve 

c.a!hes, th€ HsRi Researcb nefley, vol.9,-rb. 

(1978). 

tn 

I 

6l- -S;E-Flii*C-lE-76637d:--ffi-Iu!d'p!tve 

ErpGltton, Detrclt ( r9?5), 

LHcr Tb.so hJurlc! arld AutcnDblle 

En€,lneertrs corur€ss and 

68. -G-Fr.o'rtai-e.arhes 

. 

. th€ near Seat Aulc.mblle Passem.. 

-E;Af,rss 

(vol. r), 22d ^ ^x confcrsrce (lt?E). 

69. HurYLtt, E.S. &r|l1 SlLver, C.E. S€at belt hemla: a ven!.sl hemla 

folloytra ar autc€blle cr.ih. JAIaA l9rr:829 (1965). 

70. Johsiiessen, H. GeorSc- ttl.storlc;f-hcrlsp€ct1ee on S.at EeLt Festrslnt 

Slstens (SA-E 8rr0l9?). ln, Advances ln Eelt. Resrmlrt Svsietns I D"sI':n. 

!qrl!E9l9!-!!9,!!!gi, 

LErforr. (.r9b.rl. 

7r. -F6itC!,'d-fSAFTIdfgz 6rd Plllr8kl, neai.! Y. Fear Seat occupant 

). 

72. 

tmd Vos, thc.ras H. 

'Ihe 

-Fr?TG;ffi -fSAFTto?e5 

Cttar'Gll,E .$isp€ ot S€at 

). 

73. fia,rDre, Chlrles. RaDarks at. !|eetl-n8 sponsor€d bJ ll.S. DeparEDert ot 

Itsnspo.tatlon ard OECD, the Ellectlveness of Safety BeIt Us€ brs: A 

Iultl-Natlonal Ersrnlratlon, H6shln6ton, D. C. ( 1985 ). 

?{. f\fiIber8, J.X. Efflcacy of Seat Beltr 1n lr{ury lrd }rm-IrJurt C.llhca 

1r nural Ut6h. Seport. VJ-2721-n3, Calspon Conloratlon, Buftalo 

( 1969). 

75. Xroop, J.C. et aL. SlatlstlcaL Ehluatlon of th€ Erfectlvenes! of 

Ol1]d nestralnts (Do1'-tls-805-660), Septefl ber 1980. 

76, Xulorskl, J. and Fos!, W.B. Intra-abddnLnaL blury froi s6l€ly bclt tn 

aulo accldent: .€port ot a caEe, Arch. $r-6. 73:970 (1956). 

7?. l,arle, J.X, eL aI. Evaluatlon or the-198l:8-near I€B! B€]t Csrpalan. 

Rosd Safety !lt|d l}.afflc Authorlty (nOSIA) Beport fk,. I, Vlctorla 

( r983). 

78. "lap seat b€Lt useful but c€n hJure chltd.en,n Jr0l,ll 2{5:228r (1981). 

S€e also, "L-mbar 1r!ur1es se€n as posslble r€sli-t of auto seai belt 

use," glIg!99!9 !9gI r:1 (198r). 

79. larlEon, J.J. aff CElnotas, D.J. Ar rasciatEnt of the Potcntlll 

Cos!-Effectlveness of a ReAulatlon Requlrln8 hree-Polr! Rear Seat 

B€]is 1n PEsser€er C€-rl, Pmceedlr8s, 3d C€iadlan llultldlaclp]lnrrJ 

lltSnaay Satetl ConfeFence, Lrdon, qrt&lo (l98ll). 

80. t€U1re et aI. Intra-abd€.ilnal l'lJurles couscd bJ lut rDblle leat 

belts. JA A 20r:lo9 (1967). 

8f. burl6, f.t-. et sl. Surmarlnlia InJurtes of hre-Polnt Belted 

occuFtnt8 1n ltoDtal CoUlllons - Descrlptloi, Neat)lnlrE, l'rd 

Protectl,on. 

(r9E2). 

Pr€c€edlnSs, 25th Stlpp Csr Crsah ConfcFeoce, Arfl A.r'bor 

82. lav1ne, Drnald N. and C€rrpb€Il, B.J, Effecllvencss ol l4.p S€a! Eelts 

dr*t the DEr8/-Absorblra steerha systd 1'l th€ F€ductlco of ll)Jur{.ra. 

HlgIr.J Sdfely nesearch C€nt€r, Un1verc1ly of )brtn CaroUns (19?1). 

E3. Lhott(a, Dctuld C. rbtor Vehlcle Occupart Protectlcn - A Hlrlorlcal 

Plrrpectlve. ProceedlnAs, 19th ALAI! cc'rf eFence ( 1975). 

8I. lfirdgren, S. 6J1d Ha.g, E. S€lt be]t8 .r$ accldent pr.eventlqr. 

Practl,tloner I88: {67 (1962). 

85. Iili6F;-F-.f. lnd l,u1son, a.x car leat belts; sn a''alysls of tbe 

lllJurle! lustalned bJ car occupanta. hlctltLoner, 191:332 (1963).

t7 

NEFERENCES 

86. touton, J.C. a,rd Fusier, T.x. neltralnt Syste€, De!1EIl and 

Pe.folrsce Par&:€ie.s. PrcceedlnSs, 

E7. 

88, 

qtc auiaDtlvc Safety Ssnlrl|r 

( r968). 

lorne, R. et a]. the Effect of the IJx S€lt Bctt lESlsta!1on on 

Rest.alnt Usage bJ Chlldru. It' ldv$ces !n geli 8esL.a1nt Svlta|!: 

Deslri. Desl!.n, PerforriaDcF &1d a'd Usa4e, Usa8e, Detrctt Det.ort (196&). (r98r). 

bndirr,- E:;t-?f--Fdit-Eifo&anc. of 6 n ar. Sca! B€1! svit6' rltj, 

Opttilzcd Seat cushlo. tEsl8n (SAE 810796). SAE P85leIaer cs. xe€tLn6 

(r981). 

8g. [ackay, G.lt. Eelted Occupants tn llontal C.6sh!6. ProcecdtnS6, 5t'h 

Intemsiloru] conference of the tiAlt't, Belbourlle (1977)' 

90. S€at Bells ln ErrrolE -- lbelr lbe and PerforiEnce ln 

-GTII6lffi. 

Inremsllonal SJqloslu! on occupant Resiraln!' Toronto 

(aMl!, 19Br). 

91. Tvo lears' Ext€rLence l.lth th€ Seat Belt lai' ln Brltaln 

--lsAE-T5IB'r). 

92- et al. Serlous thauna to Car ftcuP6.nls vearUl8 Se6t Be]ts' 

-s{lntemallonal 

lutonotlve balneerln€ consress' DPtrolt t197ll' 

(AIso Fresenied aL tRmBl confecence, eln!\tt€tl€s' EnAI8nl' I9?5') 

93. l'lackod, J.H. ard Nlchol6on, D.fi. Seat bel! ltatrI of tbe abdsoen. 

c€rad, J, slirE. 12:202 {1959). 

gt. _ tlirsir, .lo"eFtr-t. et al lnlury Patt€ms bv Reltrdlrt lllrge in 1973 ltxl 

197! Paisenser Csrs. Proceedlr€s, l9!h Stapp Crr Crrlh Confcllr|ce' 

ssn Dleso ( 1975). 

95, rbherso;, D- atd ove.sby, H. Iwestlaatlom of l')l,urv-fi€danll|ttl ln 

!!lly Restralned Vehlcle Occupants. Proc.€dltas, 6th Lt.firatlonal 

conference of lhe IMTH, ltelboume (197?). 

96. cnoberis, J.R. S€at b€It lruurres lnd te8al Epecls. Itdulirlal lbd ' 

s!rr.3l:865 ( 1965), 

gf. ltEll6.1rla, c. e! al. the hdlpltaL etDe.!€flce of .cat -b€I!-lcSll]atlon 

U tn" iounry or skarabors, $eden. l4lII 12(6):506 {1961). 

98. rulls, ?,J. ano lrcbb3, c.A. ?|e Probatr-).r-E of hlurv to c.r occupatts 

ln Fr.onial and Slde Inpacis (SAE 8/11552)' ProccedlnSs ' l6th st{pp ca' 

crash Confer€nce ( 1985). 

99. t.tllne. Peter l{. I:lliria atd \iearlna of s€at Eelts ln-Australla: lhc 

tllstorJ of a $lccessful Cowtern€alur'. Ault.ellan uep!' oI 

Transport, offlce of Fo€d $tety (1979). 

IOO lbffat;, Ciarl"s A, et al. DlaAnosls of S€at Belt lJ3aA€ ln Accldcnt! 

(sAE 640396). In, adBces tr Eelt Fe6tralnt svstsrB: Deskn' 

rol h*-;J;e---T:;68-EIr, x.x. seet b€]! 1durv.9ur1,! ryTl.TT:Ig. 

fLth ruptur€ of d1acf3aD, llcflLch lrld splcen. ranoel z:lu{{ \rv/o/' 

102 NaJJar, lbnlel ' Reslr.lnt thsSe ltd Elfec t Lver|ess 

t€a! 

-lo. .near -- 

occupants. In, 

of 

r03 

t0ll 

105Nleder€r, 

-r.!u""i !. et al. Adverse Effccts of Seat E€tt5 .t|d Causes of Bel! 

i" Seve.e Cai Acclarcnts rl'l Srl,rzerllnd (SAE ?70916). 

p"*!"arng", 2lst stapp C.. Cruh confercDce, l€H Yo'k (f9??). 

). 

J

REfERENCES 4+ 

l8 

106 Nortn, lrrr! aru lnderuson, Br1tt . Src Mult Belt-A lb4rd b tne 

Chlld? Pr.oc.redlrAs, 6th Interirtldral b.oclatlon for ArtdDtlvc rDd 

'D_sfftc ttdlcln (IM'Ii1) IntcrdtloBl Conr.r€nce, lbrbome (1977). 

l0? et al, Chlldr€n 1-r) Cq.: - (Ir.t..nal 6urvey !€.fo!vEd by 

-SFvo; no Oate, but not latcr tt[n 1979). 

to8 €t ai. c ld neltralnt8 1n ca.s -- l'l Approoch to S..re 

-ElFrlFiruportatr.on 

(sAE ?90320). 

I09 -EFreeTIn, et 6I. S4a! BFII lhag. 1n Sred€n ard 1!t IaJurJ Feductia 

lrt\.arces 1n B.lt Re6tralnt sysl€ne: De!la'r, Perrotu ncc 

ana usace, De?6-ifTi98[t:- 

Ilo orF;Jd€s r.r|d xsphn, Rlchrrd, F trl InJurles !o Restmlned 

PBsserae. Car OccuDant€. [lc ]SRI R€earch B.v1ex, Vol. 9, rb. t, 

thlv€;lw or }lrchlsln (l97$t.lll 

o'lleLll, Brl,sn. h.clcntatlon, sAx Panel on the Pol1tlcrl 6rd lbchnlcd 

conslderatlons of Lflstable R€straln!!, Detroli (1981), 

ll2 Patrtck, L.11. et al, IiDact DT r6hlcs of LhreBtralned, Iap Eelted snd 

l,ap 6rd Dlaaona] Ch€st 8e]!€d Vehlcle occupsnis (SAx 660?88), 

Proceedlnas, lolh slapp car crAah confcreDce (1966). 

113 l}ly8lclaru for aut{rno!1ve S6,fety. Srculder belts 1Jl l.ear 6cats. Pt"s 

D.r.s (sllrler,&ll 1981). 

llA PoE., S.E. ard Green, E.ll. Seat belt lnJurles, 1E!. !tE' 96 : 2rr2 

(1968). 

U5 Pr€ntlce, H,A.J. Sieat B€lt Effectlv€rEls: Posslb1e B€neflb and 

rdvcrrl!!|8. Inlerrla!1oos.] StaopollrD on S€e! B€lts, Tolryo (r9?9). 

116 li€ston, Pred. A Cd4arllctr of Cortacts lor lhEsiralned 6nd lap 

Eelted occupants ln Autd.oblle Accldents. P.oceedl.ngs, l?tb AAll'l 

conference, Odsldra CltJ ( 1973). 

117 Ar1r[}, F.n., Jr. Ar.6cet belts enougb? !S". Prej!. 26:10r (1962). 

lt8 ftaite;burt, S.J. et al. th€ B1d!€chs;1cal-Bdii-T s€rt Eelt 

Prctec!1on, Proc€edfig,!, 23d M,tIl corfcrsrcc (1979). 

119 Ref-nfuFt, D,l{. et eI. l Stlt1ltlcrl lnalysls ol Seat belt 

Effcctlven.ss tn 1973-75 lbdel cars Involvcd 1n lbvaxal cr.sh€6. 

NstloDAl Hlgh.ay Fafflc S.fcty ltuitrlltrstlon, 0.s' FI (1976). 

l2O Rltchle, Y.P.. Jr. €t a]. C

l9 

128 SevEry. D.li. ct sl' P!!!.laer PFotcctlon tt.('l ProDt-hd I'|tPac!6' 

REF ERENCES 

"" *r"iiittiiJ'*i-eria*tr'. 

d!t'*..r',e cona'tss ' Dctrolt (1969)' 

129 $arL,, J.f,. et al. Analvsl! of Lp $ould'r B'lt E r?ctl!t.n'!r ur 

'-';;i;.;i;: - 

proceeot''ss, gth stapp cor cralh conr''rr-' rqrc)' 

'' 

T*:',p;# l; J'f"::"H%::"H:?""f ;" *:"ilI:T lli.'"',,. 

i."ia.'*. i"*i"ottss. lTth AA-AI4 confcRnce, o(ltlcrM cltv ocTl)' 

'' Tii;,I;l; #,-'li'i;"i'""itll"T #.Tf$# ;l^l:li'i,tii:'* 

132 sryde., n.c. srrver ct Aurc'iorlv. 

K:::fltP:ff1*"1"il"1il-?i:lT* 

Ie,ve Becn, l{hele ve Are, ano Lur 

rrt et aI. I np, Pallem of splnP lr.Jurle€ arsoclst'l rlth ltp 

-- -EF;Eat 

belb. !. Sr! 84: qtr' J' 3l (Har-Ju''e ' r9b7) 

trtr e! aI. - PaiEolog), of ii;h; Btt.lbuLcd !o ftslralnt Gvrtctrs 

,.. -*"s: f##ft H;"i:;"'j, !i}3l: "''* *'.., 

--- -T;;;;F;fr-instllu!e, 

lhlversltv or rucnEan (196?)' 

rCS S;oo. C"r. JohD P. an.l Dfleld, lleu! D'L Ev3lu8tlon of the 

"- -iil:iv*-l"i-"t1 

I e &Jety Belt rlth Bef.rnce Lo hru Tolerorrce' 

ti..iii "i llr s'""r lbe!1n6, Atlsntlc clrv (1958)' 

rv si"i.".-J.D. "i ir. l'" }ledlcat AsP'cts or Drl\'!r Protecilon svrtEll 

"' -fi-D.'-r;; 

itveioxo nrousn AutdrDblle nacrrre (saE 700660)' 

:38 Sleckler, B.l'1. €i 41. S€at belt t'Alm to the lrmttar sDlne: an tmuauar 

- 

rnadres;tlon of lhe !e6! belt svtd.rn€' J' TraE! 9:508 (1959)' 

"' {ff *zu'll;-,rnii":':f; :'*i::i"r:mT1-il1 Hi::""&fl"!;, 

tro .SiltliltS];. cuest passenser lnJurles' Jlll 13?:3!8 (re37)'trtt 

srb€,,1. er al. seai b€Il trallla to the abddfn' i4sl'1'!!$' 

*. *lli3ll,'l?l1t'*-"ar ror a Pror€ctton crrlerlon as Feaarns 

- - 

;;;i.;1 r''t"''or' o.g"* ' R'oceedlnts, ITth lrAll conteFence' 

o{lahdna cltv (1973). 

lr3 rii;].;:i: i!-.!r- s""t.*it f.aclu.e! of th€ cerYlcsl splne' !' 

ruo '-- *H"a-.*f*]"'#: -#ii; 

"-il-t*i'. 

;iil'A'"." or ru6k nrrerences ro' a€st.l'€d 

aestrarned F.ont Ps!.enaer -1n tt-'d -?11111311 : 

f-i""Ort€", 

qth lntematltr|al TFclhlcsl Conference on Lrp€rllrenral 

,ur r$ii"'l lHtn'#:3r'ii"fi du. to !h€ 'ea! b€rt' r' Eess t:3e? 

( 196lr). 

lff il#"ft#,: T5:'JTJ:E ll't]; *'" rbase. Inle-atlona' 

'u" "dt- - s'"" H:'*il{iHL$?l?L'"" or 0""'pu''t Restraln! or 

' - -ffitEiiTiEE 

.Ge and rhole vbo T!€.t l}ls! Itl'rirtlctril svdrroglrm 

-' o""i,p."t i.srralnt ' lbrorto 

ll*#rli'll'*,, *- ror Rrodrd.ng 

flg U.S. bFrutErt of Trstlsportatlor 

({9 F.R. r52q1' ^pr1r ro, rro{/ 

tr 

bcr'et r'ro' ?{-rrri fbtrce 1? (rttl 

;,;,-;;;r;;-,;*r.,rr--r"-' 

- 

' bcket No' ?!-rrr 

;; ;,-;;;;, 

(rrt P'n' 2060' 

.l 

I

REF EREI{CF.s 

F,n. U580, Aprlt rz, l9!5). 

l5rl 

F.R. lq5u9, Aprll u, l9d)). 

ttt-to-.*tur,-o--ar.r-t--l 

155 

!'.n. 20b4, J6nurry U, l9dl). 

AuAust 23, 1965). 

m 

bck.t lb. ?t-lt; tbtlcc 19 ({6 

Docke! lib. 7{-l{; }rctlce 37 (50 

b|ck€t c. ?q-l{; tbtlce 38 (50 

bc|rct ib. ?{-14; lbtlce 39 (50 

bcket rb. 7{-1! (50 F.n. 3!r5?, 

bcket lb. 74-l(; lbtlce {2 (50 

F.R. 116056, lbvenber 6, I9o5l. 

t58 Flnal Re6llatory Inpact An6l.ysl! 

-ah-;-€r,enffi -to-TWS?68-: 

of 

P.-lsenser car Piont sea! occupan! 

Prolectlon, July 11, 198{. 

159 Vella., I.D. er ai. Buptut\e o! the bo,e1 due io Foad traw: the 

erF.sence o!" the sea! b€lt s}{d.tne. !ql. J. lust. r:69rr (1976). 

teo Vor"o"cr" corDoratlon atxl stedlsh noad F.tt dilae. InJurv-Reduclia 

Efrect of seatbelts on Rear Selt Pas€en8ers (1979). 

16l laaenaar, Aler. n€larks at neetlng sporBored Dv U.5. t€T ltd the OECD, 

il|e Effecilven€ss of Satetv Belt lbe Lvs: A liiltl-l{atlorul 

Eis'llnattdr. vsshlr8ton, D.c, ( 1985), 

16? yalpole, &v!n. lbtor vehlcle .ccld.nt - mrltlD]e trauDa. AultFAl$t| 

Fsnlly Fryslclrn, Vot. 13, No. r, (198{)' 

163 HAr? Jell.ii:-;i aI . severely a,1d Iratruv rnJured Rear seat car 

Passen6ers (OAIS )/= 2) ln SYltzerllIld Orrlng 19?6. Proceedrna6, 22d 

MIX confetence ( l97E). 

f61r tlar')er, Cbarles Y. EeIt OccuD6nt Rellmlnt Effectlvlnels. 

Pioceedr8s, Uth MAx corfer€nce, Odlbtua Cltv (tglf). 

f65 Xcxler, L. srd Sllven-E , J. lidlDatlc ruptuE of t.he -1ry|€.nltale 

aFtery - a seri b€It ldurv. I. ES. J. 

I"d. 2l:1186-(1970). 

166 t1ld, B.R. et aI. Effect oI seal belts on ltuurles lo rrcn! lnd rear 

seat Dsrs€nRerri. Br. I'Ed. J. 290:1621 (1985). 

167 v1]11sr!6. A]]sn F. and 60r; Psul. InJu'les to chlldFen ln 

autdbbl]es 1r l.elatlotr to s.atlrlS loclt1on and Festrdnt u!e. 

AccL.len! AnalvEls lrd Ffealntlon, Vol. 9, Br. I (1977)' 

- .---e-t 

168 - a].:--EEiFt PFotectlon ln Interlor lrpacts: ln 

-ffiFas 

o-i-TVSs tb. 201. h"oce€d1nss,23d ll,'{'Lu1lvtUc (1979)- 

159 - H111,1&[s. Je.! S. 6rd XlrkP.trlck, Jol'l R. thr nlture of !.a! belt 

lnru.les. J, lisua lI:207 (19?l). (ll!o rubllshed 

!! s E ?00896 ltl 

Pr;ceedlrss; ltr-lh stspp c{r c.s!h corf?rttce, Detrnlt (1970)i auo 

Drcsented-at 28th Atvrual Conventlotl of th€ ,scrlcrn Alloclatlon for 

bJ].eery of fraur6, Eontreal (19?l). 

1?O et d. l'le autdlD!1ve sdety b€lt: ln 3av1r8 s IUe 

-6i-iEcE:EiEFa..aroddru] 

l^tuite3. J. trll'a 6:303 (1956). 

ur rGt", c.i. tleaenterv ard borei lrlJurv fr

-2to- 

2l 

sEr.Ecito cesrs rnou MEDTcAL LITERAToRE 

ON LAP A'LT INDUC€D INJURIE.S 

Atkcn, D,v. (1963). r-ap b.lt-lnduc.d JeJurut p.rroEt lon or th€ Eldl 

Gii?i'inC :_IFfie ted fo- 6 dsvs !-ct.r cruh. lnJuu Prob.Dlv c!B'd bv 

luddcn colpElston b€treen Deli bucld. rtd .P1roI colrEr- qi}v €rtcma] 

lrd1cltlon of brlt 1nJu.t ra! velt act'o!! Ior.. abddEn, b€lor urblllcr.E. 

Problbl€ corrcc! bell use, no 6uttrarltltta. 

E6clr1nr?l, X.D. (1968). n pofl! ? c&cs. Ca.? l: l6l-vcar!'('!an ln Fcrr 

tl6-i€D be-ii: -lrcntrT-1npac I, folloted bv r13it iai.ral. &rt brul!rnd 

!cr.o!s abdanen 6een blthl1J, lcco.[P6'|lcd by cdlplrln!! of rudnlnal palt' 

bu! condltlon iedled stable unrll nert t6m1tl8, rhcn lcv.rc paln d'v'1opcd 

.nd rdlan r.nt lnto shock- A! laparotcrv, a tcar 1n !h. E€scnlerv of th' 

aiall b6rel ras fo\rrd ' {!th about: 12n of Erngf.no'$ 

barel. ocrFr'l:zed 

crttonltl! tDl pFlent and the rtlran dlcd on thc opcmutl8 tlDle' C'!c 2: 

I tg-v."" *" tn "dan !p.cd" frontal hlt, rllrltB ltp b.lt 1n rtgj"'t I Font, 

6eat. Drlvef aJeci;, frdctured r)o!€' LP b€lt rtaf"r had 'rilnslve 

nultlD]e lace.allon ot scalp, upFer/loH€r ]lps, rcqulrlna de'8encJ 

!ur8.ncJ, 

20" r 20' a|.ea of aD.aslon at|d ecchrnEsls corE6ForEltrS to !'a! 

Uefi Ollnnsrons acl.oss lorer rbddnen, rtght acFoss lcf! Md '8h! 1114c 

-.es!s (l'|dlcates correct belt glacatlent). Fracturc of thlrd lurbar 

verrebra, Abdoilna: dlstenllon, no blood at lr-q!6drMt t.ap, lt 

l6oat.sto!.]l, rDner, 750 cc of old blood routd. aronS rlib p'rro'atlon of 

ifiu'', tr'rne kar 1t o€lenlerv of loall Do'eI. qhlch ?ttettd?d doHn to 

i"r".io" #".nt""t" veln. AIso' I'cc'npl.!. t'ar or lleocollc art?rJ - A 

i:-c'n t"nstn of sknord colon Yas "coopl.t€lv ltrlpped ol 1!s "riera|3l co't 

of lcrcsa, t scularls pr€prla, sutr cosa' and EuscuLarl! wcosae " 

Dlhenb.r^, r.w. ()967). Relorts ?0 c!!es of 

" 

lnirs{bddn1nal vlsctra} at$ 

iG:;;;Fic t.-;C-EG-!o trte sea! b€l! svndlvlcn 1n the 11tcttluFe ai !l|A! 

itne' neporls a nev case: 25-year lap tlcltcd |Dan ltvolved ln an 

aoo"o"tnot" 35 Dph lateral skld blo PoIe. ntcelv€

l'lJury;El- th 

P€po.ir 3 c!!.! of I.p b€It-lrxluc.d 

.h!|d-or!n coftliam!, c.!. 1: r'-y.a. b.n. h"rcturrd 

&'lxle, llultlple laclal a'd h.ad lnjurrill- *er 6bddllal c.ntu!1on6, 

abraslons, and €cchJiDs.5. 

abdcrien. AbdoDlru.l btcedrns 

I|our!. lapd!.oi..qy wdertd.n 

Audlble tr.1st l..1!, no r.bo!ryj t?dem.!3 of 

not d afte. clt}li.r |lad b.€n !n pr.ce for I 

12 hour6 al*l€r.ccldet!. bw|d 

"1.r8. 

De!.nterlc lac?rltlon ben..!h a l5-lnch .cSrErt of lrt&.clcd ,.l.u!.i c..!. 

2: 2o-y.ar Da, austaln.d cdnpr.llr1on fraclur.. of 4th ]urr|a. vcrt bra, 

;ulrlple faclal traclures .nd lac.ratlons. lbddllt|al t p ta! t.8at1ve, no 

botcl 6oad!. l,aparatllJ urd..t kcn r0 da),6 att l. !ccld.t:t, bwa 2 

pe.foratlom 

lE6prrltohlu!. 

ol cec\r rlth 6urrourdlng dbrc.ue8. 

V1ct1r rcquL.ld 6 

lb.cnt rlc t rr! atd 

nvc.J prclonA.d coBl:tc.chcc.i cdlc 3: 

23-Jear r(|D.J| sultaln.d laclal tracturls .rvl hc?ratlcn.!, fEct'rFd .l8ht 

ankl. ard fracturc of tne flrth llEblt. v!ftebr!. l|rltlDl€ tbdctnfEl 

contuslons and abraslons, "6.ver€ r.cat belt !lAn.'n lb .bddrtral !p.-3h or 

rrbound t rdcm€6s. hr1rt h1.. !,frEcr. Itft f@r!I prl3c dcrllclJ 

dlE1r13H. ,rbdod-ral t'aF nc8atlvc trlcc. 8.8!n dctrrtorrttia on dal 2. 

At BufS?ry, fol'md,,bo!h rctus rEulcl.s, ficlud1n8 thelr 6h.r!hs, a! rell .3 

!hel. adJaccnt obllque riusculaturc, {e.? cqrFllt!]J tr'6r.cct d.tr 

Pe.lto.rlw iom, o.|e contlnuous !.bsc.53 cavlty frf! p..lloral rpace !n!o 

tne nuscles ard Bubculaneous i1!!ues on cach llde ]o,er abddlen. SiaII 

borel alnost cc.npl€tely iransectad. l\.o larae ftsentcrlc lacerallons and 

tra\marlc thrFibosls ot letr 1l1ac art ry *!th d1lsectlon ot 1ntlra. 

IMcnl dled one r€ck later oI iovllrh€lrdng !eP613.i 

tuBols, E.F. {1952). neFrts 23 c3..3 or ht.!-abddnlnal lnlurles 

6ustllned b! ]ap belr€d alrc.af! occupanls, aforS xllh 32 c&es oI 

contrrllon! aLorg the belt lln€, 

Ftsh, J. ard vrtht, n,F. (1965). PF"s.nts ! c6lc! of llp belt-ltducd 

IfulFi?f-Tffi-;r;-?FEi:--case t: A.rrved hospltal ln shock. 8.tr1ses 

acr.oss lorer lbddEn lrd FiiTs tocan t rDe, i€td.r. PaFtccnt!!16 tn 3 

q\ra.lers B6s ne8arlve. f6und ?-foo! lcEr€nt of llclm avlrlled frs! lt! 

,Des€nterJ; stlall !e!.o!u!cular lear 4ldrorllo.l ol the lnt Biljle. Avulscd 

end of r!€sentel.Lc !l-t Fy acllvcly b1c€dlt€. rbatdla ln lcft lt.lnsvel.lc 

Desocoton; sple€d h6d c5fau1a. Ler r|!ar hfcrlor 9o1e. C..€e 2: 's]ortlJ 

att n cl!!h, Do!.d paLn 1n rlaDt n.tlk rtd lorc. |bd@n.--E6batlon 

fol'd lover abddnLnal t.dl .rE rlght flaik contu!1on corrllporalnt to 

aFess of patn. Parac.nlells ln I quldllnts al1 Eglt1v€ ' In bosPliaL, 

cqlpla1Jled of abd@1ia.l d!!cq!tor!' ltc llltle, !6d lor A.de revlr to th. 

l3ih post-lnluiy dal, Fj(ploratory oFrttlon tound prorlr!6L llctft PartlallJ 

tl. rDrct€d, adJlccnt bor.ll DAr'k iLIJ cq$u&i; thc ,Jrlurcd bor.I rcr 

6dheFent !o lhe 1eft !ldr. C€lc 3: -Dda rlrr 

n 

i.xtEctcd lll|lsclf vlthout 

dlfflcu]ty fr.o ttre rrcckrge]--6ly c@DlaLnl at bo!p1te1 rr! lot!. 

abdcalial, lr|.t fllnk taln cort.ert

tr.r.h.r F.D. and B.oadon. B.C. (196?). 2)-ve.r dr1v"r or "mt]l ' foiclSn 

iiffi"TreaFZf!=TGaIEF".t 6 h:.&h ratc ot .p..d." :b. 

;fi.i.4-i"ut.ry over Lh. !.6! b?11 ltn ttruck b"r rrc".q'ltBt rh? 

d;;;;.;;.; [Ittpt. n-ot

-213- 

Ltt1r4, J,n. ei. .l (1467 . IiPports 2 care! ' Case l: ?6-vcar r(fu r! 

Flffffi---*.;E-l-p"ct. 

tap uctt !a1d-65. 

"16!r" and "hun." 

q|ly srgn ot jttra-slddltnal l^)urv ra! nccch,Dll! rt$ ccnbDloh or lorlr' 

D6.t of abddlial rarl cor.estotrltrg io !1te or !c!t b.1!.' Elv. nEntns 

b.t-.*n, vlctlD r.

25 

EIi-!U a 's"ts" lap belt. concu.lon, rD6. rtlclure, lac..6tloD t ctt .k 

lDd lcit elboi. ldrt.rous coniullc.ls tttd f.1ntly v1.1blc E!tk! rrot bett on 

lorrr abd€.Dej .nd $!.rlo. superlor 111!c lpltte!. 12 botrF! l't'r. 'url'rv 

forrd t ar of JcJt!'rrtt about I lncbc! bclor ]l8drn! or lYtllr, rhlch rEirlv 

!"vcred tn. bo!.e]. Case 2: 6l-Jcrr rsEn It rlSht frsrL' 'Earlr€ a 'ntrA 

IrD belt." ln frontsT=;-n !t'lbout 30 |tPh.! cdprlstlon fracturc to tlqlv 

of r1.!t thbar ve.t.bra. Cltc. to nFrldd cdt!tr1c!tl.'t1" Y1l]r lbhlfD and 

S1ca.l, ttdlotlr|g U nuElr $rd"r. n.C, ct al (1967). n Dort! 2 c!!cs '1tjr corrcct lrp b.lt u!c. 

-TE;-Iffire paslenaer 1, w !t!!ck bv onccnlr'8 car. 

hpublllhed lttiv of ov.t'150 accld.nts tn tt|. 

L.A. ar€a," mre t!|.n 30 c.!.r or !!a! b€MnJal.s. 

Ibllrs, S.H- (196!). n ports on Ddn 1n rkDt r.ont ''!dr1n8 Itp b?ll rh€n 

cd-Ei-'tre"- D.t"-er ard rhFe rcar ..st p.!s.n6.rs unF.straln.c. }l.y 

*e.e all url-r\lurid. l,ap b.lted passenaer 6Lrtt.ted !?ver€ dldabdrD]Jul rr)l 

conrullon lnd perfor.tlon of upp€r Jelt'|dn. r.tnltt d to hospllal ?b rbur! 

fost-1nJuiy, not opcrat4d on rmtll r1!h rolt_lnJurv dlJ. 

v,ralB)le. EryM tl98lr). !5-year rdtB adiltt d t hodpltll a.rt r cruh. 

iE;dI=lg)s;T=st bei! conluslon on .bdc'rrn. srtll:'a' aenrraltzcd 

t€ndemess, Darked Suardln6 6id reboutrd tendern.ls. BoYel 6ouD0s audlble. 

,,tl(irenely pale, very confused snd 8s.sp1n8 for atr but respondlt€ to 

cuElsnds, tuI6e 1!0, blood pre.lur€ 90/50, resPrratlon lt5lBltute 

(!hal.lor)." l-ral formd l.f! gtuttd dlaphFaE i, pr.otlrl!1on ol dtddEltlal 

conients lnlo lerl ctust. A! dlerSc'lcy llp6rotary' n Ptur+d lPlcFn 

r€rved, teft I?!h rlb exclted; dtsphr!€m6tlc deflcll repalr?d; !ev'r!1 

aegnenls tom 3u:I bovel .rd ocs"r|t ry r@ovcd; .rd-to

-22n- 

26 

PAR1AAL CBROl|OlIrcY 

OP SEAT BSLT R!'LATED EVEI.TS 

tht! chFonolo8r of evenrs related !o th€ devcloFErt ltLl ur. of Ebto' 

v€h1cle leat belts nal p"ovldF sdllF PersPectlv. for lhc|s€ unfMlllar Y:t\ 

- 

tl*sc toplcs. The Eoari ea: uablc !o locale 6 !li8re, cdnprele nrEtory or 

sear Oells anO thelr use, the ro])olrlng hss be€n plcced !o8!ther frc.l a 

nun*r or sourc"s (lL, 33, 52, 69' 7t' 78, 82' 89' lI0' 131' lnd 

correoponaence of tKrnas ]!rbel1, Chlcf Blgllechanlcs ne3€archer, Sr€dllh 

no"a aio ft.ffl" Besearch lnstllute, ta SsJetv Eoard ' october 11, 1985)' 

1930,5 

S€veral U.S. Physlclens equtp lhelr ol'| cars wtth 16P belts 6td b€gln 

urElns rjanufsalurers to prEvlde lhen 1n all ner c'ia 

1953 

Colorado State l'ledlcal Soclety publlshes Pollcy 5uplortltg lnslallallon of 

lap belts 1n a]l auldioltbl€s 

-t?51 

$orts 

Car C)ub of lrer1ca r€qulres cd@etLng 'lrlv'ts to redr lap belts 

a,n:r1can lleit.al. Assoclallo, Eouse of Delegales voies !o suDDorl 

lnstal]atlon of lap belts ln all aDtoDbllc6 

Callforr a Vehlcle Coate l5 ,nErded to requlre State approvd of t€dt bells 

b€lore th€Lr sale or use 

lbllottat Sa-fety Councl], lnerlcat CoIIege of Surgeons ' lnlematlonal 

- 

jr"io"rrtro" or Chlefs oi Pbllce vote to support lnstal latlon of lap b'tti 

ln all auidtobll es 

Soclely or Autdmtlv! D8lneers (SAE) epFlnts lblor vehlcle Sest B'}t 

Ccrrnltlee 

1956 

volvo rnarkels ?-polnt cfoss.cheat dlrgor8l belt at rcccssory 

nord etd Chrysler ofler lap bells 1n fi'ont es optlon on 6or€ liodcls 

Ford begllls 2-:traF aC cdDstg;1 base3 cn srf€ly, locGtng heav:'lJ on b'lts 

j 

l 

I

95? 

n 

lrolvo provtdcs .trclbr6 for z-potnt dftssd. b!lt! ln Itqrt 

$cc1al Sibcc.-riltlee on lYff1c S€fetv, u.S. Houle of EepEren!5tlvc!, 

oi,c* f,..rfrU" on €flecllvcn€ss or !€at belts !n 6utcdb1le! 

)958 

volvo pFvldcB .mhors for ?-pold dilaonal belts h r'ar 

t959 

Volvo Lnttodues 3-po1nt bctt It ft'oot 6! !t!'66'd' tn $'!d'n 

l,"r Yo.k conslalers lrd reJ.cts bll] to t.Gqulrc !cs! bclta ln tEr c'r! lold 

1n St5te. 

r960 

Ner Yo* !8rl,t cd|rt(hl! lrld !€gl,l l'.Jlct! t'at belt btU 

r95l 

SAE lssu.s staiataFl for U.S. !€at bcltr (J!) 

ller Iork requlrls seat belt anchors st frdlt outboad !e!t Fsltidls 

(lffcctlve JanuarJ l, 1962) 

l.bcd|lln r€qulres !ea! b€lts ln ft'.nt outboard scat posMotl5 

Stlrdrds Assoclation of Aus!811a tlsu€s 6t$dsrd for ilafEtJ belts '|tl 

hamcas !3ssDbllcs" 

r962 

-226- 

bsocle!1on for lld to CrtEDIcd Chudrcn rrd Corureer€ llrl'n lponso' 

i;ffi;-;;;;;;; - "r"ii"tts.. car D!l18n 6D6 ltlalnry s'rc!t' Yltn 

occupBnt proiactlon the 6ole tlEr€ 

Str U.S. Statcs ttqulrc fwlt airtbo'rrl lcit bclt lncl|o's 

U.S. dtnrfactuJlrt DroYlda !a!t batt lllclFrr 1Jr t rtrlt outbo'd l! lt"d'!d

1953 

28 

Yolvo lnt.oduc.s 3-!olni bclt ln fFont r! ltrtnrld, ln tAl 

Sdie U.S. r,Bnufacturirs Drovldc 1rD b.lts ln fron! qltbo!.d Dosltld|! (23 

Sldles Dav! I.i! to requlre b€lts IJ] ft'dl!, @!i eff.ctlv. l/6lr) 

SIE lsruc! rrvllcd rt$da.d (J{!) 

U.S. Consress p8ses P.L, 88-20t t ellox Ccnrlll"cc DrparEpnt to l!!u? 

nrndalorJ sqndarts for sca! belts sold lJ) lntaEtetc cctu rce 

1951r 

tbout bslf !tl! U,S. Sldtes r€qulE lcrt bllt.ttclFrlges 6! l.ont outbo8ri 

llcst U.S. Danufrctuier! Diurldc lap belt! !t fwlt qltbocrd 8.at porltldrs 

Vlcto.16 ard Sorlt}l lustralla r€qulre aea! bclt anclroieS€s at fFonl outboarn 

FsMons 1n n€r c!.s (eltber ?- or 3-tornt P.nnltl.d) 

r955 

t.S. Ccrtt rc. bDt. lslucs flFst !c!t b.lt stltnrtd (rdopta6 3lg !!.ta!rn) 

SiAI lssu€s revlBed silrdard (J!c) 

A1l, U.S. Darufaclur€rs Drovldln6 lap bells Ln troni outboal€ porltlons DJ 

lhls !1!! 

Sdlie t.S, runufsctuR.s provtde aulonat:.c lockfrt rctracto.s (ALR5 ) 1n 

lront leal belts 

1966 

S/edlsh regulatldr! DFhlbtt z-pottt cro6!'clEat ditlCEnat balt tt .artE 

n!t! to ! doo., ird f-typ. of 3-pol'nt b.lt dtagcttlt 

U.S. Ccotlerce DeD!. lsslcs .evllcd 6e.t b.lt !t tdard (SlE Jqc) 

U.S. conar(ss p!!!cs P.L. 89-593, establlshltg lbtlor|al fira/'irqv S.tetv 

b,relu (noY IEISA) 

Slorts Cal. CIub of lE€rlc! dqulres ccqtur|8 drlvcB to tGAr a lhatrlaLr 

ha!r.r! !! rcll 6! a ]aD b.lt (plrhrF f96?, rccotd.ttr8 to rtf. 131) 

'| 

t 

i 

. 

:

!9gI 

U.5. F6nuflctuErs Prcvlde IaP belt3 at rler outbo6'd posluons (l{Y 196?) 

NltsB l!!u.s 1n1tlal tldcrtl lbtol_ v.ilcle Saf"ly St'6tdards 208' 209', 

o.tttru, st-d"nl" ror ]!p rtd lhoulder D€)t5 ln front oulboan1 .posMor|l t 

i:;-;1,; -i";ii-"ih.tF"iii"" 

(!o ""x. .rrect \/t/68 $d 3/67' 

rr'tt ctl\'a)Y) 

volvo lntroduc.s 3-poln! belt ln fcar !3 !t!'ld'Fd, c"rtllt tEa'k'ts 

n 

0rr.t Bt.lt3ln requlres 3-po1n!6 1n fFont outboatd poslllctra 

Aurlrlltln !!!tld!rd for b€It .rclo.!g?s t6sucd 

:buth Au3tralla r€qu1res scat bells (lap belis OX) 't fl'(n! outboaid 

r$! 

volvo lt'ovtd.s d"r!€ttcy locr!€ F.lrrciors (En5) t! ltdard tJ| f!'oot' ln 

0r.6t B.lta:n requlres retrolli of 3-poltt b€Its !n front lt l'lY 55 .'ld 

rbtu U'S. c!.s tbls XY provlde AIA! ' 

ull 

Stldcn rcqutt€s 3_polnt bells oi approved lyP€ ln fro'lt 

volvo Provld€s 3_Foltt belt 1n "er B !t$dard' all E*cls 

fFrccd.!-BcrE adds 3-po1nt b€lt 1n tlar outboaln lerts !s rtltdard' eU i 

J.p!,r r.qulres 6ca! belts, front al)d r'a' 

Au!!.al1a r€qDlres 3_Irolnt b€I!s, fr'oni outbdrd !ea!s' al1 crfs rrglrtcr'd 

.lrc? 1965 

lgo 

3t!d.n rcqul.es belt! II| rllr (dlladttl 6nd ltrtlc dlotrd; latr

1971 

-220- 

30 

Volvo prsvldca ELR! !s rtlrdaril ln Ea., ell E rt!t! 

NlrsA o:)ends n{vss 208 to rcqu1re p63Bj.vc t.eltrlt t! 1n ft art, !o Dc 

.ff.ctlve 1973 

Lr South rale! rcqull..! use of slat b€lt! 

1912 

volvo lntrnduccs adJuslabl? B-po6! ancho. potnt (not ltlrdaFd) !o D.tult 

b€!!er fllllnE of shouldcr portlon ot tFor!! Iap/lbouldcr b.lts 

last lult.auan !t6te lay .equrrbA b.I! u!c,. frfr|t lrd r.e6.., go€! lnto 

.ffcct l/1 

lbv Zealard requlrcs belt use, fron! ard |.ce! 

ll. Ccmany r€qulres 3-polnt brltr. fwlt and r.car 

IOIISA r€qulres ancho.ages for (dctechabtc) lhoutd.r !!.rp! for tt.. 

outboa.d (Fn\-sS 210 ) 

VY dl.plaJs 3-poLnt belt !y!t.o vlth rlbbtng prr-tcnlldFr (lllruFrt ?2, 

t{r3hlngton, D.C. ) 

19?3 

I'lercedes-Benz p|ovldes Eli on 3-potnt bclt! tn latlg. ("S. cLr!) crm 

l:13 

,lcFc.des-8€nz pFovld€s ER oD 3-0o1ft b€:.ts ln Eldltr. (300 Scrtc!) clrs 

S€den rrqult.e! ELn on balt! ln tt dl! rcat! 

NIIISA requj..es 3-Dobt bel!3 (1.e., non-

1979 

hlnc€ haDdatc! laat bclts ln rcari clthcr 3 LrP bcltt or :|+lnt! !t- 

. 

o'rGro poslttons and lap belt a! ccnte. (tus! DMufactuftrs chdse llttct 

oplton ) 

l||.r Zed..tld t.cqul.cs 3-Po1n! belB, ft'ort 6trd r.a. outboat{ tEsllla|! 

r980 

lbr"ceilc!-Banz Drovltc! drlvcr !1dc alrboa ara lqtr irolltar' ri 

pF?-tensloner on a1l 3-Polnt bel!3 

r98t 

}[|TSA Rsclrxls rrqulf-ttt! tot cvaitrrl lnllallatldl of p6!!1ve rlslr!1nl 

l9!l 

lbx Brrlrlvlck ltd Oltarlo DrI! b€lt ula EndalorJ' fasl! !J|d rtrr' (f'(.|t 

;!! ulc n tdltory !n Ort rlo lltcr l/76) 

s.ab htroduces 3-Pol'nt 1n rear 1n all nbd€)s sotd 1n U'S' (h'd grovlded 

"for yerts" 1n Scatdlnavla and Dlrope ) 

1991 

Austrla !l!k.s belt use bandatorJ ln alar for car's )'lth vehlck aP9rova1 

afier l/8rr (f.ont .ea! u!. Drtxbtory .rncc 1/76) 

tl, cj€rlllrny roakes r..a. !cs! Delt uB. E&datory ll1 c-aFs Dll]utectultd llncc 

5/79 (E ndalorJ u:e 1n fmnt !1llce 1n6) 

Seven ol c.$lta'! lo PFvltces bv tnls th? tr'qulFc dcuF nts or Fr4T g 

vaUctca to rl'. r.ttatever !e!t bal! ayllqn l! rvrl.llb]c !o tDa 

.199J 

3l 

lbvr Scotla dl(c! bcli u!€ utdrtou' frcnt "il Fcl! 

lbtrrv DI!! r'.!f !ca! b.1! ulc ntdlt ry l' Yllrlcl'r F8tltctld tft" f/ll 

(frdi !..t ut. Eardllory .rnc. 9n5) 

lla' tork d]('s b']t ulc Ddd'tot''' fl.llt altl icer (1,r t.c6t for P'rr'ru 10 

JG!r! or oldlcr) 

tbFc€d..-D.nt rttrduces drlve! !1d€ 'lt b'a rltr EE t'btcr (ln dditldr 

io Drt-i.tltoEd 3-Fo1n! bcIE) l, u's' nr't!! 

'v 

i

32 

Exc.rpt.d Frm' Ev.ns, L.. OccuDlnt iror.ctioh D.vi.e Eff..!rv.n.s6 ,f, 

Pr.venci.S F.L.ltti.6, c.n.ral Moror! Re.carch L.bor.rort€s, April I,1,, l9Er. 

f.bt. 9. Enp;. ;.. 1 1! d.a.r^;^.d 

d., t..s In.tt cts.s 

rhi.h ,outd occlt il . 

ao ch.ng. .a unir.rt.t 

oâ sL.ad.fd E.ror. 

Crr 

.ff.cCit.^.ss of ahr.. occut.na D.oa..tio^ 

./l.cLir.^.ss artns ah. ..ducCion in lza.t;a;.s 

papu r 2t iaa ôL ust^9 thr 

ut.. Th. unc.rattât ;.d;c.a.d it ptu' c. d'nss 

Eff.ctiY.n.r. in 

pr.r.nt in9 t.t. I iti.. 

(12 . .)r 'l 

I ({r . 1}r 

p9. aJr ) 

f.bl. !O. S@.ry of th..ff.ct;En.ss ol ah. thrr. d.ric.s in p..'.oa/n9 

o.cop.nt rot.ction d.Yic. 

L.t/.hou ld.r b.ltr in ostborrd - 

;;;;;.:;;.; .:;.--- 

L.p onlr b.lt. in outbor.d - 

;:.;-;:.; "f;;; 

lT*::; 

| (.,. {)i 

| (18. e)l 

(le . ro) 

(r7. elI 

(l! . !)t 

(25 . e)t I| (21 . j)I 

(2e . e\, ) 

I.to.crcl. h.l!.t. I (27 . 9)I 

J 

I 

-l 

.l

33 

tocar loErrr:t rEDlc& tqnirL tol'd 6l ' !c' !' ArFit lt.. 

Drr tt l|ia ctr.rqt 60-".' r:,os 3, ,lL l'-" 

p:ddnr oa !!!h.:F. lh. ilt Jr \{li.! Dnl 

l Oi sl,i\ |n! holnir, 'rt' l's 

tc,i.t $rr!.Jit?tr.*4 n ::.t.. 

o. hl.i . .rc.F lq d b$.d 

ot d'li's'r 

Fc''i'r 

r'tu 

c.d u€8 oa rdd bidi.t bddJ bt t'iLi.l 

t, Arcsrr. l9tr 

Thirty-thrce Iatal crashes rvith seat bells 

U. br: s! )€! in $hi.h !r lLri on. FFr 

r'! Tdirt . (c L:lL At d. du! ir .rall 

l. !d.6ro!d lh.l thd qdv de1 Mt rGnrF o 

rrtEi6 th< pto.|

t ( !r

e r.t4dirn E .rt oa dr &{.'Eii 

t diri6 oa dr .i.4.6 b6Er .d o! I -t:r 

:|5 

@.r tiw €Dt t .rd d 

{ 

:tt 

iJ

36 

Aa/Qa:rranaanp tncDrEa.Ixc sulr 

Intra-Company Com m unication 

N!. Jobr V.rr.c. 

P. C. B.!t.L.'o 

a. G. SE d.! 

Subl.c'.: P!o!.c!1o! oft.!!d br Should.r g.lt (3-PoLE! Sr!t@) 

19 S.p!eb.! 196? 

I! !!3pour. !o th. ftqtr.lt !o! aoll c@pl.t. doc!!.dtrtl@ p.!l.ld-!g to 

t!. prot.ctl.co, !n! ..ad .ou, og.ftd t'y !b. 3-FtDt lbool,.dcr r!t..:-o! 

syt:@ prpot.it ao! 19@, ih. toUdrrlg cLlul.c.d, .!tl cF.rb.utd it^r. 

shodd b. ccobLrd \.ltb IEp..! Ot.dcst fi-ld.lrgr foi caDlld.Fai1d. ft.!. 

rt ..r.atLr!.t coEt b.d !a ry Dao of 29 lugur! to H.. !r1ggr, ,r. !!vc 

l'ot d .I publltb.d d!!^, .!d rd. olpubL1lh.al dat , bov| !o ut !.t^r1r6 

!o ctlDl'c.l c ..! loqDd to d.l! b.lrt@otlt. .cc!lor!. !b1! l! t!!t 

cPrE. to dat. .!d ccltrb'It bc@e].u3j.v.. I! r.r! lJlpoltoi to !6i. 

tlri Edir.!! of tb. BlG.ciudcr D.pqrtDos lr!r. Frt1clp.t.d tjr t!. oDlt 

.rf.d&!t L stt!l1.. vlt! !lyL!s $bJ.c!! @..rlCL!b.d !o .Lrt. vlrb .! oL 

J.c'.lt. or ts!.!!bs LrJljr.t pot.rtl.I qbrc! !!t b. rttrlt !.

3? 

19 s.ptab.. 195? 

- 2 - 

?oL!i. t! c!rr6! !t.i.Jl.!to.! .!. fl.r d' !ot...6! of !h. .6.t' 

c@bj..o!.t sl,th r dd. !Da. oa ocdP&t' lodt t1..5, 1!ct.4.! !!. 

UL,.!tbo.d o! lEprsp.t Po.!t1odig. 

.) It !h. 

!.rt.d 

1d d 

upD.! Ec!o!ig. 

o::rDE!, t\! 

rb. ;dljj-dr!. 

ls too !^r lorrrd 

b.l,t ot!. s!11 t 

.!d t!1! ..n .lloe 

r.lrtlt. to th. 

!!dr tiri li !! i6 

tb. Lld.ltldtt4l !o! 

od.t !o Ad 

dlt rot t.d 

or.t 1t 

ddrlEd 

.!d !L!P ou!, l t E 

dutl,rg !tr. .l.c.1.nttc6, 

b. iorquld lotv.rd 

!il'c.h couL

38 

l. a1.i{.a! Strdr-! .r tnr}ii! t. {!tob6tlv. O.-,n.nt. ltrJ\r:.d 

!o ih. i-?o1.! 8.1t 

,' cdp!tir.!:j.'. r.dry or !b. Frbllsb.d .!d !:!tuf !b.d c!.dc.l 

flladlls! !.1^!l.!B to ..tt b.Lt 1!JrEI.! 1! p.srld.d b r.t.!oc.-8. 

rbt!. qt b. .lr!'|!g.d r' lollov! i 

slDc. t!. 3-polD! !.!t!r5i c@t1gur:tJ6 ha, lot Ft b.c [|.d ct !!1r.1', 

b.ras of!.!.d c6Lr.! optle! l-! 1967 r.h1cL!t rc!Ld.s! .:EFd@c. 1! ,!l-tt 

ll-slt.d ed j.!l!ri.! ri!r1r !.d to tLLr rtrte b!r. b.cD t55.qu.rtJ.t r.- 

pdlt.d to d!t.. n!!b.r :.! 1965 d.!crl!.d r!. ftlri 6s. o! r ! .r1c :rprl:t 

frld us. o! r 3-pobr coEbiatl.co lAp.!d dl'lg.o.I !.1i. Iloale.Utr th. 

. IrlFci f o!c.. ,!voLv.d e.!. rEuluall'y !4U, r Voll.q8.a strlhbs r B.uuI! 

tElqdsld! .i 5-10 Bph fr@ . nd-! srop. Sogb t!. \A-r.udd e@s dnv.- 

.!d tb. 6?-t..'

. 

of .t!rt .! 6s hcr ltlt 31d', rd nrFtE..d !'! 'PL"E dt:l t^t!tt' btt'- 

r!d.oi,a!l hecE!h!8.. ?o!!_r'89'c!' 'a out.IlD' '! lbt b'It (5 tcch'Eo!'!) 

n! rlsltil. !n DdL!8 trd dglt sbodd" to ltlt th18h' lbt f'tu s! 

rdllboro \8 ho63 Poli-LtBFc!' 

39 

b.t h.!d !!d b..! rlos 1!Pact$8 ![' F!'l' :j'r:l'! 

h..d ot . PFglrrci 

r!! 'Ll'goEAl t'1! 'Lld not FFr'li botb 

'.o !b' 'h"t Ed 

e@4! d5o ocaE!'d b t ltcold c4'' occar5S !!c'r 

.LEolt 1d.!ttcd' .6dl't1os; !dc!cr' tb' outc@t or trtrt! to t!' !6tg 

t! !!G! !abo6' 

lr ) 

svdrlh studt's !At' ttPor!'d !'s q'Ertliu' to ibl! svli'o '!c 

A - 2 

ddkr st!d-16! bAv. b"D @d' !n agLr_d"' rnd r.ul!! L!.'-' Ls ' Dirt'! 

ltudt't!t.. t1$t at 4!t cb'!i o.' Itg bluift!'E!! loltld !6! dLtgood' 

.!d 3-pobi u!c!t .! !d ].ap brt uscrs'(2) (I! u' rDtl'e 3-Pob! tttt@' 

lqlL.td! or tb. dl.iSoad' lDd laP !'1t dt !tt|!btd' vbLlt l_D ih' EuroPto 

3-F.d,!! 5t3t@, tb.!. .F @lt tbt'6 PolEt!' 6' '!d o! tb' LP b']t !srr6U!8 

uD to !ot! !h! co!tl$.3r d1!go!d' ait&r!ta!' ) ODtot'tlsi'lt' tb's' EuroP'E 

ltn li.! do lot tldtLd. T.c{lc lDll!|7 br"}ddE' Tlt Dllot 'd!6!'g' of 

th6 3-!o1!! !t!i@ oe.r .1t!" rb' !i!gL dlaSolll ot t!' LrP b'It It tl^! 

It ot!.r! .ddlt.lo!61' Prt.ctloD 

bt Fdtot5E 

'L'!'0! o:';!' qpF! !o!!o' 

Dlr.dad!.gt! tF!..r to t ibai L! Elt l1t tbt ocdF!! colt'ctlt t' !' 

.tt.ctLv.' €!.u !.l!.t i.h. occcP!!! !o *!P out b !1dt trFct f LlPActtd oD 

th. !.!. tld. !t ib. !houl'd'! h']'!'!t' Tb'!' oat dro !t 'o' PoltlblUt7 

d c.rY!c..l 5lt:7 ilrou8h !!PlDg!@ai or tho b'1! rf !5Fct'd fro| t5' 

0t!.' !1d., n.'.r't!.1.!" r nP.lrz;1.]3d6! 

3rr.!.! ptot cttoD tb!! tb. LP b'1t'(9' 

10) 

!!'i!'b! ry!!'! o('rt 

I 

j

9. 

40 

NT'IPsICIS CITED 

ErcrsBct, --t.i.i-.i-t" C.! 1963 Arrffrc l4ll:fr.t 1! Soui! S!"d'! vlt! Sr'ctd 

t{'.dtco-t rt1 û!oP!1.! of cat occuP6!! Ed !'Ls 

It i"J r.rr". c$rgll1e-!sbd&!r1st, sqepf. :o8. 

ErsrtuxsE. J. c. Ed l. l. Scticuol: 1955 Strtls tlcd stldt. 

arr..tl,i-..t (of) S..! B.l'i!. irPPort. ul-!|o, ID!i!tN! vocr 

Vcgt arporutldd.]-d. !.tb!rl&d:- 

UXRErt. J. E.: 19& 

's.-f.cv B.L!s fo! Motor v'l{cl!5 b vlctoFlai 

UdJ-.J-JrtlrE]le r:5? 

EaBE!IS, J.: 19& iscat 8.rts Dd C.trl cal SP'o&fotl!' :=si3tq.r: 

188:8c4. 

r - j 

X!sB. P.: 1965 'I4E!t J"J]!.s!sll!!4].u!d:el&! 

!:!de.d b' s.at B'Iis: 

?:2x+]2' 

R'Pott o! 2 C'.'e!r 

FTCICER. 8. !. 6!!t B. c. &r.@o[: 196? is4! 

ua sieru. JDo 2oo(2):m-1?8, L0 rpdL 

B'li !t!c!u!'! o! thc sC.!. 

lJsln, B. D. .!d B. u. MIIlal: 1963 rc!! --ib;'fi;." 

s"! 8'l'!!: l! laltllt of 

s*i"t.a t7 cr: oicupors" !E!t!Us!r 191:39-3A0 

s[nEB, R. C., u. U. CBOgr, C. C. 9lo!l, J. lJ. rcInC P. Erl{Sol; 

196? is..! B.1r l!ls'.l.! ll1 IrF.!" (3 p!.!rl b$-!!E&a!-ll! 

i;d.ntrcn .! Fl.b4e rllllF stuFltlE. !b. UdY6!!i'tt of !|lc!it!'D 

l{odlcal scjrool. (P!!!t"tDl rti.ch.c'. 

:Ou!IG, J. !].: 1967 "A hlctl o!!l' cosP.rtlcd o! B's1c R'5t!tLr! 

St;.!5" Olr R.Po!: (1! p!.5!) f.d.!.L ltlrt1oD ld4t! stt'!!6'

li.'rc.rt.! Stodl.r .i q.rtarrt t:6ttctld vlth th' r_Pollt 

{l 

E18h! t tts bw! b..E corduli'd !1!L b'booD tubl'ci! u!l-U!j'!g 

!h. EoIL@'! tt! Dat3y D.c.L!rto!' ?b!" e"6 LsP'c!'d b tb' 

f6!er!d-f.cLrB body orl.Et il.oD' leo r"r!"!il f^cf'ba' d' 'i too 

dd. !acr-Dg, .!d t@ d! 9oo 31'!t ttcils' to 6E bt'l'dg!' ll'!' rt_ 

F.r.!i tb. ody .rP.rieDtd. ttudt ot t!| L4!F gr6!'itto! !'P!'!'Etttd 

bt th. 3-Pobi E!tr!$i tF!6. I!! r'!ul't! o! t!t!6 lltt ltc 

r@arl!.d j.! tb. attac!.d T!b16. C@pI't' datcu!3toE t!]d ccrcblloo' 

..r. fouad lu !cf.!! c. 1. 

I! luo fo!e!!d-r.c1!g 1tF !s 't 20 & 2A' Do tdult 6! folld 

b oac ctir Ed dtgbi Lalltt (I'ss"tLc Pot'cEd' 

bcloF h!6" adt'!!l' 

Frfctpsd.ar bEo?rD!86, ut'!u! bro'd lfgE !l b@!@) b tlE ot!'r' 

A ttold t.r! t 3cc (2oo !..'- !1!c!, ?.2 fvs'c r']ocrtv, 30oo 8/!'c oq!'i 

nt. to! 0.095 !.ct iiuttiloa) 'I!6 t'ltrltld t'a ol_!4 !!rl4 (!'1'- c@iu!1@! ' 

dpld co!gr3'loE) @:'7. 1!! lPP.tt t6 offlr an'D b'l!!! !t$\E7 lri'ctlob' 

rot .t!sD]', to tb. !!s !.v.1 o! !P!ct t!!! sith ' ItP b'Il odt !h1ch 

.pp.s! !o of!e! b!tgL!aL tu:Ttrtblutt tt 30C' 

tuo tu.F{acbg !.!tt s.r rs !! lbj!! c'o:118!t!!1o!' li 20C' !6 

bll'tt vss !oEd. It \cc, 5JE vs uo! sst'!' (t'tdrEd' baoFb!8" 

.llb..F3u.b! ld,&.y b6!ro:Tb!g!' .!d F!"!1d h!so:tt'S" ), '!d ollv !E 

)d.dr.7 $d ri> P.t.c.rl.!:' lttolrllg.t .ttrlEr!'d !o tb' b'1! (r! !'!olEA) ' 

l{t.! oac 5Oo 1.!i' 5td. i!P!.! t! 22G !'d'!'!' btr'_dlltrL 

h.sor!!g. vrr lou.sd u?oq grost a&brtloD' |!d 4oc!rd&L lv@rhch 

upoE El.cFscoplc \.j.3io1ogicd. ttudt' 

fer 9Oo !1d.vr!t-r&&8 tsPrcts .l 22 |.!d 30C v'!t trrD' l! !b' 

Irv.! f.v6], !6a.F. duld &d u!j.D-r7 bladdo! b@or:bAg. occur:cd, !D 

stltld c6ir!!t t'o !b. 22C loflit"d !rl! vb.t. !o t!$E! 6! fo!!d. lt 3OC

tri.B !r.. flttcllt ftttj', dr. pd-E r!l, t rtl'd,6.tta of tt occ(Ft t t_ 

12 

lulltold lobi .! !h. E.ck r-drSld upo! tb. d1|{rrt b.It. 

r. 

RSEEISqE 

ID_E*l_c.,.g;_c. "'+iEHir;[i',ffi" 

suolr, J, v. :!rruc, v. t{. cos[ .!d 

Jcr.El' Lqnd:'e6. oD rdatl@ FrrholoFT, o!!.r-. u scpterc:.' 

:j 

I 

,!

E 

I 

I lltF 

lrl ltl 

l:[-[l 

l; lt il;1 

l:l!U 

la Flrl 

lir 

I 1 p' 

I t:F t 

:l l.ur 

;l I Xl 

it tF 

il lE. 

1n-- 

i1 

!l I r 

:-l | | 

i|! 

ri 

,l 

:l 

I 

! 

! t 

ii 

il 

1 

t- 

I! 

I 

I 

1 

tl 

iti al 

it t: 

itr: li 

!Jll ri 

!!lr 

43 

I 

I L 

I 

33-r 

o:3. 

\z2a 

: :;: 

--.:.' 

! i 

iiiiiiI 

ll i; 

I 

: i!; 

I 

liri iJ:,1i r ii 

.t5:: I 

-.e i a .e- 

!dit: 

iii,lii 

tf 

il iliii ilniti rliiir'liili 

:liii 

li 

itii! 

ll 

i litl 

tl 

i 

:!: 

:F 

iF 

:::

Tr(E r{ llofirl, s-JElI5il lr0.l! sirf,?M,txD 

(stntcn. irrliks[k€rhctsv.rk) 

21.r.1968 

REcULrtIol{S Ia sttrEIY tF;LtS (TlanststtoE fro! th. Srodllh 01161: l) 

2.2 

2.' 

2.1 

2.' 

,, 

1.I 

4,1.2 

lpnl.icntioh 

44 

Thcsc reguLtions apply 10 paE6€r6er co!!. 

Dcfi ni t{on. 

F I 196A 

ilafct/ belt" nccns s dcv.ice consl6ttna of strnps rrth 

fastcr:n6 cnd .djuslablc llcklca, attBcbDcnt flttiD4:s and, 

occolionally . !etr^ctor dcvice, rhic\, flrEly !ec!!ed to 

the structure of a cat, is dcsl6^cd to reducc ihc .Iok 

of injury to t.bc rcarar by liDlting hj.6 Eobillty 1n th. lvlnt 

oI colliiioh or othc! violctri !etsrd?tlotr or ihe rehlcl€. 

ntblcc 

Foint bcLt,,i! o 6afcty belt nith a diagonll otrsp 

nnd o lnp sLtaD aDd rlt)! oic ul'Dar snd tro Lorcr ancholag. 

t'T'ro poiDi bel.ti IB tr lnf.ty b.lt tlth a ilia8onsl sttap riih 

onc upFc!. and onc lo.cr dncholaBs point. 

"lit) belt' ls A .ufcty blIL niih a hI etlsp vith tro lorcr 

enchoregc Foints, 

I,Arch.''ace polrtl Do6r! D })oi'lt rhare a sarety bclt Io 

conrectcd to 1!e ca! body o! equiyalcnt ?rrt o.f tha constructio 

gco)9. 

vith thc srceDtlor. !1dtcd in poini ,.:, a c.Icty te:t shl,l 

bc instell.d tn odch.cat po.ttlon. 

lhe rcouirchcnt of poiDt ,,I docs Doi 6FpLy to lld!-fRctng 

oc.t5, tcldini iuxiliary j!ftp seats lnd !aor-Ia.j.lrt 6orlto. 

tor t\. !:c.of rlitfa!.Dt typci of .nfcty tolto thc follosln- 

.hrll .p;'Iy ; 

t'lrri4 r'oirt bclL. Lry 1,.. r:i.iC lo! all ic^t Io.itions. 

'lrr lr:rl. L'cIl! htl3t nol 1,.: u$!d for th'j jrit 

Ire::li:jon l:/ tl.+ 

' 

-il 

.! 

11, 

i

t6 

i', 

- ttoo 

r.1'1 3":::::::'11'"':"""J:*".-t"t':*:::::: 

a2 tti't"lffix:;;;1;ffi*r 

4.) ::::.,il."1::*:r,,..'""-*:rr:i=t*:igi 

:11 .ll"'J"'-;;;nchors'e5 

,.4.I ::1il:::'*:'J;.:.n{ 

5h'rr 

.- .-nli

6,2 

46 

t. 

. r9_r959 

Ihc racI]atlorE of polnt 4.5 lre heont io bo rc}laced 

by tole dctallcd onc6 rh.n preB€nt sork on iDtcr'natlonnl 

re€llrtion! ha. bccb cDhll c !cd. 

; 

I

I I 

o t 

r o \ 

il! I - 

\'/ 

l 

: 

i 

{

,l NSTRACT 

48 

Ar r.chenr f 

870483 

A Three-Point Belt in the Rear Center Seating 

Position as Accessories 

fhrs paper desc!bes softe oflhe ensin.errnq 

srtuahons cn.ounLcr.a during the 

'i"velopmenl of a lhree pornt bcl! for Lhe 

rrar cenler seaLins posilroD rn a sedan cai. 

Tne b.lt $ rll be soid as an accessory for the 

The reinforcemenl of the parcel shelf 

r. achreve a sutficienlly strong anchoraE. 

. ). the rebacto. and the s€ometrical loca- 

Lions ofthe bell. anchorases are presetrted. 

The coDflict between lhe g€omerrical 

requrremenls. the deesn and thc visibilny 

rvill be tocuss€d. Thc n.ed for updatcd 

rcquirehents lor bel! hstallaLioDs in Lh. 

r€ar center seahng posr\ion will be pornted 

Data iroh lhe pertormed LesLs shos 

lha! all demaods froh resulatjors and "inho!.tse 

' requirenenls are fulfilled. 

BACKGROUND 

THE lST OF JULY, 1986, S*eden introduced 

a compulsory belt lar for the reat 

seat in pass€ngpr cars. Countries as Wesl- 

G€.lnany, Norway, Ne$ Zeeland and 

Auslralia have already entorced similar 

laws-This willinclease the useolseat belts 

in the rear a.d also ,ncrcase the dcmand oD 

comfort of seat bell rDstaliations. 

Lell |(rtbnnk and Hu9o Mdrandx 

Today host Europ€an car manuf.cturers 

have tbree point b€lLs on the rear 

oulborrd posit,ons snd a iap bclt in the 

c€nte. as st.rdard equrPmerl 

ll is. even for lhc iron! sc.! occupanL. 

rmporLant Lhal rearseatocrupants use th€f 

saf.ty belLs (1)'. ln ihe ccn!cr scalrng 

posilion loday w. have a very lo* usaBe 

rate. mainl! because il is unconfortsble 

and difficull lD pu! on.nd 

Children nay pref.r lD srt tn Lhe tear 

.erter pos'tion whcre thrr" c.n have a clear 

vi€e oDl on Lh,! roid. finlhes s,lh lhr€e 

children may *. ht to havr all lhcrr children 

use !he 6sm. U pc ot thrt( po,tr! b.lt. 

Takrng Bll rhrs Into rccounL il was 

de.ided lo d€velop s thrr. l,oint bclt for this 

scaling posihon as rn scccasorr. 'l h. main 

sdvrrtag$ of ! three pornt bclt in lhe r€ar 

cenLcr posrUon arc: 

- lliEher s.felv le!el 'n fronLalimptcts 

- Incrc6sed comfort 3nd conv.n'enc€ 

- Bette. desrAn, compsrcd Lo a nonrctraclor 

lap betl 

. Childrcn pt€ter lhis plscc 

r-T'ri-E*_iiT*"rEe*"ae-ii?;;Erfercncrs 

al €nd of D6D.r

ENCINEERINC 

Thr rcquirem.n!5 r:o!crn,nr: iht 

dev.lopmenL of thir bcll iy.L.m ctrm( from 

''in-housc rcqu!reheD!s ond koh rcsuln. 

r,ons The r.Fulal'ons $eft.trlrc ltreni!h 

teslrnE ol' b.l..nciorage. 6@rdrn( lo r'iClt 

Itli and ADR 58, btll sy6lrin L€Ftrnt .t! rrl 

FMvSS end seohelr,c.l locElions ot 

Thc rn-hous. .oqurrc6cnLs wcr( 

f.onL.l barricr.r.sh lesl.s in 30.nd 35 hph. 

desrgn !nd comfort r.quiremcDts, such aF 

easy handl'ng, rninimi ng of the wcbbitf 

pressurc on the shoulder rnd easy tnslnlls. 

tlon in lhe car oILhe accessory belL 

Durjns the dcvelopFent phssc it 

became cl€ar thal lhe pa'cclshclfhad to bc 

reinforced. Special p.rls had to b. enSine€ted 

to make thc psrcel sh€lf aDchorage 

meel the exisling slrength requirencnts. 

h the engrneenng ofLhe special parts 

ise€ fiFures I nnd 2) lhe follopits porDr. 

had to be consideredl 

Aslo* weightaspossible 

Low manufactu{ns cost 

No intert€rence with the luggege 

No lnterterence with eristing parts 

like loudspeake.s, *indow shade 

aDd head !estrainLs 

At. t. id.toE.mnt Sdct.rt .spEli.d 

Inlh.&c..Ed lli 

49 

Ut9o 6ouEtin9 .l ..tEcaot on 

l. A brs.Let holding aDd keeprn8 lhe 

retra.tor ol lhc decided posilron 

2. I'rofil.distributi.stheload 

3-.1. Ilrofrle! lrevenlrnE rhe ltpPrng oi the 

rctr!c!oidu€ to lh€ bendrns lnoment 

i Parcel shclftrim 

8. I'ar.cLEh.lfshe€t.m.1..1 

lL was slso a problem to trnd t rctractor 

that ess cspable ot *ilhstanding 6 

load of l5 kN drrectly 'nlo l-he reel. In this 

bell.syslem lher. is no D'rrn8 and th. Ioad 

comes from a drfterEn! anelc than iD a 

no.mal load'ng case. as 1n a l}.post 'nslalla. 

FIS 3. Olal.enc.In lordlng di..ctaon. 

lot lh. cl..ctor 

t,

Du. tothe r€Fubtiont of geohetrical 

rones rhe relr8clor had !o b€ pls.ed nbout 

lo0 hm .bDvc lhc psrcel !helf lrio, which 

meanr that thc retracror hsd ro b. cove.cd 

w'th a plaslrc covct (see figure 4). 

Fi9,4. vaewthrosgh rearran.low 

showin9thG insra .iion 

The i tallation ofth. nc* rhr€e point 

be)t.lso pe.hits the lap bclt to remain in 

the rar and be !sed for securins lone 

luggase or restraining certsin child- sesri 

Fagr 5. Low.r an.ho.as.! ol ..:? ...t.? 

50 

Slli.lULATloNs 

MBl.hensli.sl simulalioni pere done 

to detelmtn€ {h€ .ff.ct ot o losercd uppet 

anchoras€ poinl. ln lhe ?60 sedan car Lhere 

are three differ€nl b.1t F.omelries I sec 

[8ure 6) and lh. qles|on w.s what effect 

th€ lowered upler rnchoraFe had on 

compr€3sron ol Lhe sprn. 

tlg,6, a.ng.oftrn.r r.7rh. dln.Enr 

A lwo-dimcnsional lumped mass computerproAram 

deveioped b! !ollo (2) was 

used Lo sludy thrs srluauoo 

Accordins to lhe stmulaLions [he compressron 

lorce In the spire is trealer wrLh a 

lower upper anchorage poinl bul slill at an 

acceptable level compared wiLh lhe outboard 

hisher poinL (3). The simulation 

show€d 2.8 kN in .ompression ol lh€ lower 

sprne rn r 30 mph crrsh. This value sas also 

laae. confi.med ir sledrests as desribe.l 

.: 

i 

.

TlisTlNc 

All rctulBtion t€.ts. ihe Errcnalh 

aeslins or bclt ancto.ages rnd lh€ b.l( 

sy.!1m lestina. were conducled wilh satisfoclory 

rcsults The rn.house demands of Lh. 

syslcn nrlud.d dlnam ic crosh tests 

lrontsl bnrn.. Lesrs aL 35 mph Bnd Hy-Ge 

s).drcsts rl 30 fttl| }sv. bceh partorm.d 

SLED TESTS-The sled tests werc 

conduclcd sith a Hy-Ce crash simulator 

lbat simllrr.d I ;]0 nph lrash Th€ dunr 

hies used vere a P5?2 dumnr nnd child 

dumm,cs: TNO P3, Us3year. US6yer.. 

TNO PIO 

'l hc 50 perc dummy Pas elso 

equippcd wilh a special arial force kans. 

ducc. 'n lhe lower spine Lo measure the 

compressron load in the splne. (Sec fLgure 

it. 

Fi$ ?. Fotltion ot rFGGial .ri.l torc! 

it ndu..t in th. P572.1!6nr' 

5l 

An adyanlss€ *ith this hee bell8.o. 

tnarry .omp6red wilh th. outboard Fco. 

meuy war. s reduced forwsrd di6plac.hcnt 

.fth. h.!d snd lower lllC- !slues. 

The t€6L( conductcd $.irh chitd du6, 

mie8 w.ra don€ with Volvo 6 child cuihion. 

Thcrc wss ro siFnif'cEnt difTerpnce ol child 

dummy re€poDEe reslraiDed with lhree 

pornl belt on center place compar.d lo 

The dummy responscs in average from 

30 hph 6ledtasts were as follovs: 

HIC Chest Upp€r 

tesullznl, aDchorsrob.r! 

crc forc€. kN 

50p€rc. ?70 4l 

3 yeaB 560 

6 years ,130 

l0 yesrs ,150 

46 

48 

5l 

The loads rrom the load cell in th€ 

loeer spin€ showed 2-4 kN. This is 

$me*hat hisher cohpar€d with the outboard 

places and.onfirmed the results from 

!he simularion. The outboard places sho*ed 

1.5 - 3.0 kN. 

FRONTAL EARRIER TESr - The 

froDtal bar.iertesl w€r€ run at J5 hph wilh 

a 760 6eda, car. The rear cenler posilion 

was equ'pped wilh a ih.ee pornt bell and 

occupied by ! P5?2-dumny 

Thedummy responses w€re: 

HIC 

= ?80 

Ch6t r€sultsnt, Cr =4lG 

Femure forces 

7 

= 2-5 kN 

Tltc rDarimuo io.ce rn lhe diagoDal b.lt 

lfar 6.4 !N- 

GEOMETRICAL BELT ANCHORAGE 

ZONES 

Three different reEllations of beh 

archorag€ rnnes apply to this belt lyst m. 

The US I FMVSS ?r0). Australian (ADR 5B) 

rnd the Eu'opean (EG ?6/rI5,82/319, 

Rl4/02) zoD€s.lSee igrre 8).

52 

Fb!4. Upp.r b.||..GhoEg. ror. r, 

dttt Fni r.sotaiton, 

Today the Europcan rcgularrons srat. 

tor rhree poinr belrs ancho. 

rages rn the outboard ppsilions and zones 

for a lap bel! in the cenrer posirion. Th. 

uon€s ld the upper anchoraSe poinr also 

appry ror the center posirron, if equroDed 

wii.}| a three po,nL bciL 

ln order not to,nterferr wir]1 the sishr 

out thrcush lhe rear wiDdow the reka.ior 

was put close Lo l.he lower limits of the 

European and AusrralraD zones. An 

addiLionaL Eu.opean r€quriemenr is lhar 

eveD atter. stalic pull tesr ot l3.S kN rhe 

retr.cror has to be inside rhe zoD€. lsee 

figure 9)- 

Th,s pror€cr hos shosn !har !h€ 

rns!'3llahon oI a rhrec pornr belr rn th€ 

cent€r posrtron would beneirr from no! 

riavrng Lhe same geomerrical zones as for 

rhe ouLboard ptoces. Due ro lack of hreh 

body sLrurru.e, desr8n and conflicts wih 

resr s'Bhr, rh-e middt€ pLace oughr Lo have s 

roser.zone rt equipped wrlh a Lhree Dornt 

D€rt Nok rl.Iat Lhe US-zore already .I;wss 

DuflDg rhe development phas€ of this 

proJecl. Lhe differ€n.e5 ot rhe narronal 

regrrarrons became very obvious. A ha.mG. 

nratron belween the difTcrenl rcsularrons 

would be benetrcirl. The geomerr,crl zon€s 

and Lhe. slatic skengrh LestrnS rre ar€6s 

wnere rhere are possibrtilres ro have r.he 

same regulations. Sinc? Loday 3 reeulahons 

are not inLended tor r.hc rear c.nrc; posrrron. 

specrtLc regutar'ons for i,hr3 pDsrtrDn oushL 

l,o be lou nde.l 

r 

:l 

I

Fla. a. lclt.idr. atsuE ot dq{lDd 

Eu@''... rtdic PUll l"l Itth' 

n.t ...( i. .qult9.d ihll thE. 

thF. 

CONCLUSIONS 

potnl b.lt.. 

53 

This Proj.ct h,as !ho*D that it is 

Dos.ibl€ to Dslsll a three poinL tetractor 

L€tt for the rea' cenlre seatins posriron rn a 

*dan car. 

Thrs D.D€r d.scribes the developmenl 

ot .n a"cesi.ry b€lt whcre effort has- been 

spent on reinfDrcirE dre p.rcel shell wrrn 

bolr-on brack.ls to Mhieve s-ullrct€nt 

strensth of !h€ upper mbunttng lL rs.lerrrJ 

er.y to eD8:ine.r tbe bodv struclure. dunng 

the desigD of a new car' e tbal lh'se sPecrsr 

Darrs would b. ibt€3r.ated in rhe bodv. 

' 

. . 

The vurictv ol r.sulations appttcsbl€ 

to belt systeo. b..obsrncted the work and 

it has to be stt"ssed thst aoendmeDl b e' r_ 

3tDs resulstions rn EuroPe and Austraxa-'s 

ne€ded io co'€r th€ sPecific probleb ol lhe 

three po,nt bel! InsLall.tion in non' 

oulbo8rd Places 

Th€;e rsdeiinrLelv a treed lor barmon'zatron 

oI regllshons and Elso Po3s'brltttes 

to cerhiy restraint svEierns bv Perlormrn8 

dynamrc syslem tests 

REFgRENCAS 

l ll Norin, A Nil.lon-Ehle E Sr'€tol' C 

TLnq!rll 

''1";urv.E.ducrn! ElTect ot SeE! bel|! otr 

'.i'. *". *-p""t. _8th ESv Cont ' 

()rt ber 2l ?a, l98O 

"Co.mPutc.r 

2- J.rn.rrom. 

C I1983r 

!rhulsLton ol e motor vehrcl' cr'lo 

dummv und !3. of srmuialion In th' 

d.$8tu3n61Y.r5 Process 

ln! J. of V.hrcle D$tgn vol 4 Doz rr' 

. .l'f Jl'"" -**** " A,r Force re''-urch 

on brodvnamrcs of col)rsion rnjurv I'rc' 

of lolh SE9P Cqt Cont Novedb€r u'e' 

o ll8tn",,.n.0.. schnerder' c K X'o"lL 

F.D. tGulch R.sponee ol belt reltlal[cd 

i,"'#:';;i ;: t#t i :'6i""ll6fiil"; ". 

, it;tt'11,*t o.cupsnt dvnam'cs as.' 

functron of rmPact ungl€ and 

^bcl.( 

r.rtte,nt Proc of 24Lh sl'sPp ua' uonr' 

Octlber l5 li 1980 

6 B Lundell, Ll M€llsnder' I t-arlslon 

"Sat 

ty pertorhance ol a rear ceat.b'lt 

sy.tem with oPlimrzed sear cusnld 

d€.isn Psss car meetrng June o'rz' 

198r'

APPENDIX 

Ol.9r.d l. Sl.d rc..l.r.lio. 9urs. 3o mph 

l!rmrl.tio. .t . a.ont.l b5-'.. l..tl 

Ol.tnn 2. Foid !.Fi* tc.r.cc.t.r.id 

o!t..35Fph 

u

i, /22/ 82 

55 

A NOTE ABOUT THE PREEIPTION TSSUE 

6asrc lssue AutonobilL nanufacrurers hav( arou€d in a 

"-u"o"r oi iu'."i!s !r.:t .lains aearnst it,nanuiac!urcr tcr 

r:llurres resul!1;rg frct" l11. tanuiactu!€! s fa:iur' ro provioc 

ao€guatE saie:y a:€ F!e€npEei fro: triai Hh€n Eh€ lnvolved 

autcmobil: cr sys!en ne€ts a nlnif,r'::: Federai Ilotor 

v' nrci. Satety . tanoard TFMVS5 

sectlon 103 (d :be prEer'Ftron subseclicn ci !h€ lct (15 USc 

:392\d) ), co:llains nc la.quaqe, ieqisLaEiv€ i_istorv or rntent 

precludinq ccr! ac!icns (her€ a F}lvs: has !eEr n€r ' i! 1! 

atrrectei solely at Freer:!rliq a sLat€ .r po: iL:ca: 

suDdi?rs:or." f:cn. aicFtr.t: totcr vehicie sa!€rl- s!andards 

'r.r! 

rd.n(tc-: t. r.r'- Federa' s:ar'carc! 

i.'o!i i::rp3rran: against ianui:.lurers ior safetv 

c€i€crr. vjnelhe! .: r.:t !i1€t involv€ coirpcnen!s lnat conplv 

with::.rnrnur' Ft{VS stanoat:! a!e specii:ca:-; prorLcLEo bv 

10s (c) "conpir'ance 

as !o11olts: 

lti!h anv tederal not.or v€hic1e 

safetr stancard lssued und€: thi s La$ oo€s nc' €:{elnp! anv 

pelson fron any I].abili!y undet connon iar' 

F;oo1 oebaEe D€arinp cn tO9(cl ccnfirms cong:ess's clea! 

:nter.L crE to F:€€itrFt io!! aclion: 

lltous€ Debale o:1 passag€ c: lhe National Traf:ic and MoEor 

vei.licle salety Acl. conq: Rec. Aug. :7, f965, ;' 19653): r|r' 

Ding€:.1, tor ri.e .ili an.. aqains! an arendn€ni (defeated) 

cftered by Er. l'Neri: o; llessacbus€!ts !.::i:Fos€ c:1r:rnar 

p€nai ! i es for ncn_ccnpl:atlc:: 

secorli, $: have preserved every singi€ corntnon-i!l| 

r:etnedy tia! €>:ists agains! a nanuiacEur€! io! th€ 

benefit ot a:ioEor v€hi.L€ pulcilas€r' Th:.s neans 

ll.}a! ali ci tire Fa:ranties and ail of the 

other devi.es a: cohtncn iar Fh:ch are atforded lo 

the purchaser' rer,ain in the buyer, aid th€l' can 

be exerc:sed agarns'- tre manutactu!e: ' 

In Ehe Senate's floo! conside!a!1on o: the Ccnte!€nc€ 

Connitcee repor!, on August 31, 1955, al F. :148-r' sen' 

Magnuson, ChaitnLan ot tile Senat€ Cotirnerce Costiittee' €xp1a1ned 

tn! s.rlute'. acceptanc€ oi rhe :iouse-criqiiated lanquase of 

108 (ci as folloEs: 

The senare conlerees accePred the House Provisior' 

that colnpli.ence t|iEh Federal standards {ioes not 

exernF! any Person fron cct!rnon iaH 1ia'i1itv- This

56 

prcvisroi nal(es €xFIicit i:: th€ bii.l ' 

F!1n.iFie o€v€ioP€d ir- !ie senatt repor! Thr! 

D!ovrsio6 doe. no: pr€vent anv person :!on 

ir.!rocucln; in. ia$su!r evid€nc. of co:iplranct 

.r nonconFliancr !r1!h Federai s_.anoard3 lio cour: 

rules ot evldence a!€ intendeo :o be alrer€d bi 

[his p:o\'1s1on, 

Ti. rr:r..ip;: aeviloped :n rhe sEna!€ rePort" - Repor 1 

'l(' 

icccipa::y :. -100:, Jun€ ::, i966 

- r.as as tollovrs: 

. . . !h€ Fede!ai .--:ni:r'u: safeiv staidar

57 

Mr. Kr-nczxl. Which gentleman prefers t'o go next? Mr 

,Kelley' 

Mr. Knu'tv- Mr. Chairman. I'm going to submrt my lull 6tare' 

-;;i f;th"';ita. L'ti i would lile to summarize it and .underscore 

for you the researcn rnar we have conducted that emphasizes 

;#;;;.id;lih" p.tut"- and the failure of manufacturers so far 

t" -ti'f t"k" it"io- tong'needed st€ps-to solve it' 

r"""tIitti"lJt'lni"ii ne'auction has completed twu research 

"r;i""L;'i;;;ili on iii.' i.uu" and we're PrgsellinF 

t hem the 

.for 

il;iG;;t this hearing They're described.in f-ull in attachments 

i;;;';;it"";y --fifrt. 

and I wIIl sunimarize them brieflv now 

*" coiducted a series of frontal impact -tests to comPare 

rriiiin ,.a-iiplihoulJer belts in t€rrns of their differences in pra 

i",iii-"1'J["iiJf""-:utltu" forces to the abdorninal, lower spinal 

;;;;"r:;il';;J ut*'* or i"u. seat occupants At Lhe conclusion of 

;;;iil;""t, l-*iti itto* vou a brief videotape of one of these 

t€sts. *"Gorra, 

we underlook a survey of 30 new car dealers across the 

countrv to determine the extent to whlch the manulacturers are 

;;;;ii" ;tktil-ut"itaut* retrofit rear seat .lap/shoulder belt sysirrns 

t6 car owners who want to purchase them' somethrng many 

Flii""i iiirriiiir-t"* *v tt "v are'doing todav The survev's results 

;;.ii;;;;;;;;;'th;;Ei ;"f large' minufaiturers and their deal- 

;;;';; f;ilil; -ut * itu"tt retr6frt rear seat prot€ction available 

to *i!'r?y,';" car owners 

questioned 30 dealerships in urban areas across the 

countrv dtvrded equally Derween Chrysler, Ford' General Motors' 

ilH;;1 #di;ollllrot io""a that n6t one of these-dealers had a 

;;"#; ;;;-t lJJiilpltt'otta"i b"lt sv"t'n in stock we found that 

ii;f il;5-0 au"r".i rtua no iuch svitems available and said thev 

could ""6iri not be ordered. 

"i"it-i*" oi ttt"- GIvt dealers and three Toyota dealers- 

*id'iTti^?it; ";il;; ;;;ld ue-o'de'"d Prices per cai for. rear lap/ 

"t""fa"i U.jt",'ittut is for both outboard rear seat -positions' both 

;ii;-f"{"i'ff ti1;-}iont, run between $99 1nd $400 for the various 

6i\{ "'Th-"t-i;'il1;;i;;i';-;i 

;;d;;ttJ*"." $156 for each of the Tovou.dealers . 

iabor rates and iristallatioa rates which 

-i;'hi"i;,'il i;iiili.tai"rt"a, as much as $180 to- $200 per car' The 

ili;iil;;' ii i"escapable fiom these findings that ,m9puractgryry 

hu"L fuit"a to unde-rtake vigorous production,. marketrng' pncrng 

irla- i"ii"li"tio" ptogta-s ai-ed al substantially increasing the 

;;#iiitt;i;;tioitT i"u. seat lap/shoulder belts to American car 

owners, "'tirl""",r.""n 

indicates that General Motors has done better than 

t}tJ""irt"-*. i"i'"i!n G"t!i.t Motors.has-placed pricing and deliv- 

I'i ii^" "oitaitions on the belts which fiusti'ie rather- t'han encoirrage 

their purchase by GM car -owners Nor does uM or any 

other manutacturer appear to- be informing car owners of haz- 

.the 

iiii'"l-J*i"t"a *ith idar lapbeltonly use or aggressively promot' 

ine ..'"fUJ"*itif" sales of the lap/shoulder belt alLernative' 

il"'autt, incluJing General Motors'own data' which 

t";;TfiAl;'il.:-c.b;;; G"tT*gnv as an attachment' make it 

;;;ih;i th; titk oi death and injury in crashes for rear aeat mG 

iift.ts.ii"gT;;ifi''J"""a- "'n"" kip/ihoulder belts instead of lap 

onlv belts,-are made available. 

;: 

, 

1 

I

58 

Unless the car conrpanies and NHTSA undertake a national 

effort to get both warning information and retrofit rear belt systems 

to the motoring public, rear seat occupants will c

59 

Notice hereitfi.'f""."*o. 

On the video, there is no front 8€at Now' possibly 

-.ftifa 

fri'tfr" ""a dehnitely for an adult, what is the effect of the 

oersorr hitting the back of the front seat l 

*i\i;. 

K;";-" It would probably bt to aggruvatt . 

the excursion 

*i."" "rt *"tfa now have'the heid impacting somelhing Best that 

iir" iJ"J i-E"t nothing. Nonetheless, vou siill have., ir a forward 

;;;"il, i;";;;$ts forwird movement of the seat and the people in 

iir" fio"t so that excursion continues and we know from- real life 

"*""' tftuf-l"jt.ies to the lower abdominal area and the. lower 

.p"rril "ir.i î'" .o-ini out ofjust this kind ol performance in real 

crasnes. "';;;-. 

we see this tremendous amount of force on the waist and 

the - dummv is flung lbrward all the way 

i\4;. c;;;;. io in.*". a little bit more specificallv' in terms of 

ttt"îr""J injury issue, the presence of lhose seat backs would undoubtedly 

ca,r"e "tt increase risk of head injury- if .the 

child or 

iIi*" #".* to "trike the rear seat back, because they're not really 

i't$T1i"rtt". 

Here we're seeing the counterpart child wearing the 

fr"irfr""la"i belt and you ""e het" that the forces are distributed 

;;id;;tG;; iiirom the side in a moment, the fo-rces are distributiJ-u"tv 

"u""tv across the upper torso -and the lo-wer part of the 

iia" "i J * i' ."v. t hu u"t..t.l' tn"usured pounds of loading on the 

l"n6elt *ete reduced by 60 percent if you want to put rt that way 

irrthis * crash for the child. 

s. ift!: *i. "i i":ury would have been substantially rq-d.uq€d This 

*iiin"'in" i*] "i6* itt"t I will show vou and tben we'll.show the 

'ih; 

;;;r;;. 

tup* irn" longer, but-l m going to cut it.off here 

ili"r"i.'i tiii[ *6 -rtt"" -"ai our point Again, the shoulder belt 

;;;; ;;;;l"g ui"t , rt"'. been niielv restrained across his bodv-' 

iil"il";;ii';;;-v ii'' ttt" rear-all- right-vou .can . cut it off' 

rf"r*. i-*.tt to shtw you now' in concluiion. a brief piece of tape 

irom Government footage' a test series' an extenslve test senes run 

il;it; ii;i;;;f Hien;iv Traffic Safeti Administration in Novem- 

;:. ili.;lt;i omFluttv'."t"*ed In this test the Government has 

looked '-ih? at lai and lap/shoulder belt comParisons.' 

clt"i"-""ttJ report has not been issued' but. we.have been 

a*" . a.tfi of the reirort. Ttte Government should submit it for 

?fr""i"J".J "i trt"t" h"uiit g". As our tests showed, these te,sts show 

;;;;il;"lv i;.in^J tiuai"g' on averase {or. the 

.lapbelt-onlv 

i,i-*-i"" i" inl; ubao.inut arei compared 6 the lap/shoulder belt 

dummies. 

Mr. Kuczx.e.. W}lo authored the repon? 

iii.. iit ;e". rnii l" u Nutio"ut Hilhwav Traffic- Safetv Administ.ui." 

i"pott but it has not been pu6tlsned ye! w-q ha5 a, draft of 

iil';;;;.i;;;-;" [.'" u""n siven a topv oi-the fi]m- Notice here' 

;';; ;;;;Gi";"ia "*"ut iJ", which hits the lapbelt sc violentlv 

;ili d;'i;"b-;n-t."ut". it breaks after measuring .an average load' 

il;';'ih;'b"ia of-more than 2,200 -pounds,.which 

is as much as 

thiee times that measured on a lap/shoulder belt oummy

60 

Here is a very good close shot of all of that force at the waiat, 

which is finally'so Sleat that it breake the lapbelt. That's enough' 

Mr. Chairman, that concludes our direct presentation 

[The prepared stat€ment of Mr. Kelley followsJ

6l 

STITEI1EI:T OF iLBERT BENJiI''IIi XELIJE'i 

PRESIDEII''., ]NSTITUTE FOR IIIJUT: REDUC?]OII 

SESoRE n HEARINC c'F THE 

GOVER}IHE]IT ;CT]I]iTIE5 iIID TFNI]SFCFT.\TIO]'J sLIBCOMI'I]TTEE, 

I]CU S E COVERN}'E}IT OPERi'TIOII9 CO!1I1ITTEL 

INT', 

'SE;T 

SELT SAFETi-': IIIITS; OVERS]GIiT' 

JUIIX :: 198t 

t1.dsi Chair$ona::. dehb€rs : 

; €m Albe!! aenjahin r:etlet, president of the Ins!i!u!€ for 

i"l"ty n"a".ttoi. {i!h ne todav is Lalrv E coben ItR s.- 

Iniui"'., ano Haloid sakavan, a foundinq nenbei of IIL- re are 

app.arr.r-q in resPcns. lo th. Subcomnit!e€ s !equesl ro' 

r€srinony bea!inq on the subjec! c' thes' hea!1ngs- 

:t has been known and 9lideiy publicized for oecades tha( seat 

..tl" "." preven! deaths and injuries 

.nis xncFre

62 

H€anNnii( af(,er crash, chi ldr€n 6nd a

The su!vey ques!ronei thr:ty d€alerships iD urban areas acr03s 

tne coun!r)'. lsee A'.tach:nen! c for the cohpleie survey 

i"o.t..; ri'"v tert divided equallv belueen chrvsler ' Ford' 

i.l.t"r u"t"i-' N:ssaD and rovor6- Elch sas asked rhelher 

;;;;;;:.. '."'-."at lap-shourde! b€1ts ser€ availabl€ io! both 

.-igei ."e.1 car ana an early l9to5-nod€1 car and if so' on 

trhac price and de!averv tern's fi19h1i9h!s cl !he survev s 

f rndinqs were as folloEs: 

6il 

--Ncr one of tn€ deaLers batt a ret!ofit rear-sea! lap-shou1der 

o€1r sys !€n :n slocr(. 

--Tw€nty_one d€alers said that no such svstens ee!e availabte' 

crtir.telt. 

- i1v. Cii deal€rs ar'

--Disselninate dara,'crash aeEr resulEs and othe! inlornati6n 

d1r €ct€d a! €duc6!rnq ioEorists as !o rhe need fcr and 

oerlrabiltty oi rear-sea! iap-shouide! belt sysrens. and 

sarr]'ng them oi th€ dansers associated t.ith lap-belr-only 

--Oevelop produc!ion pians for effective, eidety availabte 

retr:ofii kirs rc replace €r.i.sring Iap-only betts with laFsnould€r 

DeIrs rn tne rear sea!s of tens of nrtrions ot cals, 

--Undertake viqorous prograns ro aoverrise and narler rh€ 

retrofl! ki!s and ro assure !ha! lhey ale in deal.er slocks a! 

a1: t ines . 

--p!ic. !he !er:oi:! j{i!s ar bale-bones. no-proiit leve:s sa 

as t3 enccurag: :a!h€: rhan irus!rate rireir sai€, an{i Frovide 

cnr-trne tr€. or ver't iow-cosr insraliatici servic€. 

?hes€ actirns wouid r€p!esenr an j,nporrant s!ep toward 

red!cinq the likeiihooa rhar as nore and rno!e rear-sear 

occupanis Hear !hErr safery belts, more and no!e of rh€m ri11 

be needlessiy kiiied or nurt in crasbes because rhe be]!s are 

l ap-only ani' no! lap-s:louide!- 

Today, tine bu:den is on rl'Ie car or.ner ro fiDd orit Fhether a 

r€ar-sear iaF-should€r belE is availabt€ tor his or her nod€l 

- i._- fac!. even General l1o!ors, with a berre: recorri rilan the 

o!i1€.s, rarns cusrore:s rhat th€y nay have !o.be 

'"ri 

Fersis!€nt 

t.1 you! deaie:' rDen tryj.n? !. frnd such a beIE to: lheir 

ca!. {See he:rc :n nrtacbnent D.) I,lt:TSi appears !o hav€ 

Jrsir:bu!eC onii one piece o: pubt:c inlcrhacion abour 

acqu:::ir-? r€:rofrr lear bslrs. :! :s a one,parasraph 

Essurance, in a ..nsuhe. iniorna!1o::" Danbiri€: !na! uroes 

3€:.- use. rnat Cnr!s:€:, Forc. cH, ilonoa irirs"orsf.r anC 

Toyo!a "have r€trc::r ;,-i!s avaj.iabl. 

' 

tor sone noceis.' 

The panpiri"r urg€s raders tc 

"Buckte 

Up In The Back S€ar.. 

rll' € pamphl€E dlrec!s consuners !. 

,'check 

lrith your deaier ior 

d€!ails cn irheEher: :/our parEicular vebicl€ can be rerrof:!t€d 

ei!i. should€r bei(s. Bur the !act j.s rhat becaus€ NHTS; 

!€qurres rea! snculdei belt anchorases, qi! vehj.cies can be 

r€!:cficced ric; th: belrs. ?he reat issue is rhether a 

parcicular nanuiacru!:: cirooses ro Frovi.qe rire bet!s - an 

1ss.r€ which tlHTSl has fa:1ed ro ad

65 

Th€ burder.:s in the erong p]!ce It is titne for the car 

cohpani€s and NNTS; to acceP! thar turden _ "b€ 

!c Persistent" 

i;--;.;;i;s ho!oris!s oi tne ha'6ros ci reer-5ea! rap-ontv 

belts and Frov)'din! them sith a b€tt': aIt€rnativ' The 

alternative is !n€ iap_sho!r1

66 

-0"r"^"tn" S./"ty 1"*"x, -9",. PfiOOUCT 

t|ât[t.rrstrN6 ca.rif rc^lcln 

-- 

rEST REPOIT 

ACCEL'RATOR SLID iESTS: 

colrPlttsoNs of tap, lrl-sltoul-DEt tELttD 

Rfrti sE l auTofioatlE oacup,r,yl L4lDtNcs 

Autoetiw€ S.f.ty l.stlng, ln( 

Itrstttut. for Inlury R.ductio" 

TRC of ohio, Elst Lib€tty. oH 

j ,ec o, oHro Brdo f2o 

.d ,s7 e s, 3l 

l,r Lb! oib .t3r9 

PlE, t5r3r 656.6rSi 

,d t3r3r d66-6066 

L 

:s

Autolotive s!tetv i.!ttDs, Inc , 9'rtorn'd 

sirulated cr!3h Dod'r!t' 6pGeds usiDo tn' 24- 

inch Hyq€ a.ce1€r6tct sled.t th' Tt!nspattt!ion R€searcr c!nt€r 

E.sc Libelly, ohio. on tl!!ch lt 'nd lpr11 1n' 1988 

fhe te!ts te!€ peltorh.d lor th€ lnstr!uie to! I'jut: 

Reoucrlon. the purpose of th. tesis e'6 !o det€!n1n€ tn{ 

d:ifElences 

jr anv. ib IlP belt lo'drno! 'nd Htc rtte'c lnrurt 

c!iteria) te5ults txp€rienced 

j.D id€ni1'a1 crEshes bv roeirrca: 

.e.r-duMy occupants tealing llp bel.s only .nd, in coipa:rson 

ee!!ins 1!P_sbou1de. belts 

TEST DESIGN. PREPiRATION 

i1l tesls rele peltorned usinq a63enbiv !!on r' 

l98r_ loDda accolil LX tour-door sedan Floo! to teat dis!'nc€' 

3€!! cushion.nd s€6! bact anqles leplica(.d those o: a !ear- 

{o!ld velstot ot this nodeL' E6ch lett se.ting positiot sa5 

fitied {ith a nes .oncinuous-eebbinq lap-shoulder s'fetv belt 

systen - ttte s!.nil.rd !ti! provided b, ttonda as oliqinal 

equipnent tor !hj.s iodel . The letractor r{s installed tt tbe 3'!' 

lDole .s lound fo! a re.1-xo!1d version ot tbis lodel' 

The riqht seatiDq position,!s litted eit.h ' n€' naru'llv 

.dju3rable LaF be1! - the slaodald belt Plovided bv ltoD'ia for 

the rea! 5eat cen!e! posllion in this ood€l. 

I

t- 

68 

fh. !ir.d lnchor polD!! lor borh b.tt.,.rG inrt.lt.d !. tn 

. r..l-rorld v.!3ioD ot rhiB bocl.l. fbc b.1ts ,.!. adjusred 

rnusl' .iouDd th€ lor.! .bdon.n of e.ch duey ud rhe .houtd.r 

bclt DortroD ot rhe l.D-.houtder unlr r.r aulty r.trrct.d. 

l..ving no rllck !n thc b.tt. 

Fo!..ch !.!t, ,.r !.r. of b.l!r r.r. inrt.llld rn borh 

The lap b.lt of elch itruhy,.! !ir!.d pith one o! eorE s€lt 

b.Ir load celts- The !boulde! belts o! the I.p_shoulder belt 

all|bj,e3 .16o r.r€ titr.d rirh Lo.d c€Ils. Tb... c.lls plovrd.

69 

'EST PARA!'ETERS, IESULTS 

l 

t.rt !.3ults to! lhe conpl.te s.ri.t !r..horn 1n th. i.bl. 

Iest No. 1: Tro sit-y.ar-old child t€3t duM1.6 rcre 

6cce1.!ated to an inplct speed ot 32 7 ni1€s per hour th€ I6p_ 

should€r b6lt.hild duhFv expelienced a pe6i LoaitinE ot 'o8 l 

pounris on tbe oulboard eebbinq of tDe ).!p b.l!. tbe l.P-belt-onlv 

child dllMy expe!leDcec a pe.k nelsured ouiboard-tebbrns loldtnq 

of 658.5 pouods on the 13P be1t. 

In othe! rolds, Ilp-belt 1oliliDca r.re 61 D€rcent higber 

!o! the laF-be1t-oDly dunny thaD to! che lap-sboulder belt 

t{tc re.dlng tor !h. Ilp_shouliter belt itqlhv r!3 5?2.1. Fol 

rhe iep-belq-oDly dlMy it sas 599.:. or about :O pelcett hiCh.!. 

Test No, :r aro 50th pelc€nEii€ .dult harc tHvbrid II) 

iluMles rere a.c€]e!!ted to aD iDpaci 3pe€d o! 25.8 nile8 

pc! hou!. the l.p-3houlder belt dumv exD.rieB.eal D.!k 1o.ilhgr 

of 537.1 Dounds on tbe outboald Febbing and 9?7 9 poubds on tbe 

irlboald *ebbiDg, colp.red eith peBk loadiDqs o! 2l5O pourds on 

tbe outboald pebbinE and 1195 2 FouDds on the inboard sebbing 

er(perier.ed by the llp-belt_only duhhv. 

!!

?0 

ln otber rord3, outbolrd lDd iDbo.rd l.p-b€It lo.di,nt3 

,.r. 138 p.!c€ni .D

71 

t 

coNcLuslors 

The !.3t !.6!Its contilneal th.l iD hod.r!t'-sp'ed hotor 

vehicle cllthcs, !e.r-se.t oc.uD.nt3 te'rins onlv 1'p belts are 

eiposed to substanciallv grc.tet iBpact totc€s in the abdohln!1 

.Dd lore! spinal colunn area Lhan occupan(s ee6rina lap-shoullter 

beIEs. Thls qr€atly rnctc..€s th€r! rist ol sustatnlno sevele 

rDjuri.s 

_ rncludins drssblinq or f.t.r injuri€5 tc th€ 5p1n'l 

.orC ind abdoFin.l oro.ns - iD !!ch c!!!hc6. 

Th€ results also shoted substan!ial over'tl incr'lses in 

heid !nlu!y exposuie for !ea!-se.L occuDants teariDq oni! laD 

belts in such crashes Hhen cohpare

ll: 12,? tPfi - 

,l: 26.8 HPH - 

50th tri1. ti.l€ 

50th rtile lt.le 

72 

SUIIIMAiY OF iESUITS 

LAP AELT LOAD IIBS ) 

Outbo!!d Ipbo.rd 

408,1 

556.5 

61 

2f5o 

438 

718.7 

190? 

la5 

SIIOULDEA BELT LOAD (LEs) 

977.9 tat2.8 

5!O 

989.8 

2360.2 

t58 

1775.5 

!.I.E 

312.3 

20 

215I 

27 tl 

28t5.6 

1a9

el 

BI 

EI 

EI 

et -l 

Et -t 

El ?l 

9t .l 

HI HI 

EI FI 

EI EI 

Cl ;l 

et ll 

5l 3l 

H .'l 

st El 

5l El 

6l El 

El al 

ht xl 

=t Et 

xl 

EI 

?3 

flli=!;rir:E=i1 

H!. *,i 

fl:E"t s d.qii 

il ii; ig:i i i::t :i:; 

:i 

giFgEig;;!;iiEiE 

:"1 

. E 

et :a 

! t o ^ 

*'!; 

-E "I 

i e I I 

! i s i i 

il ,il3 

El :E is= 

F 

3 1 t 

3 . li or 

;"58 Eg;€Es 

iiiiiE; ;eii 

, S H !! 3i 311." 

t;;EEiA;Esi 

'l 

cl 

:ts 

g3 3t- 

!, !. ! 3'3 

E E f E EE 

I

: 

- 5 

E E 

R E F E 

E r 6 r E 5 

= t 

t t i f 4 t 

EC 

74 

a F, a ; Fi 

? e 1 e e : -T 

E p i € e E e; 

t E ; ' ' E E x 

I r a I € s as I 

6g -o 2". 

B 

d *. 

g:'" 

l; .g t! i tE i :; s EigI.[ 

$- !; 't ;; ;? i P; I le !. ge;A1 

;* ;i ?; P? ;d i : sJ t 3:- ; F;:tg 

i;F i;;; ;;Es: :;1otiiE, iE:$i 

ic';;5i 13pe ts 3;il:i{i; ;33j1 

fe E ro EIs 3r l2 5 3 ; 3: I l:: : jr-_. 

€i I bi ?2" bP br i : ?; i'rgt E Et-€=3 

;5 - .F .e-- .: .! c I I ;b ; ;l€ E ;e9qE 

5.r'I E{ SEi ;; ;E i a a;B; ara 6 aSgEE 

E ! . E a 

d = 

i i 

i .- 

E 5 

; E : 

3 

* 

E 

; 9; 

8a 

! 

4i 

gP 

l! 

tt 

z 

B 

ry 

e 

: 6 

. 

; 

€ E 

i 

og^ 

i3; Eo- 

=eE 

Bu3 Ea" "el ,'gr 

+ E +I - 

5 .e :5: 

3 E - ? - d 5 E . - - p € t 

E?!i;it ! E gl:tEi E! t Ei: 

ii:ilir .E i iiElr:;; ! 5EE 

s iE,ia s ili 

i - + € i ;:.' s ? t r

IN'fTTTryE rcN I NJIJRY IlEUCT'OT{ 

I SURVIY OF NEI CAF DEILERS TO DETETHIITE 

TVAILABILIT! OI NETROFlT LAP.SHOULDEP EELT! 

FOR iEAR SEiT iOSITIONs OF III.USE CARS 

!y ;. 3- Xe11ey and Jon s. verni.L 

lb3rlact: To deterqihe th€ .v!ilability ot r€irolii r€ar-slat 

I.p-lhoulder bclt kits, .!0 n.g-c!r d..l.rs in r1x !!jor citi.6 

r.!e contacted betreen Junc 16nd Jun. 5, 198a. E.ch ras !6t.d 

obour th€.vailabilitl oI 3uch r€trotit berts both tor.193t 

Dodel aDd.n older rodet to! a tot6l ol lto r!Ie-!odel-ye!! 

coebinations. The de.lers lepiesentcd chry3ler, Fo!6, cene!al 

rrotors, Nissan and aoyota six dc.lers tor eacb oanufa.tulet. 

Of rhe 30 d€al€rs contact.d, non€ h.d r.rlofit r.ar-seat laD- 

Ehoulder belt sy3teos in stocl

lo 

Ai DreBen< tbe v!5r hrjority of th. esri!.led 1l{ rillioi 

cdrs on Anerrc! s ro.ds rre equrpped oniy eith I6F b€l!3 lor 

re!r-s.!( ourbolr

77 

.: 

F.d.r.i resul!tioDs gov.rtinq ih. brDinun 9'rfo!m6n'e lnd 

ih.t!i!!tion oa s.!nda!d-€q!iDn€nt belts 1n n'e clrs lFed!!'l 

||oto! v.hic-€ s.i.cv sr.odarc 2Os, 209 !nd 2101 h!v' been in 

.tf.ct !ot 3ori. tr.ntv v"ot"-! rt tbe ourtet the s(tndtrds 

cnvisioned th.t n.ouflcture!s initi6llv 'ouId 5eli 'nd in3tall 

op!ion.l ret.!ofrt rear-se!! rhoulder b'lts to buve!s tho 

Irnrec rher, tnd tb!t bv the riat-19-los che nlnuftctuler! rdlil 

be p!ovldrns !ear-3eat iap-shoutde! beirs on all ne' ca!s:s 

r !anda!o eq(l'Pier! 

i 3tronq indication oi th€ 1.tenr tc €ncoulrge 

.v.llabilr!y 6t reElofit relr-se.' sh'ulde! be1Es "5 t'he 

r.qDireieni, tiich tooi effect rD r972 in FllvSS 210' th!t 

r.r.ufactulE!s de5igna.e ancnorase polnts" lor shoulder belts 

in the rear o!tbos!6 seatinq positioDs of ati net cars 5 ttrese 

points !ei!e nc othe: PurDose tha5 to "'ohodat€ shoulder 

belts thlt n.nuilctulers rould plotid€ to ntr o: uscd_ca! 

tsan: Lo reduc: tile iih€llnood 'i cr'sb iDJr::| tc 

rea!_seBt cutbc.rd_posr--roD occuprnts' 

v.! unti-- lecentlv !he!e has be€n :ilEle if '!v 

in

?8 

a 

FclloetDg i3ru.nc. o: rb€ NtS! report iD 1966, rob. 

h.nu!acturere indicat.d r chaDqe in.rtit!d€ ror.id rea!-se.L 

1.p-shoulder b€l.s ..d vorced a ,i:Iingn.Es ro plovid€ suct 

systehs tc: both lee cars rnd .a!s already in u.€, For 

j.dt!6nc€, as oa the eDd of Apiii 198'?, !de tolloxing aajor 

h6nutacrurers had leporr€d to NTSa thar rhey yEie o! soo! 

qould be nakinr ret!olir r€ar-seat l,lp-shoulde. beir kj,!s oi 

ti1.rr o1c-: no

?9 

rr th. rule.y. conduc!.d B.y 25_26, 1988 . t.leghon. 

int.r!lerer po.cd .t th. otn€r ot .eo tp.citic popui6r h.i._ 

rod€ls o! 6uto!o!il.6.nuractur.d bv rht cohp.nv r€pres€nteo 

by that d..l.r. on. ert.1987 nod.l. ThG otb€r rls.n e'rlv 

l980 s hod€i. lDqu1!i.s lnvolv.d . .ot.l ol a0 haLe-hodei-v..r 

cobbinsrion.. lsee ADpendir B lor . Ii.t of delltr! .nd n!k.- 

roiiels involvcd 1n the surv.Y.) Qu.5iioD3 about the 

.vail,ability ot the r€trotir sv.teh *er€ directed .! lhr 

deaie! s FA!!s deplrtben!, tblle que3tion6.bout itsrallation 

s.r€ dile.r€d a( .he 3etvi.e depa!tn€n". lsee appendix C tor 

a s.r"ple of tile gu.stionDArlE loln uled.) Lhen lnitiai 

q!€srroninq €1i.'!ed a neqative response, the lntervre,e! '.5 

te:sisleni ii asFii-! ihar the derre: ebDlovee 'hecl: agzin to 

ile!€:iine *bettret the 3y5Ee, r!5 .vai13b1e- 

i!!.cll€ 

Th€ inquiric6 alirlc!.ii st tb. thirtv d.tI.r! prodoc'd rh' 

loil.sins :esuits: 

--Ion. h.d. !.tt.!i,t rc.!-s..! lrP-3houlder b.lt tit in rEock' 

-Te.nry-one sliat tblt Do luch kit3 rere avrilable. onlv €i9h! 

d€flni_-ely rele able to older such a *it. of the3e, lile 

se!. Gr4 de!l,e!s lnd thlee re!. Totota d€.1ers. otc Fotd d6'I'r 

lDatrcaled he'nisnt" be abl€ !o orde! a !ear_..rt !e!ro!il 

3houlde: bel!. the Gt{ lnd tovota de6lels sere ce!tBin tbe 

oriler rould be lj,l,l€'i; tbe Fotd de.Ic! rB, not. No Chrvsl.! o! 

tli6san dealer r.. lbie lo otde! a !etlotit belt kit. 

I 

li

80 

--E.ci de!ie: th.t xouid.cc.pr an o!.j.! tor rerrofi! Lelr: 

to! tL€ 19S7-rod€1 ..r also eoul

8l 

--hiting peliod3 tot !et!:otit IitE th.t could t,e ord€r€c 

v!!ied ejd.ly .e ,eii. O! th€ live CN d.!ler3 tro €stinat€d 

. e.icrn9 period tthe oa 10 day6, lso la d.vs, .nd one 

21 d.ys, Elch ot lbe thre€ Toyoi! de.leis eEcrh!ted 

dillelent eairinC p€liods -:, ? lrd 1il d.vs The Folq deaiet 

s.ve a period of 60 days "PIus 

--Al: p!!c.s quot.s sppe.led to be !o! re.!_sc.t three-point 

r€!r.cro!-hounted iaF-shoulde! belt .vsiei5 ehicn,ould 

!epIac€ lbe exlstrns rap be1r, !ache! !han arid-on shoulder 

i 

bel,ts rhich Hould cobpieneni it. Horeee! tbe Ford deaier s.G 

uncle.r abolt the

82 

€ 

the situ.lioh lor G€nelal Hotols.nd Toyor! d..l.rr rd: 

bett€r, sith nort ol the Getre!€1 l,otors de.le!s .nd hll{ o: 

ih€ Toyota d€.i€:s stariDe they could provrd€ ttie belts - 

auyeis sbould nor rxpecr to F.1L into ! de!1e! .Dd purchasr 

rhe belr., hoe.vc!, 5iDc€ th€ de6l€rs dc noi stoct !hes€ anrt: 

and thei! plo|li3ed deliv.ry datcs Dly run.! hiqh.s thre€ 

r..l(s flotr d.y of o!d.!. 

car opners rno.:E able to titrd d.rlers th.t c.n provide 

th. belts :ay n. sDocLed by the pri.es they rre ask.d td pai'. 

In !ts receir l

83 

9 

.i.k o! injury iD c!r.h.5 _ . rish thtt 'o!ld bc sul'5(onti'11v 

reduc.d il h.nDt.ciu.e!6 tould und'rr'It vlqorou"nC 

lustarncd eflo!ts to 6upplv, pric. 'nd h"l't !'6!-s'nr 

!etrot:t sbould€! belt sv3tetE 5o " to tt!D!lltt r'th'r thtn 

llu6tr6te their tu!ch.!e bY 

.s 

:

1. t{.tron.1 Tr!n!gort.tion S!f.ty Do.rd, P.rlo!h.ncc o! L6Db.lL5 

in 2€ fron!61 crtsh.5, July 25, 198€. 

:. F.deral Brqorly idr,rni6tration, ollic? ot liqhEy lnlo!!.tion 

t.nrqenent, Sighray 5t.3tistic5 , 1986. 

3, s.e €.9-, Blskin, L. .Dil Pe.rce, f,. lor IJLI-Tv, 

b€i ti , B!t l1_11, 1984. 

a. a9 cFR 57!. 

5. rc. 

i, 5t tR ::81€. 

8{ 

"lrtrtaaety 

:i 

li, 

I

85 

ID9.nd1:( a: Lttt ot D.'I'r! rnd C" Hod'18 S'Iected 

DlItiEo!. lt.t!o Ar..: 

1- Jerry 6 ch.vrol.r ' B!ltrlorG tt'l ' 

r931 Ch€vroI.t C.lebritY 

1982 Ch.v!o!.t Ch.v€ttc 

2, Torson Dodqe P.rkville ld 

198t Dodge L.nc.r 

1982 Dodge ooni 

1. Sheriood Ford D.ltltore. Itd 

19Bt aold F€6ttv' 

193 2 Fold Eocot t 

{. Ritchie Nisslr, cleh BlrDi!, ttd 

19t? Iltsa!n HaalF! 

1932 lllssan sentrs 

5. lill (rdd s Trtncnluh lovot' Elllitore' lid 

198 7 foYot6 Co!.113 

!982 ToYola Ter ce t 

Clic.so Het.o lr..: 

1. serp ch€violet chrc'go I1' 

193? Chevrol.r C.Price 

1992 chevrote! cit!tion 

:. t1.tc.ri s o.L L.Fn chlvsIe!_Plvtouth' O't Llrb' 

193? ChlYsIet Fifth avenue 

1982 Chrysle! Ne{ Yolke! 

L Ltnch ior

1. 

l. 

a. 

5. 

2. 

l. 

5- 

lDse1.3 !?rro lt..: 

86 

Irv lJnrre luick, Los Anq.Ic6, Ca. 

193? Bu1.k CentD!l 

1982 Buicl SkYh6rk 

PaEadena Chrysler-PlyhouEh, l!!.d€n6, ca. 

l9 8? Plyrouth Sund.Dce 

r982 chlysrer Ner Yorker 

Cr!y Fo!

Philldelphr! rr.lro a!e! l 

8? 

1. south.!n xotors ch!tslc!-Pl,yhoutb. thil!d.1Dhi., 

1981 Chrysl.i ee Yor ker 

l9EJ ch!yiJer LeErroi 

2. ?..:l ico Foro. Phrl!delDh1a, P! 

198? rord T!.c.r 

l9€2 Ford Escort 

3, CarDuE rli!J!n. Phrl.deipbr€, P6. 

l9 87 Nis3.n Pu13.r It( 

l9g2 Nir!.n sE.sz. 

4. Pltcairr old6nobile, l,.nthorhe, p!. 

.1987 old.Dobiie CDtIa3s Ci!r. 

193a ol

P.r!on Spot.n to: 

car rroal.l: 

1) Do you h.vc . (rtr!Dut.ctu!.! n at.t 

a. cost fo! pa!t? 6 

2 ) i,tll 

th! d..l€! inrt!ll tt? 

for lnstall.tton? 3 

88 

s[rvay RcPo!t Forh 

1on9 to in3rall? _ it.y3 

r..t rnould.! b.lt in stoct? 

a. c.n you o!d.r onc? 

yc3?_ no? 

b. shcn? _ 

dlF 

Yho slll tnltall tt?

89 

lrto.utlon lro G.rrrrl ioto!3 

D..t.!-rt.t.lI.d R.rt 6..t LPlgbourdcr 6.a.tv a.ltr 

Rcvi!.d 

rhould.r 

d..I.!-intt.Il,.d 

6.l.ty b€ltB 

optio l ootbo.rd re.r 

tr. .e.Il.bl. for th. 

!.rt I!P 

follorin9 

P.Iang.r crr.. 

1976-1987 T 

1977-1986 E,D,C ( RlrD) 

1979-1985 E 

1980-1965 X 

1995 E,r( 

r98o-1985 x 

1982-1986 A 

t9g2-r986 J 

1965-1986 C,l 

1985-19S5 N 

i t97E-198r F 

1982-1985 r 

r t9?8-1986 G,A 

(Rt|D) 

. 1978-1980 r I RrD) 

r AII currlnt nodals 

r r Avrihbllity 

d.l! 

ch.erol"t ch.ectt!, Po.tr.c T-I000 

Chcvlolct lDp.l.. .nd c.Prlc., 

Pontl.c P.r lrl.nn., €u1ck Lcsrbr. 

lnd Et.ctr!, old!ftobiI" D.lt. aB 

.nd 98, c.dl rr.c FlG.teood.nd 

D! vl,l.l ! 

Buick Rivi.r., OId6Fobll. Toron.do, 

C.dilI!c EIdor.do 

crdiII.c s.v i 11. 

Aulck Rivr.r.. Oldgaobil. Toronsdo, 

Crdlllac Eldolldo ,,rd scvi 1I. 

Chlvrol.t cr t.t ion, Ponti.c Phocni.r. 

Bulct Skyl! rk, oldsnobil. o$.9. 

Ch.ero1.t cel.br i ty, Pontiac 6000. 

Euicr century. oldEftobil e cutlass 

G|| 

Ch.vrol.t C.vali.!, Pont t.c J2000// 

Sunbitd. auicl Sryh.rk ' olds.dobi). 

lircnta, c.diIlac CiDarron 

Eulck Elcctr! and l.slbrc. 

old6hoblle 98 .nd Deltr 88. cadlllac 

o. vi 11e 

Pontiac ct.Dd ah, Bulck SkyI.rl .nd 

Sonc!lct, Oldsnobt 1e ca].is 

Chev.oJ.€t c.rna.o, lontiac Fir€bird 

Ch.vrol€t C.naro, Pontiac rirebird 

chevrol.t lt.libu and uonte carlo' 

Pooti.c Bonn.vilI€.nd Gland Prrx, 

Bulct R.ga!. OId50obi Ie C!lIass 

Chlvrolet lonta, Pont i.c Sunbird, 

Eu rc( skyh.!{, OldthobiI€ siar!j... 

to bc dlt€riin"d t€rcept ? _ t.c rbov!) 

!c ac.6i!!cnt ttth you! d..I!! if lt aPPc..s h. iB not t.nilir! 

ytth- th. .cc!3.ory .v.il.biIity. You My su99.Et ih. d.rIr! c.ll 

rh. Iocal 2on. P.rts Distilbu!ion Ccnter lor furth.l iDlorn!!ion. 

D!!ler-instaII€l te.! IaP/shbulder sa(ety b.ll acc.ssotv P.ctlgcs 

eIIl b! nade .eailabl€ lor liqht trucks ard th€ 

.v.ilrbility d.t€ !cnain! to b! d.t.rnin.d. 

r2-5-t6 

.ic

90 

Mr. Kt,tczxe. OK, Mr. Kelley, how long have the major auto 

manufacturers been aware of the safety features of the rear lap 

b€lt? 

Mr. Km,r,rv. Well, as Mr. Coben said in his statement and as is 

supported by attachments to his statement and mine, that would 

be at least 20 years. The knowledge has been available lrom the 

medical and engineering professions. l-et me show you, if I rrray, we 

have another tape which I brought with me, a piect of film pre 

oared bv Chrvsler C)orp., we don't know when but we bclr.v' it wss 

in the lite seventies ut d this *as submitted to a docket of the National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 1'his is Ohrysler's 

hlm statement about lap and lap/shoulder belts You nrty find it of 

int€rest. 

fAnother videotape shown.] 

Mr. Knu.rv. Ironically, Mr. Chairman, Chrysler wu"s one of the 

dealer systems in our survey which was tntally unabltr to provide 

any kind of retrofit shoulder belt in response to our requesls- 

Mr. Kuczxr. OK, but this film didn't indicate any study or documentation 

on the rear lap-- 

Mr. Kru.rv. No, this was directed at the front seat system, but 

as the statement was made and it's absolutely true, for every position 

in the car, Iaplshoulder belLs provide a higher margin of 

safety, substantially. 

Mi. Kr,nczxe. In'the questioning, after we hear from all the witnesses, 

we can also posjibly talk ;bout the airbags' I see Chrysler 

ads all over the newipapers on teaching an old dog a new trick, or 

something? Mr. Saka;ian, I believe you're next sir? 

STATEIT1ENT OF HAROLD A. SAI(AYAN, ESQ., INSTITUTE FOR 

INJURY REDIIVTION 

Mr. Slxlrnrq. Yes, thank you. 

I happen to have unfortunately a number of real life.examples to 

give v6i todav. The firtt one covers every base that we've seen and 

lalk about-this morning. It's an accident that happened right 

down here in Anne Arundel C,ounty a couple of years ago. 

Four youngsters were in a 1985 American-made Ford Escort. TVo 

sirls ud in ihe front, one was wearing a shoulder/lap belt, the 

6ther uias wearing notbing. T$o kids in the back seat, 11 years old 

and 14 years old, iach pufon their lapbelt. The car was inv-olved in 

a headon collision with a tractor -trailer 

truck at rather low 

speeds. - 

Each of the vehicles were going about 22,25 mlles an hour which 

is about what you'd be having on a city street in a t]?ical accident 

in town. W}en the dust settled, the girls up liont' one wearing a 

shouider/lap, one with nothing at all,. had broken legs. The client 

that I had, iimmv Garrett, 1l vears old, ended up being paralyzed 

from the ivaist dbwn for life. His best friend seatcd next to him 

died 6 hours later because he bled tn death. 

When thev pulled the bovs out of that Escort, the only mark that 

either of thei had on rheir body was a purple welt that went 

across their abdomen around their belly button made by the seatbelt. 

There was not another mark of injury or contact anJ.where 

except the belt. 

s 

ii

91 

Both bovs werc done in by their soatbelt Ncit}r'r- of them would 

f,ri!""rir,J."a ^rythi"g ;o.'" tha n tr.m grra r i lr d isrr hl i r r g i nj,uries if 

i;;;;;J;;a ltt6 gooi'sense not to pui anything r-rn,thut dav'.Be 

cause they buckled up, one's under th( Fround, llt(' ol lr('r ut)e a ln a 

wheelchair "'li;;:'if'";; for life. 

ihinl ttt.t'" sort of :r freak occu-rrt'nct" think about 

thil. i;; i".x". itt" Escort in America and in Eurt.rlx" ln America' 

;ffi;;"; iuoGi*."ty -nu'ope"an in the back seat We went ovtrr.to. Germany 

;ff 6;;;h;; 

Escort back here and lo and beh-old' thev 

;;;" "h;';i;";/t"p lt lt" i.t the back seat of the car that thev 

oroduce ''ih;;;;; in Europe. 

prcssed about ihal. Whv do vou produce il one wav in 

America and another way in Europei Ultimately th(' rt'sponae was 

we do it this way in America because we re not requlred to do anyi'niti" 

rn"ii,. W"'-uk" it b"tt". in Europe becaus. t hey -make us' 

nndihat was their answer and if there is an)'lhlnF lhal lve come 

u"a:oat in"t -i'""'i "nd"ttaores the need for some sort of action more than 

irtlri.'r knJ* *rt"t it is because the same company making 

;i;;-U-;;"; *lln t*o different configurations and not making it 

better here because they're not required to -'l hat was thelr, anawer' 

To sive vou a few other horror stories whtch are currenf,ly rn our 

office'"o*l Ali of these incidentally have come into- beinq in just 

'6 

;il"6; -o"itt". Cto"" by here-, coming .home. 

from Bethany 

fr;;"ft *;k A;, 2 *eeks ago' four persons in their mid 60's drivi;";ir 

h;;;t;d io u" u poii produit but it was.a l98S.LTD-as 

ii'?" ;;;-.;i-6;;.s"b*;, bE, ih" -un dozed in the middle of the 

;Tid;ffi:;; t"i"ptt"tib p.i"' The front seat passengers walked 

;;;'i;;;L;i"ia5"t. 

t" irt" back seat ther-e were two ladi€s' 65 

il;*;ft':'one-.i tt'"tit'n"a on her tapbelt, ihe other one had on 

'"i,iirl"i.-btt-"-t"dy 

*no naa on nothing ended up with a broken 

ii'iiT. i'r-,,j t'"-a"-;io had on the lapbelt Aied ? houis later in l'ewes 

ii"iriir.iii HJJpiGi-biA i. death from the injuries caused internally 

by her seatbelt. 

This was a low-speed accident. The only serious , 

injury-hap 

*irla to * i futuliiv-to"" to the person wearing a lapbelt lt'E a 

i;*;t"r"1;; b.;u,l.. iigttt next io her was the same aged adult 

iiiti't -T;;;;# ".i-til"e on. She ended up with a broken^wrist ^ 

e-"""i-ota "ruta.'WeII, down in South -Carolina in Jan' 

"".i- f gEi,-tft6 - "Sh; -otftet *us driving her 1.98?- Mercury station 

;;;"r. rtuJ it"i tov""t-old daughter in the front seat with her 

;A h;6;;;;ia io" itiappea in ;ith his lapbelt in the len rear 

"-'ri"y 

,un cff the road and. hit- a. parked tractor truck' 

-trailer 

rieht front corner to the back of thi truck The -mother 

walked 

;"il uJiil;;ii;i;s.-Th; aa"gt't€' sittins in the front. had some 

i*iir "11*. iil;;;fi"s b.v;itting in ihe bick sea.t with that lapbelt 

;;;;i"d;p-;lt"h a b?ainlrcm.inlu'v lf v9y li":lt-YI^1: v.ou saw on 

the taDe- when the accroenr ha-ppens *;ith the- lapbelt'.your body 

i;k;Ii;.';;;;, vo".-h""J ""t""ii all the wav down' which is what 

'#;;;;il 

t"."1 H" -ua" contact either witli the floor pan or the 

iiliiiiir'iif i,"i-;";;;;d h; ended sn with a brain injury which 

ffi-i"li hit" prelty mucl a,vegetable for life . ,. r :4 rr" 

Those examples couro .r".?ii have been avoided if there had 

u"i#T"tr'J"ii!'.lrii""iiiui""ii"n in place of the lapbelt-onlv' None 

j

92 

ol those persons had any other mark of injury on them except that 

related directlv to the seatbelt-the lapbelt. 

The reason ;hy the lapbelt is such a dangerous device and ought 

to be removed irnmediately or else augmented by the shoulder 

strap is there doesn't seem to be any minor injuries when you're 

involved with a lapbelt in an accident. lt's almost all or nothing. 

The typical seatbelt injuries that result from lapbelts alone involve 

spinal fractures, spinal cord injuries, abdominal musculature 

tearing, abdominal intestinal injuries, all of which are severe and 

the one that has proved to be fatal is a rupture or t€ar ol the me6enteric 

artery and vein which is the blood supply for the bowels 

and it happens to be located at tbat level just around or above the 

navel which is where these belts tend to ride up and pull in on you. 

I have other illustrations I can give you. I think in my stat€ment 

I've set them all forward. Everyone of those cases have these features 

in common. The person who was injured was weari'ng a lap 

belt-only. The person who was injured became far more seriously 

injured than anyone else in the car even those who were complete 

Iy - unrestrained'or those wearing the shoulder/lap belt. 

Everyone of the injuries thai I've detailed in these seven cases 

could ipecifically have been avoided had the automobile been 

equipped with a shoulder/lap belt in lieu of the_ lapbelt-only. The 

saddlit part of all of this is that since 1962 there has been a continuous 

strbam of literature that has spewed forth from the automotive, 

the medical, the engineering, and the safety community. I b€lieve 

the number is ovei 1,000 published articles that speak about 

the dangers associated with lapbelts. 

Thai'J a 26-year-run. That iras been well-known by the- auto industry 

who has contributed to it. There's nothing rew alout this 

and yet nothing has been done even though we've had 26 years of 

recoid in history. With your mandatory use laws, these cases are 

occurring much'more frequently because as mommy and daddy gct 

in the frlnt seat and buikle up, kids who most often ride in the 

back seat are being told to buckle up too. 

The problem is-that mommy ani daddy don't ^know that what 

they're-telling their children to buckle up into is far less safe than 

what they're provided up front. Thank you. 

Mrs. ColuNs lpresidingl. Thank you. 

[The prepared itatemeil of Mr. Sakayan followsl

93 

TlstIiloNl OF llARoLo e. saKAvAN, Esq. 

BEFORE A fiEARINC OI' TIII: 

GOVEFNM'NT ACTT V I TI ES ANO TRANS PORI'A'IoN SUTTCOMXI'I"TI]I,, 

HOLISt COVEItNI'ENT OPCkAI ION5 aCtf'lMllllI 

INTO 

'SEAT 8EL't SAFET!: NHTSA OVERSIGfla' 

JUNE 2i, r9e8 

Madan cha i.ronan, ellbers: 

I aF 8arold a. sakayan, of the Iae firh of Hargolrs. 

sakayan r 8oltr,!th offices in the oisLrtct oI co!umbia 

aod ite stare of Maryland. He are currenllv rePres€nring 

a numbe! of persons tho have sus!ained serious or faral 

iDluries from rear seat IaP bells and at your invrtairoo 

,ill address that rssue. 

You have hea.d irom M!, Kelley and Hr. Coben on Elle 

oeDe!al nature of the problen and noe I vould Iiie !o 

;ake iL a lrttle mor€ pe!sooal by 9!vrnq vou some real 

ro!1d exanples of r(a9rc aod u..ecessarv rnlu!ies aod 

deaths that are lesultrqg f!om an unsusPeciiog public 

heeding the adhonition lo Buckle Up 

First, ny Pelcep!ion is lhat NHTSA has failed to provide 

leadership in the area of autonotive safetv and the niniFum 

perlor!.ance sraDdalds kno*n as the Federal l'1oLo! 

vehicie safety slandalds (Fl'wss) have becone the maximun 

which the indus!ry tiLL deliver beca\rse there rs noone 

thaL is demanding Fole of themr eveD lhen Llley kDo' 

The nissioD of NHTSA should be le-defined in cLea! and 

un€quivocat !€rhs so that lhey, lhe industly and the 

DubIic ailI undelstand that NllTsA bas aD rmPortant 

ieadership role and is expecled to be oDt front on 

safety rss'res. 

The issue of rear s€at belts is a c.lassic illustralton 

of everything that is {roDg with the Presenl svslen and 

how i! could be easity changed. 

The seat belt syslem for the-!ea. oulboald seatinq 

oosi!iods ,as detited in l'968. Ihe nanufacture!s 'ete 

;iveD a choice ot using ejthe! a lap belt onlv or a 

;houlder/1ap combiDa!ion' Every U.S. sanufaclurer chose 

rh€ lap belt onrY. 

In 1972 NIITSA directed thal anchorage points !o! rear 

shautCe!,/L:a bel,t systers he ircr;ll-d i. all dohestic 

cars presuniury because lh€v felt lhe iDduslry tould 

volunta!i IY make th€ change. 

: 

..1 ,: 

, 

:l

June 22, 1988 

lrarold A. s.k.y6n 

94 

lie have b€€n raitiog siateen yeals..at stitl no aur( 

nanufaclurer has attached a shoulde! ba.oess ro rhr. 

anchorage poi.L thar they nus! insralt in the re.rr cr 

e!er) ca! lhey m"rnutactuie, 

NflTsA, instead of enacting a rule requ!ria9 this huch 

I 

oeeded improveheoL, has tssueo dn advance notlce or 

Proposed rule 'r'akin9 ard the iDdustry has responded by 

say!n9 Lhat if yo! don,! require us Ec iosrall Ln! 

stroul.der lap belt in the re wtll do ir on our 

own Hhen_"e 9et d!ouno to rr proDdbly Dy Ln- rrd l9c0's 

No provrsron Los made ror rh, mo!e rhan 100 mrtt.on 

auLohoorles arready on tbe street riLb Iap bel!s only in 

the rear seats, 

The Eulopeatr experience as relt as rhe overehelmino 

weight of the enginee!in9, safery, hedical and auro_ 

motive Iiterature h,as clear L! dehonstraced rhar rh( 

shoulder/,Ep DFIL offers Frorecrron to,, 

oei,ted occupant-than the ldp oe.L onIy, parrrcutart). 

rn a fronral col.Irsron. This same eiperrence ano liter_ 

atule also denonsr!aies tha! certain injury patrerns 

.!e the resu]L of the lap belt and c.n bp avorot.d b) 

the shou lde!/ Iap beIr. 

Lap belt injuri€s unfortunately are se!i.ous ones. 

splnal cord injuries,hich !esuIr in pa!alysis; sproal 

col.unn f!actures; abdosinaL eall rears; devascura;ira!ron 

of the bowels; internal bemor!a9brn9; Lears in 

the snal] o! 1ar9e inrestines, etc. 

AI1 of these cao be avoided by the add.ltj,on of a sDaII 

prece of clotn tba! crosses the body diagonatly and 

keeps rhe uppe! rolso reslrained againsc the back of rhe 

seat. It ca. be done for approrinalety Sl2 to S2O per 

ca!. the entire cost is absolbed by the conssne!. 

In Eulope shoulder/lap betrs in the rea! outboard 

seating posittons have been comon for ove! ren ye.!r 

Do'. VoIvo irscalled thenl volunta!ity atmost re;nty 

Handatory use laws hav€ sigDificaDtl.y increas€d the 

ovelatl usage of sear betts in the U.S. anat alrhouqb 

j 

.!, 

l.

St.tenenr ol lta!oId A, sakayan 

June 22, 1988 

95 

thele l.vs perlain gen€.a]lv to the fron! seat occuPants 

iE seems that the rear seat passenqers are 'rso maxrn9 

\rse of !he belts. unlortunatElv, morc ot the renr seat 

'rhe 

rend to b. childten 

use hai proaoced a correspondiDg increase in sea! belt 

Let's Look aL some exaFples of Lhe Prrce ADericans are 

odvrda becaJsP NHTSA rs uneLtlrnJ Eo ]edd on the rssde 

Lr'."i"rot'"" sale!y and out mdnr:acture!s refuse to act 

un!j.1. tbey are cohpelted io, claihing cha! cohPliaDce 

rith FMvsi rs the mos! that can be exPected of lhen: 

Auqlrst 29, 1985r 

JiMv carrelt, II y€ars old, got in the back seat of ' 

lgs5 Ford Escort. tlis best friend 3nd next door neighbor 

Chlis Gaboury, 14, sat next !o hin. Jimy buckled uP 

aDd lold his friend that he should also. chris did' 

A sholt *hile la!e! they rere involved in a loe speed 

head-on collision ei!b a t!actor l!ailer lruck' ahe 

tro qirls uo front suffeled a broken leg' one had on 

lhe ;houldel/rap b€rt, the othe! did no!' 

cbris dieal six hours at!er the accident haviDg bled 

rntetnal.lv f!oF hrs Iap beli tnjurres. Ou! clrenl, 

JrMv Garielt, was paralvzed lroF lbe earsr doun Frth a 

fraciule of his L3,/L4 veltebra aod spinal cold dahage' 

Ite also hacl his insides lorD aPart aad lost most of his 

s(aII iDLesrrne and a Parr ot h)s largp rntestine' 

Ee haooeDs !o be ib tbe hosPrLaI !r'qhl noH under9oiD9 

his f;;trh or fiflh op€!atioo since the accidenL He 

stiI lades hjnself fo! Cbris dvrng because be Eas lhe 

one rho insisLed they should buckle ;P. 

Cause of Injury: JiDoY's lap belt 

solution: thould€r/LaP in rear seat 

Novehber 1.5 / 1985. 

Son-i eôd. 24 ycars old and t Proni3ing sinqer, buckl.d 

herserl up rn tn€ lear of a Fold Prnto. Th€ car was 

in. heaal'on collisjon' Sonja suffered a fractute oI

5!!len€nt of Htrold A' sak.Y!|n 

June 2?, 1988 

96 

LllL4 vertebra€ aDd iE palalvzed fron tt|e rarst oovn 

iil'"iri".- irre arso naa-a iearins ot her abdonrnar salr' 

CausF ot IniurY: sonla's laP bell 

i"i"i'.., 6n.l'ta"!/Lap berr rn rea! serL' 

Julv 25 , 19 86 : 

lracv StancIu, 2O vears old' buckled herself up in the 

;::;'":;; ;;"; iisi ro'a Escort' 'he car eas involved 

i^ ".orri.i"t a! ao in!ersectron The drtver sulferei 

;; ;";;;;;;. rhe 'ronL ".1. p9'::13:: 

3i'iil'"",i"T""' 

tacrai cut. TracY suffered a tr 

ve!tebra atrd abdosinaL inlu!res' 

Cause of rnlurY: T!acY's IaP belt 

iolution, !n",rta"!/LaP belt in rcar seat ' 

ranuarv 3, 1987: 

Auorey Bergoan, 30 vears-old' 

'as ridrnq rn tne rear 

li-u-igsl Buick cenru!v 'l!rven bv he! b!other ' tler 

;;';.; ;"' r,d!nq in rhe front p!sseneer:'i:.. 

-li:.- 

.Ii-""r i"""r'"a-in a hea'l on collisioo at low speeos' 

f i.:-li;:i;ii;:::i.t'.i??llii";'l::.l::":; ;::';;* 

Cause of Injlrry; AudreY's- lap belt 

;oluLron: aho;Ider/Lap belr rn rPar se'!' 

"" 

:::t:-::' ::::' "?'l,l'ii?,'!]i; lii,oilili?""8.!l'1i" 

Januarv 16 , I98 7: 

;l:;;;'il";-;;.-;";- 

ni c a crucr,earred on tne shoulder'^ 

iil.-*"ii"." i'd he: 19,I:i:-ot"":'"::":::r::::': ;:.::' 

f!onl suffe!ed $rno! -i;it lnlurles ' 

:iA'.;;i;";;; 

sroed tremrpleqia' ahone other 

irlrnq=.na is seve!eLY dtsabled ' 

cause oi InlurY: David's LaP Eelt 

i"i'ii"n, sn"nto.!/Lap BeIt iD r€ar 6€ar' 

I 

:, 

I 

:l 

I

statem€nt of li.rold A. s6klyan 

June 22, 1988 

April 27, 1987, 

n 

B€verly Dirterd)oa, .9e 4?. !nd three frrends had jt'st 

finrsh;d a round or 9o1f nenr Palm springs, callfornia 

and !€re re!urning l; therr hol€1. tseverly sas buckled 

up in rh€ rigb! rear ol ! l98t oldsfrobite Nrnetv-Er9ht' 

rit..u. ".. involved rn a he.d on coliision on tbe left 

!ron! colner. The drrv€r dred. the .ighi tronL p3ss- 

€nger survrved snd nas essentrallv re'oveted rrof her 

inlurres. gevtrly sulfe!ed a lraciure of Ll vertebra 

ani spioal cord drmasd, sh€ !s no! pa!alvzed t!om the 

uaisL doen fo! trfe. 

Cause of Inlury: Beve!lY'5 1aP belt 

solution: shoulde!/LaP B€lt in rea! s'at' 

June I, I988: 

Priscj.IIa Rtce, 65, her hDsband and anolher couple re!" 

driving hone from Bethany beach in the ntddte of the 

aftern;on in a I983 Ford LTo- P!iscill'a *as buckled t'p 

in tbe light rear seat. Th€ ca! struck a telePhone pole 

at relati;eIy Ioe sP€ed. The Iadv seated nett Lo !1!s' 

Rice in the ;ea! drd not Put on her sea! belt. she 

suffered a broken *rist and olber sinor rnlulres. 

Prrscrlla died on Lhe oPerati,rg table about srx hours 

after the accident flor internal bleeding. 

Cause of Inlury: PrisciIIa's taP b€It 

solu!ion: shourde!,/Lap Beli in lea' seai' 

These cases ale clrawD flon mattels peDding in our offic€ 

anil ale lepresentalive of a nuch larg€! volune. of cases 

that ar€ n;, surfacing aII ove! lhe countlv' They ale 

aatters on rhich te have been consulled lust eilhltr lhe 

past fes 6onths, The comon feaiules ,hicb tbey sha'e 

l. Each rear sest Passeng€r sas using a 1ap be]t. 

2. the passenger using lhe lear sert IaP belt suffercd 

se! icus or falal iniuries. 

3. The iniuries ljer€ caused by the lap belt' 

a. Th€ injuries could bave sPecificallv been avoi'led 

i'ith a shoulde!/IaP belr. 

1 

1 

l

sracemenL ot flarold a. sakayan 

June ?2, I988 

98 

5. Esch ot lhe injured persons eould have suffe.ed 

Iesser i,nturies if lhey bad nor used a seat betr 

at llt. 

6. The iront eeaL passenge!s b€lleat or unbelred, 

{ith one erception, suffered huch less serio,rs 

injuries even !hou9b alnosr eve!y collision was 

a frodcal rype crash placidq rhe rear seat passenger 

turrhesr aqay fron Ehe iopact. 

7. NIITSA during this enLire riFe and for at ]east 

t!fteen years befo.e Ehe first of this se!ies oi 

accidenLs knee that Lhrs Lyge of injury coutd be 

caused by a iap belt. 

6. Eve!y autoftobil€ manufactule! iDvotv€at kn€r for at 

Ieast Lbe sane peliod of tine that these ryp€s of 

serious or faral iojuries colld be caused by a lap 

9. NtlTsA and every dornestrc auroDobite nanufacrurer 

kner for ar ieast trenty years rhar rbe shoulder/ 

lap beIL eorLd avoid tne rnjurres desc!,bed rn 

these cases. 

10, NtSE in its 1985 sluaty of 26 accideDts, iDcLuding 

the Garrett case, developed the sain€ infolhatj.on 

as the sludy of our case files has disclosed. 

1I. NflasA inst€ad oi acting on lhe NTSB 

da! rons tha( snoulder/Iap belrs be insralled rn 

aIi rea! sea!s, bas done nothing ro acknorledge 

the problen o! reoedy the sirualton. 

RECOITI.,ENDAT]ONS : 

A. That CoDgless enact tegislation lequiring 

shoulde!/lap belts for lhe rear seats cf all new 

cars beqinoiDg liris yea! if NltTsA doesn't lake 

action on tbis issue within the next 50 davs. 

I 

l

statement of ttarold A. Sakayan 

June 22, 1988 

99 

E. Thar NITSA issue a delail€d uarnrng rega!clrng 

injuries caused by lap b€tis and codpel aLl manutaitu'ers 

to offer ca! oeners .etrofit kits 

w!Lhin a !2 monlh Pe!iod at do cost to Ehe car 

C. TbaL NBTSA be required lo take inco coosrd€ration 

safecy standards froo all over the rorld 

and adopt ihar which Provides rbe glea!esl wblcn 

provide the measuie of Proteciion. 

O. That NHTSA be directed to lequile dYnanic testrnq 

of all occupanL resLrarrt systems, Passrve or 

aci\ve, by rndependent laoo!dtorte: and Lhe resurts 

publ ished - 

Respeclf ully strblittcd. 

tJY^

Mrr Cou-rNs Mr. Dewey. 

100 

sTA'l'HMENT Ol'IrOltH,RT 1,. t)EWEY, Vl: tCt,E SAI.'ETY STAI'F, 

cDNTt.)rr ]'oR AtiTo SA]'ETY 

Mr. Drwty- Madam Chairman and members of the subcommittee. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify on automobile rear 

seat shoulder and lapbelt safety. The C;enter for Auto Safety [CAF] 

is a nonprofit organization founded by C,onsumer's Union and 

Ralph Nader in l9?0, CAS hus been independent since 1972. 

The subcommittee's oversight into the National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration's INHTSA's] inadequate efforts to encourage 

rear seat shoulder/lap belts is especially needed at this time. A 

1986 report by the National Transportation Safety Board INTSB] 

focused national attention on a real and all too common irony. 

seatbelts, which have so much potential and are relied upon to pro 

vide life-saving protection, can in some accidents themselves be the 

primary cause of death and serious injury. This is because in 

higher speed frontal collisions, which account for a substantial percentage 

of all crashes, wearing a lapbelt only concentrates the re 

straint effect in the lower abdominal region. 

In these crashes, occupants restrained by lapbelts can suffer abdominal 

trauma and internal injuries which sometimes cause 

death. The NTSB report was and is important because of the 

timing of its release and the substance of its recommendations to 

NHTSA. While there have long been reports of lapbelt injuries, low 

belt usage rates have kept the number of such cases small. This allowed 

the problem to go uncorrected by NHTSA and virtually unnoticed 

by the American public. Today however, more Americans 

than evei before are wearing seatbelts-including rear seat lap 

belts. 

The NTSB report not only identified a growing safety problem, it 

contained two 'simple buf crucial recoirmendlations tb NH'ISA 

about actions that would reduce the number of lapbelt- induced in- 

- iuries and make safetv belts safer. 

First, NTSB recommended NHTSA immediately initiate rulemakine 

to require automakers to provide shoulder/lap belts instead 

oJ lap-only belts in all new cars. The Board also recommended 

NHTSA encourage automakers to offer retrofit kits and enable 

consumers to convert lapbelts converted into the shoulder/lap 

desien. lt is NHTSA's response to these recommendations that I 

wisli to discuss jn the remainder of my testimony. 

Todav. nearlv 2 vears after NTSB's recommendations, NHTSA 

has stifi not foimaliy proposed let alone adopted a rear seat shoulder/lap 

belt mandate. Further, NHTSA has done little to encouraee 

-Followine t hi availabilitv of retrofits. 

NTSB's report, NHTSA delayed nearly 10 months 

before issuing.a prelimiirary 

.notice of proposed rulemaking Even 

worse. the notice ex pressed skepticism about the need for a shoulder/lap 

belt requirement. lnst{iad of concentrating on the safety 

benefiis, NHTSA's notice emphasized the cost of a shoulder/lap 

belt requirement. CAS believes NHTSA's application of cost-benef-rt 

analysii is of limited value in this instance and as applied, is fun' 

damlntally flawed. NHTSA's analysis fails to even mention that 

i !" 

{

l0l 

children are cspecially victimized by lapbelt-induced injuries. Not 

only are children much more likely to buckle-up than adults, 

NHTSA's surveys indicate children at up to age 20 account lbr (wothirds 

of all rear seat occupants. 

Our concern for the disproportionatc impact of lapbelts on children 

is not just statistical. The majority of lapbeJt-induced injury 

reports we receive concern iniuries to children. Since more and 

more States are passing mandator.y seatbe)l use laws that apply lo 

rear seats and are amending child restraint laws to apply to older 

children in all seating positions, an increasing number of children 

are wearing rear seatbelk. 

At least five States now reouire that all rear seat occuDants 

buckle.up. Eight other States require older children to buckie up 

wherever they srt. It is especially tragic that NHTSA has been 

averse to requiring shoulder/lap belts even though these State laws 

will in certain accjdents, sentence rear seat occupants including 

many children to a greater risk of death and serious injury than 

occupants wearing shoulder/lap belts or occupants wearing no 

belts at all. 

This tragedy is compounded by the fact that there is today a familiar 

cheap and simple solution that would effectively eliminate 

lapbelt-induced injuries-a combination shoulder/lap belt. NHTSA 

not only fails to factor into its analysis the effect of lapbelts on 

children, the agency also places too great an emphasis on the minuscule 

cost of requiring shoulder/lap belts in the rear outboard 

seating positions of new passenger cars, a cost NHTSA estimates to 

be about $12. 

Further, NHTSA appears to substantially underestimate the 

numher of lives that would be saved by a shou)der/lap belt requirement. 

The notice emphasizes a NHTSA requirement may not be 

needed since many manufacturers have announced tentative plans 

to voluntarily initall shoulder/lap belts in coming model years. 

CAS disagreris. First, some manuiacturers may mike rear shoulder/lap 

belts an option rather than standard equipment. Further, 

there is no Iuarant€e that rear shoulder/lap belts may not somedav 

be removed for competitive reasons. 

Shoulderrlap belts are simply too important to be left to future 

marketing and competitive c'oit considbrations of individual auto 

maKers, 

Mrs. Cor.r,rNs. Mr. Dewey, on that not€ Iet me remind you that 

your 5 minutes have expired. Your entire testimony will be made a 

part of the record and any further statement that you might want 

to make will come out in the quesrion and answer session. 

Mr. Drwry. Let me just conclude by talking briefly about seatbelts 

retrofits. Besides failing to require rear seat shoulder/lap 

belts on new cars, NHTSA has not followed through to asisure consumers 

can have cars they now own retrofitted with shoulder/lap 

belts. NHTSA's retrofit recommendation is especially important 

since yirtually all of the approximately 80 million cars now on the 

road have only lapbelts in the rear seats. 

The reports we receive from vehicle owners attempting to obtain 

shoulder/lap belts show that retrofrtting is still not a viable alternative 

for the vast majority of consumers. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Dewey follows:]

02 

STTTEIEIT OF NOBEIT L. DETET 

VEHICLE sTFETI STIFF, CEIITEI FOR TUIO STFETI 

B.for. th. 

GOVERNNEIIT ACTIVITIES IIiD TIINS?ONTITIOI SUBCOXNTTTTE 

of the 

IIOUSE COIiIITTEE OII GOVERINEIIT OPERITIOIIS 

lJashlnSton, D.c., Jun€ 21, 1988 

ll.da Chalreo|lan and ne|lber! of the Subcorfiltt.€. !hanrl you for 

!he oppor!unity lo test!fy on a\itodob!le.€ar-3eaL shoulo.r and Lap 

belt. safery. The Center tor Auio Safety 1s € non-proflt or'.nlzatlon 

found€d by Con5uners Unlon aDd Ralph tlad.r 1n 1970 btrt 13 nos 

tndependeaL of bol.h. Th€ cenler rork3 !o lnprove !.hlc).e and hlShray 

saf€ty. I have !orked on seai beM55ues for the Center tince 1984. 

IUE NATTONA! $ANSPONTII.IQII 5AFETY !!I.B-D .EIEOEI 

The Subcommr!iee's overslgh! In!o th€ riationsl Hlsheay Trafflc 

Safety Addlni5tratlon's (litlTSA's) iDad.quate €fforts to encoura8€ rca. 

sea! shoulde./1..p b€I!s is especlally ne€ded at thi! trde. A 1986 

r.po.t by th€ [atlonat Transporta!1on Safcly Board (XTSB) focused 

natloBal attentlon on e real and all !oo combon lrony: !eat b€1!3, 

shlch have so much polehtial and ar€ relied upon lo provide Ilfe- 

savlng protection, can 1n so e sccldents th.m:elrr! ie the prloary 

cause of dealh and set"lous injury. Thls l5 because ln hrEher sp.ed 

froDtal collistons, Hhlcb account for e substaoiial percen!.8. of 3II 

crashes, eearinS a seat belt conslstlng of a lap belt-o.1y 

concentrates the rest13irt eff€c! 1n the lor€r abdo lnal re81on. In 

these cra3hesr occupants re!traln.d by 1ap b.1ts can sulf.r abdoo!naI 

trauGa and 1nt.rn.l, lrjurles rhlch loo€!ires causc dcath.

103 

The findin4s of the IITSB terc not n'ts !o autonoLr 1" :ir":1 

erp€rts. In!ernal analtse5 ov sDtona!ers includint Ford ;n'j 6ener:1 

ltorors, sore dating back ro the 1960's' noted Lhe infer!or performanc' 

or a lap-onlv seat belt as conpared to a 3hould€r/I3p combinatlon'1 

A !986 cM sludv found IaP belts '€re only ?_181 eff€cllvc tn Preventrne 

fatallties 

as comPared to q11 ror shouldet/lap belts 

The Cent'er ha: 

been receivinS rePorts of lap bel t-induc€d lDJuries since our roundlnS' 

If,deed, ihe C€nter Petltloned IIHTSA to requir' rear se3! shoulde''/Irp 

bel ts 1n 197 r1' 

The NTSB report Yas and:s lnpor!ant because of the lift1nB ot tts 

re1€a3€ and the substance of lts reco|1lnend'iions to NHTSA' {hiIe 

ihere bave lotiS been reports ot laP belt lDj$ries' loe bel! useEc 

raies kePL !h€ number of such cas€s small This:tlored the probleb 

!o 80 uncorrected bv NHTSI and vlrtDallv unnolic€d bv the Adertcan 

pubIlc. Th€ !ituatlon began lo chanBe' hosever' in lhe mid-1980's' 

Through advertising camPaigns and pressure on stat' Sovernltl'n!s' NHTSA 

began aggresslve €tforts !o encouraSe lhe pubtic to buckle_up ranv 

state3 passed Dandalory seat belt use Iavs and/or srLend€d child 

re!!rain! Iaqs !o require older chlldren to buckle-up' Todav' dor' 

lEErl.ansthanev.rbeforeareuearlng!€atbeLt's'includlnBrea's'at 

I.p beI t s. 

Thc llts8 rlport not onlv ld'nt1fl'd ' gror'lng safely probletr' ll 

con!a1ned lto sioFte but crucial recodEendations 

to NHTSA aboul 

ec!lons lhat l.ould reduce lne nunber of Ia! be!i-jnduced tnjurl'3 

rOff€red bv Sbould'r BeIt'i Intra- 

1 See. for eraoPle, rProtectiotr 

' " " '"""';.-'i;;d oior co" sePrenDer 19' 

'1 

o'rrill-t"iii,"i""iion,' nG snvoer' rorc i co., septero.. 19' 1967' 

";i 

:::':!.::'E:li"i:'"'i:.'. j,:;';;ii":r-",i" "':::"::";;i;"""i i'i;;;l,i;'; 

lil,;:::; :i',',:."i"i*eiliTi.""'.;'i;:;.i".r;;;;i;;J;"ii';;;;"""'""t 

i.il.." t.iy, Deceulb.r 1967' 

ano 

r

104 

dake sarety b.!ts !afer. Fr.:r, ITSB reconnend€d {8TSl imriediah€1, 

rnitiate rulemaking to r.quire a!tod:k€rs io provld€ shou.ider/Iap 

b€Its. inst€ad or I3p-onIy betts, in:Il nee cars. The eoard elso 

.ecoomended NHTSA encouraEe autooakers to offer reLrofit kiL5 !c 

enable consuoers lo have their Iap bells conv€rled to Lhe shoulder/lap 

d.s1an. It is NIITSA's respon3e to lhese .ecodn.ndatlons th.l I !ish 

to discuss in the reoarnder ot ny tes!1Dony, 

.6 tu9uLqEE4tS lrLI ffqu-Brlr-Nr E-O-8 Xft vr!rcLfs 

Today, nearly tro years after NTSS's recsohendallons, llH:St still. 

has not iormally proposed, 

let aloDe adopted, a rear s€ai should€r/1ap 

beLt nend6te. Furiher, IHTSA hEs done lirlle to encourage 

!o obtain o. manufEcturers to offer retroflCs- Folloeing NTSE's 

repo|.t, IHTSA delayed !en nonths b!fore 1s!u1ng a !!llj-oin:rv 

notj.ce 

of proposed rulemakinB. Even rorse, the notlce expressed sceptictsD 

abouc the need fo. a shoulder/1ap belt requlr€6ent- 

Instead of 

concent.etlng on tbe sefeiy b€neflts, llHTSArs notice emPhasized thc 

costs of . shoulder/Iap beli required.nt;'The ag€ncy 1s co.cern€d 

that such costs are eriremely disproporti.onate to th€ posslble safety 

benef 1t s. i 

Th€ c.nt.r b.l1.ves IHTSI,s eppllcatlon of co!t/beheflt en.1tsl3 

1r of Iidlted valu. ln lhls i.slance and, as appli.ed, 1s fundao.ntally 

f!ared. NHTSA's analysis falIs !o even Dentlon that chlldren are 

especially victlmized by lap b€1t-induced lnJurles. No! o.Iy a.e 

children nuch more likeIy to buckt€-up than adults, IHTSA surveys 

indlcate children at up to a8e 20 account fo.2/3 of all rear se.! 

occupanis- Our conc€rn ior ihc disprop'Jrtion6i.€ iilpaci of lap !elts 

on ch1Id.€r 1s not .Just stet1st1c.I, thc dajorlty of lap b.1t-induced 

j 

)

105 

injury repo.ts concern inlu'l€! to chlldren' 

ln sddition to the case ot Jinmv 0arrtll' thtch etl I l'' 'r:cu55'd 

today by another lJitness' th. Center has rec'iv'd oth'r lrrtlc r'Poits 

descrtbing lap belt-rnduced injurles !o chldren' La3t luqutl'' for 

exampl€, Dr' Salvalore OrI.ndo, a Plttsburgh Pedlatrlclan e'ot' to 

descrlbe the severe laP bett injurles susialn'd bv hls !1t!e'n-v'ar_ 

old daurbLer, vlckl. The accldent occu'red rh!Ie Vickr and !htee 

friends e€re retu.n!ng f.om a s!1D neet' 

al l forir occupanLs' tvo tn 

the fron! sea!s and tt'ro ln the back seaLs, re'e eearinE seat belt3 

vhen thelr vehicle, a 198{ Cadill ac Eldorado srru'k a tree 3t 25 m9h' 

Accordlng !o the Pedlatrlcian, 

occupants rdid not receive anv serlous 

th€ tto 3houl derll3p belted fron! s'at 

jnjuries'i In contrast' th€ 

Iap bel!-restrain€d glrl' sltting nert !o Vlckl' 'recelved ouItlpIc 

fr:c!ure5 lo her spine nec€3si!at!ng surgerv !o fuse her louet 3p1t''tr 

Vlckl Orlando sufl€red n3€vere lnjurtes to h€r abdominal ea]1' 5pln€' 

and lntestines' 

n€cess1!aLlng r€sec!lon of, several se8menls of her 

soall intestlne anO Isrg€ bov.l, and a co!o!!66v.I 

Since mo.e and 'nol"e t!a!es are passing nandatory see! belt use 

lars !ba! applv !o rear seats end are aorendin8 ch1ld reslraint lass 

to apply to oId€r chltdren ln e:.1 searlng 

poslilons' an lncr'asrns 

Dumber of chlldren are eearlDg rear s'e! bel!s' lt leas! flv' ltaies' 

lncludlng callfornia, \{iscodsln, !l:shlngton' HontanE and llevada' nos 

.equire that all rea. seat occupants bucl'(Ie-uP eiSht other states' 

lncIud1n8 NeH Iork, lassacbusett5' Haln'' OreSon' lhode lsland' Xe!t 

vir81nia, Nee llexlco, and llinnesota' r'qulre older childreD (rangin' 

f.oo uP t.r;ges 3-li) 

'-3 5u'kle_up riei:v:r 

t!ev 31i' 

Y.t lt t! esp.clally traEtc that Ntllsa has bcltr evcrs' lo

106 

r.qulrlng !houlder./lrp b.l13.v.n !hou8h thcs! 5taLe laes rill, 1n 

cerLaln accident5, 5enten.e rcar seat occ,ipanls. lncludlnq rany 

chlldren, !o a greater r13k of d.ath rnd !erlou! than occupants 

rearlnB should€r/lap belti or occupanls Hearlng no belts at alL Thls 

trag€dy 1s compoubded by th€ fact !hat th.r. 1s todEy a farl11er, 

cheap and slrhpl€ solutlon thel pouId.ff.ctLveIy .llntnat. lap b.lt- 

lndu.ed lnJurles: a conblnatlo. shoulder/Iap belt. 

Unfortunately, NtlTSl not only falls !o factor lnlo 1!s analysls 

the eff€ct of lap belt! on chlldren, the ag€ncy a13o plac€s loo Erca! 

tn emphasls on tbe Elnuscule cost of rcqulrtnE shoulder/Iap b€Ils 1n 

!he rear outboard seat.ing posltlons or ner passeDger cars -- a cost 

ilHTSA est.16lales to be about i12, Incldently, cene.al HoLorsr (CH) 

rulenaking comment polnted out tba! thls i12 flgur€ la! loo hlgh slnce 

1t I.ef€rr€d only to ih! flrst year cosl! of tl,eetlng a net{ requlr.Dent 

for current vehicles. Cl's.omrent steled: nCurrent costs day not 

rcfl,.c!.fficlencle! that olEbt be posslbl. lf vchlcles re.. lD1t1a1ly 

d!r18nc

h. 

l0? 

The notlc€ al50 empbasizcs a IJHTSI r.quir.nent may not D' ne?od 

stnce nany nanufacturers have arnounc.d !€nistlve plans to volunterlly 

lnst:11, or ttlake avall.bIr as tn option, shouldc./lap bcl!5 tn comlnB 

nodel years. The CenLer disaBrees. F1rsl. 3ome danuractu'e'e mav 

r.ke .ear shoulder/lap bclLs an optton rsth.r than standard 'qulPn'nt_ 

lurth€r, there 13 no Suarantec that rear shouLder/lap belis oav not 

5omeday be renoved to. conpe!i!ive reasons. Iovota, tot ex:nPle' 

lnslall.ed shoulder/Iap b€lts !n rear seatlng Po5lt1ons of 1981-82 

Cressldas but subsequentlv r€v€rted to 1aP b€lts rn 1983' 

Shoulder/lap b€]ts are slmPIy too loPortant to be I€fl to thc fulurc 

oarketlng and conPetitive cost coh3ideratlons of indlvldual 

automak€rs. A !ederal regulation eould a3sute that bv a certaln d:t' 

a1l, oodel.s aae €qujPped lljth shoulder/lap b€1!! and provld€ IHTSA tllh 

sn enforcemerrt fi.chab1sE to assur€ conpllanc€. 

s.u.o!!LE-84ff !!LI RErRoFrrS Elj vEHrcLii cuinENTLr a! lXE -Eq,O 

SeDa.ate froft falIlng to require rear 3eat shoulder/Iap belts on 

n.r cars, NfltSA has no!. follot €d throu8h to assure consumers can h'v' 

the cars !hey nos oHn r€trofltied r1!h should€r/lap beI!s' llTSBr3 

retroflt recomh€ndatloo is especiatlv loportan! 5lnce v1rluallv a1l of 

the approrlnatelv 80 ojltlon passenger cars holj on the road ha!e only 

lae belts Ln !h. rcar seats. The..ports ee recelve froD vehlcl' 

oeners a!!e ptln8 to obtaln 3hould.r/1ap bel!s to r'place th! la! 

bel.r nol. in their rear seats shou th.t r€t-tofiitinC 15 3tlIL not ' 

vlabl€ a1lerna!1ve tor the vast daiort!y of consurDers' 

1€veIs. 

Subsianti3l g.obIeEs erist both a! ih' manufactu"r 3nd d'aI'r 

Sepor!s ee nave recelved ov consuhers ano revieH oi !€rvice 

lnforna!1on danufactu.ers have issu€d to deale's, lndlcates ihtl 

5 

i? 

t 

I 

. 

l 

il

108 

r€t.rof1t krt..re stoply not off.r.d by some autom.l(ers' lnclLrdrnF 

Ford, VoI ksl]ageo end Ni!54.. In other cas.s. ..trofits are no! 

avallable for all nakes and nod.ls' Ev.n Cen.r.I Hotors' chrch 

appear5 !o hav€ reLroflt krts avallable for n.nv dlfterent dodeIs' 

does not nat(. retroflts .valIabl. for anv of l!5 Japanes. lnport5' 

Ev.n wh€n r.lroflt klts are DEdc .vallabl., l|'ost nahufacturers 

5re do1n8 lltt]e to lnforo consumers or d.alcrs about thelr 

rvallabillty. 

su.v.y3 conducted the Cent€r fo|. lu!o Safetv and oihers 

shor lidesprcsd ).bck of d€aI€r knoel.dae about r.troflts' 

of !hether or not the oanutactur.r off.r5 a r€troflt k1t tor 3 

Resardl 'ss 

Darricular model, deal€rs may not even kno! thev etlst a'd ei11 oftcn 

tell consude.s that they are unavallable. 0ne of th. onlv nanufscturers 

encouraSlng consum€rs !o 1nst31l r.troflt! 1s Chrvsl"' thlch lttt 

fall lnforo.d oen€rs'ctlrvsler loror! hlghlv r.codi'nds th'se 

Unforlunat.lv, .v€n Chrysler do.! tot ipP€ar !o !'ke retrofl!s 

!vr11.ble for atI v.h1c1c5. Le!t Septcob.., ZlIl.h Dtvls of El roy' 

tllscons!ni d1.d ln an autodoblle acctdent Ln rhlcb rh' uas e€a'lng a 

rea. seat 1sp bel!. fier hu!b3o.l, Loul! Dtv13' rec.ntlv tr!'d to 8!t 

shoulder/1ap b.lt3 eddcd to h1s Je.p Chlrokc. but eas iold !h'v rcrc 

nor offered by ch ry sl er- 

It ls crltrcal that {HTSA lncou.age !o ask fo' 

reCroflts 3nd p.e3s Ea.ufacturer3 to offer tb'o and lnforll de:ler! of 

tbelr avallabMly. Sooe after arket 6utomobllc Parls sup9llc's do 

offer 8ene.ic..trof1! klts and manutacturers hav€ b€en required !o 

provlde anchorages for rear should.r bcl!s slnce 197? Horev€r' 

.eport that ind.P.ndcnt rcpalr !boPs and 'ven dtal'rshlp!

109 

ar€ un!1Ilin8 to lnslaII e shoulder/l.ap b.Il ret.oflt klt.ot is!ued 

Dy the nanufactur€r. lf consuDer! cannot ob!a1n retrorit shoulder/laF 

b€1ts nade by thelr v.hlclet. m.nuiactu.er, it l! likely that th.y 

vlLl not b€ ablc !o retrofit thelr car at all. 

Fo11or1n8 the IITSB r€port, l\ltlTst told t.he Senate Comderce 

confilt!e€ lhat a final ruIe, eh1.h beca'Dc eff.ctlve septenber 1, 198?, 

eould b. helpiul 1n retrofltti.B shoulder/1ap belts- The regulation 

do€s noL, hor€v.r' €nab1. consuners lo 8!t relrofli beI!s, 1l only 

.€qulres manufaciurer5 grovlde info.na!1on ln th€1r oener's ranu.Is 

about lhe availabllii] of shoulder/lap bel.l anchor3ges. 

The Cent€r und€rstands NHTST lacks ih€ authorily to requlre 

.fte.Farket equlpD€nt, tncl.uding ret.oflt b€lts, for vehlcl€5 1n use. 

lle do, ho{ever, bellev€ the agency should do ttuch tlore than 1E has 

b.€n !o encourage should€r/lep belt r€lrof1ts. 

The neag:n 

ldnlristratlon has egressively encou.:8ed Ad.ricans io buckl€-uP 

through educa!1on3I actlvl.ties.nd proooti.on of ltandacory 3eat belt 

us. leus. R.dlrectlrS Ju!t e soall p.rc.ntagc of lhesc funds to a 

relroflt educalion caopeign eould be coDsl!i.nt viLb these effor!s and 

ls the Ioglcal n€rt .t.p. Ftn.lly, llHTsA should cor€ agresslv€Iy 

press au!onak.rs to oakc r.troflts avail.bI€ and inforl| deal €rs lhat 

I 

€ 

il 

1 

:1 

!{ 

ri

110 

Mrs. Colr.rNs. Wh;- is retrofitting not acceptable to tht, vast 

number of car owneri'/ 

Mr..Dtwrr..Substrntiirl problr.ms exist, both al Ihe ntilnufacturer 

and dealer levels. At tlrc nr nuiircturer level, sonte auto rnakers 

don't even nrake shrruldt.r/lal' bclt retrofits available. We know for 

t'xirnrple that lurd, Volksrrirgerr and Nissan don't currentlv offer 

th(,m to consun)ers. At tlr(' dt'alership level, dealerships arrl reluctant 

to put in belLs that are rrot offered bv the manufacturer such 

as belts madc by alter market ruti' parts supplicrs.'l'hat's a reat 

problem for the consumer as well, 

_ Mr.s. Cor"r-rNs. Than} you. Mr. Sakayan, I was very interested in 

l,he rllustratrons you have given us about how lupbr,lt-only caused 

major injuries. Now, l'm sorry- | was not here for the opening part 

of your testimony and had to leave because we were hivins a vote 

in the Fnergy and Commerce Subcommittee that I needed io go to, 

but did you by any chance mention the fact that you have inade 

NHTSA aware of all of these thinss? 

Mr. Snr.ly,c.r,r. Well, what we did, Madam Chairwoman. is we 

filed â 

petition.asking for a recall on the Escort because of a specific 

defect in th.eir seatbelt system. The l20day period by which'they 

were supposed to make the decision exoired on-Mav Il. 

.. As of yesterday, they have still not made a decision nor will they 

discuss the matter with us when we call them and ask what's haipened 

to our petition. All I can say is that based on our experience 

up until now, not much has happLned. They were prompt in sending 

someone out who did an initial investieation ind rie thoueht 

was impressed with what we had to offer but evel since it wEnt 

beyond the hrst level, it's sort of sittins there in limbo at the 

moment. 

Yes, we have tried to make them aware with our specifrc cases 

about these problems and whatever we can do to try a;d get some 

relief weve attcmpred, but I can say. without succesi, this iar. 

Mrs. C,ou-nrs. Well, ran anyone'tell me why NHTSA would req-ulre 

companres t-o make anchor points for shoulder straps but not 

the straps themselves? 

Mr. Knu,ry. Well, Mrs. Collins, it was the clear intention of 

NHTSA when it set the anchorage requirement that two things 

would happen. One, that the agency itself within a year or so 

would require new cars to have reai seat lap/shouldei belts and 

second that it expected the car companies t6 begin - in good - faith 

providing those retrofit kits for cars on the roads. 

Neirher one of those things has happened and we are now close 

to 20 years later. The agencv s exp&-tations were clearly spelled 

out rn rts pollcy documents at the time. In fact, I was in the Department 

of Transportation when some of those policy documenls 

were prepared and somervhere along the way the'ball'has been totally 

dropped and the car companies have failed to live up to that 

exDectaf,lon. 

Mrs. Cor,r,rNs. Mr. Dewey, do you think there's an institutional 

bias against the back seat shoulder straps by NHTSA? 

Mr. Dowry. I think ihe requirement is long overdue. The re. 

quirement should have been promulgated in 1t)72 when shoulder 

belts were required for front seats. I think the problem has onlv 

become more acute in recent years as more peopie have worn reai 

: 

ir! 

a 

{ 

il 

t1

I 

lapbelts and people have h:

112 

Mr- S,cx./\yaN. We'rc talking about lapbelLq in the rear seat of a 

car because-- 

Mr. Ntuusox. Yes. 

Mr. Sex,,rvrrq. OX. 

Mr. Nrtr^sor'r. You gave us a picture that the lapbells in the back 

seat in several instances caused deaths and serious irrjuries. llow 

many serious injuries and deaths have been caused by not wearing 

seatbelts at all in the back seatt 

Mr- SlxlylN. I honestly don't know a statistic to give you there 

because I just don't. I have seen a symposium recently that was 

done last year on rear seat restraints, I believe it was the SAE in 

which the whole need for added protection was questioned because 

of the safer environment senerally but I don't-I can't tell you how 

many people have gone oiit the riat window of a car because they 

weren't wearing any restraint at all. 

Mr. NrursoN. You gave the impression-I'm not sure you intended 

to-but you gave the impression that it was better not to wear a 

seatbelt at all than to wear a lapbelt-only. Did you intend that imnression? 

- 

Mr. Sex.cy.AN. Under certain circumstances, yes. If the lap. 

belt-- 

Mr. NrusoN. But we don't know the circumstance, when vou 

buckle uo in the back seat-- 

Mr. SaxayaN. l,et me explain that if I can-- 

Mr. NrsrsoN- When I decide whether to buckle up or not, what 

are my odds? 

Mr. Saxavln. OK. The predicament is this. A lapbelt is designed 

to provide pelvic restraint and it functions best for that kind of a 

system when it comes at approximately a 45Jegree angle to a 

person who is seated upright and it falls below the iliac crest, that 

Lop part of your hip bone iomewhere around the area of what they 

call the an{erior/superior iliac spine. It's a little hook out in front 

of the pelvis. 

If the belt comes across there, then whatever protection it's capable 

of providing will fall on the largest bone mass you have in your 

body, the pelvi-, and it is better able to absorb the forces that come 

out in an accident and also the pel.ric bowl has the bladder and the 

lower part of your intestines in front of it but because of the way it 

is shaied, theie is less likelihood that those are going to suffer serious 

injury. 

As soon as it rides up-- 

Mr. NrrrsoN. But ydu still haven't anewered my question. Is it 

better to wear a lapbelt in the back if that's all that's there? Obviouslv. 

if the shoulder harness is there. that's frne, but if there's 

only a lapbelt. should you or should you not wear it? 

Mr. SlxeveN. I'm answering it-- 

Mr. NreLsoN. No, you're not. 

Mr. S.nrevaN. Oh, I'm sorry. l,et me try it this way. 

Mr. NIrrcor. Try just yes or no. 

Mr. SlxeveN. Yes or no depends on whether it comes acro68 

vour pelvis or rides up higher. lf the lapbelt when you strap it on 

iides hieh above the belrris so that it comes across your abdomen 

around lour navel foi example, based on the cases I've had and 

this is n6t that many, but it's more than I think most other people

113 

have had so far, I would say you're better off without it than with 

rt. 

If it rides down on lhe pelvis where it's supposed to be, then l 

*outJ.ov ust il as opposed to nothrng und the r"irson I say that is 

ii-ii.. frilfr. in", s when it cuts jn and does the danrage that all of 

these ---tvt.. L-3, L-4 liactures I've cited to you (rccur. 

tltitt*olt. Of all the carses you've handled, how many have 

been the result of wearing the lapbelt-only versu-s hovv many you 

have had which were due to wearing nothing at all..' . 

Mr. SlxevlN. Well, I haven't taken a case where a person 

wasn't wearing an1'thing at all, I mean these are only-- 

Mr- Ntnsor. Mr. Coben. 

Mi. Cou"". Yes, sir, if I may speak i! that' I think there is an 

obuio.r" er""ti. answer which i thlnk we ought to make and that is 

i[i..-iiiE oUtiou. that in low speed crashes whether you are in the 

ir,j"t ii'" car or in the back of'a car, you should be restrained You 

should wear the available seatbelt syste-m and that-rncludes wearine 

the lapbelt if that s all that's available to you we are not recorimendine 

-- that people abandon the available salety s-vstems 

Wttut *"'u." siyirig is that in higher speed crash environments, 

and when I mean higher crash' we re talklng about- anlfthrng m 

"*"""" of 30 miles an hour, there is an increased risk of harm to 

;t;-;;;" who is wearing that lapbelt-onlv That doesn't mean 

iiilt'ft. ooo"tt have somi benefit'from it, but it's an increased 

risk. - ^-tfii. 

Nt"t"o*. I have about 15 questions and if each question 

t"ii". tlui lo"e to answer, I won't g'ei through very-many of them' 

ilii r"i*i *-li ttiis questibn. If I w-ere to ta[e Mr' Sakavan's testi- 

;-";;;;;l;it" ;.td-rolio- it, I could arge settins rid of seatbelt 

laws -blp".irtiy' in every State in this country' 

*ittt young childrei, - vou'll hurt them Most of the 

oeopie baci< there'are young children and they are.more apt to 

[;;'k]; ;p. Neb.uska to-ok oit the seatbelt law largelv- because ol' 

it i" ou.ti.rtn. argument, and frankly. I think you re flirting with 

;;;*;;. U-rtil y;u-get the other in hind, I certainlv wouldn't want 

t a?, r.o"ttl"d oi 5av anvthing that would discourage people from 

wearinq - seatbelts because I'm convinced lapbelts do help mone 

than liarm and that's the point I was trytng to ^get--acrosa' 

i'i-1 ."-*"'ii going to hat e another round are we not? oK, other' 

$'ise-- "frr. 

Km-uv. Mav I just address a brief comme-nt to.that,. Mr' 

Ni"i'"l"ii1TI'tl* -i1" liue"av of this situation is that it's a "pick 

;;#;;i";";;';i;;ii;" f;; tti" p"i.o" l" it'u u"'t. seat rhe fa6t of 

iiJ'"i"tL.-i" lii t"me crashes you ure *otse off and more, r'ulnera' 

;i; ;;-;;;ih ;;d lnjurv with ihe lapbelt than.without' In others 

uou u." not. I thinli our position is emphatically that we wart to 

iiii'i'rit"'iii"i ;;;i;; "; iapidlv as posdible and'one. component of 

;ii;;;;ii";;"i choice is educiting -people as to the better alternative 

-- and seiing that it's Provided 

I-iion't knoi another way to do it than to have the- Government 

""afirl-*i .o-panies get out there and gei those shoulder belts 

out and explain to people why that is sup€nor protectlon- 

Mrs. ColuNs. Mr. Kleczka. 

I 

., 

: 

l

114 

Mr. Kt,r:r'zxa. Quesliorr. Mr. Sakayan You madr'nttrtlir'tr itr vour 

testimony of a pelition that was filed with NHTSA' tlrc t r.ltiration 

date has come and gone and -You've received no reply'l Wlrat was 

the case in point? What was the petition actually-- - - .. 

Mr. Saxr.vlr.r. The petition had to do with a recall of all Ford 

Escorts liom 1984 on which have a particular modification to their 

rear lapbelt system that prevents them from providing pelvic restraint 

as it's defined in the law because it has a tendency to pull 

the belt up above the peJvis and what we sought lr'as a correction 

of that particular delect wbich could be done just by taking a pair 

of scissors and sniPPing-- 

Mr. Kr,eczxe. Oli, Uut ttte petition didn't address the issue that 

we're talking about today and that's the-- 

Mr. S,c.xlieN. No, sir, it went to a specific defect in a particular 

model of car. It happened to have involved lapbelts, but not the 

larser ouestion. 

M.. Kuczxo. OK, so as I understand it, aII American made auto 

mobiles today do have the anchors in place, I'm assuming somewhere 

under the seat 

Mr. Keurv. That's correct. 

Mr. Kmczxe. And ihis was a requirement? 

Mr. Krlmv. Yes, it was. It was a requirement that was adopted 

bv the asencv in anticipation of two things. One, that the car comoinies 

w"ould offer optibnal rear shoulder belts to their car buyers 

ind two, that the Government itself would soon be requiring mandatorv 

rear lap/shoulder seatbelt systems for all new cars 

Mr- Kr-nczxi. And neither scenarios have plal ed out? 

Mr. KELT,EY. Neither scenario has played out which has been a 

disappointment and a tragedy l :night, by the way. 

fe.t vou know 

that-anchorage is not under the Government rule and its interPre 

tation. the a"nchorage is not a device or a system' It is simply a 

olace.'a point, on thi inner body of the car that is strong enough to 

iarrv thi shoulder belt under ihe Government regulations. Manuiactirers 

must designate that point and inform the -consumer 

when 

lh" "otr.u.tt"t wish'es to put in a shoulder belt if there's a belt 

available. which usuallv there isn't. 

Mr. Xlrczx-a.. So whlt's the resolve to the problem? A mandate 

coming out of NHTSA that all automobiles sold after a certain date 

have tl-rese devices installed, is that-- 

Mr. Keu,nv. C,ertainly for future new cars, NHTSA should be 

,.i"g itt Iong existing iegula-tory authority. to require,that those 

ca.""ha.re reir seat Ep/slouldei belts in the outboard positions. 

Foi "i.. existing on ihe high*ays today and being driven by 

o"opt", it should issue a *artti-ttg to those people and an urging and 

i wbrkins with the car companies to be sure that retrolrt rear seat 

ihoulder "belts are available at reasonable prices, meaning barebones 

costs, which should be perhaps $10. 

Mr. Kr,rczxe. Thank you, Madam Chair. 

Mis. Cor,uxs. I getthe impression from thc hearing thus far that 

manJ aubmobile -makers and dealers have been lax in advertising 

lhe ivailability of shoulder-strap addon kits for older cars' Would 

anvbodv --ftr. have a reason for this? 

keu"r. I think, Mrs Collins, you'll have to ask the motor 

vehicle manufacturer's association and the industry representa- 

:

5 

tives whv, but the fact of the matter is that no car marufacturer 

;nj-;'a; ;;;1; is advertising the availabilitv of those belts' 

None. '''lii. 

Dtt*t". I would add to that, even lor manufacturers who do 

.ff*';t;;iia b"l*, dealers just don't seem to know about their 

r""if^frliiw- entthe. p.oblem is that some manulacturers- do offer 

;h;;;;a ion;i ittro."j dealers of that fact so as a lrsctical matt€r' 

ii';;;;n- ;; ;;J ask for retrofits even if thev're available' 

"U;;"';;; id" a""r.t won't know about thenr and consequently 

he'll "-lvi;. tell vou thev're 'A;e not available. 

t6;r;;. ih'.e shoulder harnesses in the back seats of 

th; C;.;"I"t ;i"l 'ra.ts, do yo,l know that have been sold each y,ear? 

*'M;. 

ii;;t;. -C"lt ih"." u." s-houlder harnesses in the rear seat of one 

mJ*" ""^, i believe it is called the Vista That model is made' 

iiiii""", l" u'it"uUi"itl ro. Chrvsler and it happens to have shoul' 

;;r';;i; if t'r," i".i ieat, probablv because thev are put there for 

i"*.1 "$;;;;;"%i'i"noi" 

^"a"1" going to other deitinations that require shoulder 

;;i; 

u." Iuckv enough to set a rear seat shoulder 

--i4.". betr but"ir appears to be totally by accident' 

Co""i"s. And is that the only miniva-n that we're^driving 

around -'Ui. in America today that has those shoulder harnessesi 

ktt."t". ^C";;-;i".. To the best of my knowledge, Mrs Collins' 

iti;. -;";t;;ii b; you think if the." *itt to be active testing of 

il;-k ;y;teirs bv manufacturers that it would perhaps 

;;;; iit;l;-;;.iier introduction if we aren't able to- get legislation 

i.as*a-'i"i ,-o."-."u"ott? .Would that cause manufacturers to be 

more "'"M;.-C"Jil.-i self-policing and begin to put them in? 

;'rn t"ti v"o" from experience in past insta.nces that 

tt " u"tornoiit" i.tdrrstry has lbr the iast 20 years been- actively test' 

i;; ;h;b"i;;;"aerns iti theit vehicles. The automobile industry is 

*iif-'"i'r* "i'tt* pertor-rnce in crashes of existing restraint systems 

^ in those vehicles. 

li't;:'i;;;t: F;i ihe recotd, let me ask q question l see a lot of 

th;; ;;;" ;.; tl"r go o" the back seat of cars and most of them 

;;;"il;.t J';y ihe "seatbelt that goes beneath the seat in some 

tina oi *uv. How safe do you think those are? 

Mr. CogxN. l)o you mean in conjunction with specific seatbelt 

svst€m? "'ii"". 

Cor,t"".. Yes In a crash, you krow you.ttave this big thing' 

*'taii. ;;T;;" have a babv in'it, and it s all.sort of put in the 

#.ftLJ';JJ;d1."k ;; t;" little-or some kind of device and 

fi;';;;;;.1;';tp. between those and that's supposed.to -lock 

the 

-i'.it ri, J"i!. u'""n impact, it's suppos€d to keep the baby from get' 

ffi; ii;i;;: b,ii h"; A; it becarise it's onlv-supporrcd at the back 

ffiroi il;;;cis'una vou have the weight 6f the child' perhaps 15' 

20 *Ni;. pounds. How safe is this device? 

ffi;;: ilu J"ui.". vary obviouslv in their safetv' 4lp"n.ailg 

"p"t it""*'t"rt"i'l* d;;ig;;d Thut" ut" divices that are built-childrestralnt 

devlces to accommodate and deal with u. three-point 

:;il;;;;;;';;;';f ver'iciei *r'icr' mak€ them supt'rior to sim-plv 

;'";ftft;;;he iapbeltontv svstem So the varialions in safetv 

ilil;;;";il;-a".rs" i well-as'the restraint svstem 

*

6 

Mrs. CoLltNs. Ilut tbr the most f)itrt, when lhere is an accident 

and there's rtn inlant in the back seat, then the infant usually isis 

it sale to say th('inlant is usually not harmed upon the impact? 

Mr. Dr:wlv.'Cletrri,v, child restraint systems add salety lbr that 

child, clearly. 

Mrs. CoI.r,lNs. I have no further questions Mr' Nielson? 

Mr. NIrusoN. Who lbrnred the Institute for Injury Reduction and 

with whom are you afli!ialed'1 

Mr. Knu-nv. 'Well, that's explained in detail, Mr. Nielson, in the 

first attachment to Mr. Cobcn's testimony, but in brief, the founders 

were plaintiffs'attorneys who have worked in injury cases and 

have become concerned :rbout the kinds of injuries they've seen 

and the lack of their necessity. Our membership is open to anyone 

who believes in the mission of injury reduction. 

Mr. Nrruso^-. Mr. Sakayan said he concentrates on lapbelt-only 

iniuries. -Mr. .ls that the only thing you focus on? 

KsLLev- Oh, no, not at all, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. Nrersor.r. What other products or product-related injuries do 

vou-- ' 

Mt. Kn,-"u". Well, we're a new organization. We have been lookins 

at among other issue areas, the rollover propensities of vehiclis. 

We are looking at motor boat propeller injuries. We re go-ing 

to be working far a-field in this product-injury area l believe Mr' 

Sakavan waJreferring to restrai;t syst€m cases. I believe he also 

does -other product cases, but I'm not really-- 

Mr. Nln*oN. When a customer buys a vehicle, he accepts a certain 

amount of risk. He buys insurance for that risk. 14 your view' 

how much risk is acceptable in society and how mucb should we 

regulate - -"lvti. to make sure that accidents don't happen. 

Ku""t". Well. I agree with the mission of the Traffic and 

Motor Vehicles Safeiy Ait of 1966 written and passed by- this Cone."i" 

.s .-".tded, ani that mission is to take feasible technological 

lteos within economic reality to reduce motor vehicle crashes-- 

Mr. NIersor.r. Would you repeat that? Within-- 

Mr. Knr,rv. I'm not using the exact words of the act-- 

Mr. Nrnsor':. wjthin economic reality-- 

Mr. Kru-ev. I believe, in fact, I don't even think the act saJrs economic, 

I believe it says feasible. 

Mr. NrnrsoN. Should we consider cost-to-risk ratios as a measure 

of how much we can require? 

Mr. Krr,r-rY. I don't know ',vhat cost risk ratio you'd be referring 

to, Mr. Nielson. I think that the mission of the act is to do the best 

work possible to encourage the marketplace and the regulatory 

mechanism to do a\ a) wiih needless deaths and injuries in car 

crashes, the leading cause of death from birth !o u!"ut age 60 in 

ifrir "ori"tty, far aid away beyond all other health hqzards includine 

illnessei. I ihink that mission is well spellec out in the act, m 

li"e ieeisiative history, and I believe everl'thing we're saying here 

is -- four--square within that intention. 

Mr. NinrsoN, No, it's rather well-known that most accidents 

iniure occupants in'the front seat. Do YQt kno.w what the breakdo'*n 

mighi be between the accidents and iqiuries to front seat occupants 

versus back seat passengers? 

: 

J

177 

Mr. Knlt,rv. I don't know the data offhand, but certainly those 

are available and l'd be happy to provide thenr to the subc()mmitte€. 

Mr- Ntriuson- Would you do that? 

Mr. Knrlrv. C,ertainly. 

[The inlbrmatiun follows:]

f n 19E6. 60,19? drir.B q.r( 

| 'nrol'cd in far.l..cid.nc 

ITrblc?tp,orid*rh. 

dir(ribrtion of dri!.6 h) \.hrl( 

typ., rccid.nt 1Y9., and a8.' 

s,our TIG tatS.sr t tc.nraSc oI 

th.rc driv.ts for l0 !.at a8< 

8toups ras for th. 8ro!t bcl 

s..n t5 and 24 ].ars of a8c 

This sa1 rollor' 

{12.5 D.rc.nr). 

cd b) lh.8roup b.Ie..n 2t and 

34 r.ac of as. (26.8 t rc.nt)- 

So. alnost 60 pcrc.tr or lbe 

dri\'.r iDfol!.d in taral .r.th.s 

in l9E6 ut'c uDd.r rh. asc or 

3t T!bl.'t I also shoes thal a5 

dri!.r ar. inct.a!.s, lh. Ptopor 

rion of rh.n fatal aash.! rhar 

ar. nDl(i'\.hiclr also rrcrcascs 

l18 

k.n.,allt, rh. dnv.r'r 5..1) rh.tr 

iD ary orh.r lo5nioD. todt{D 

t rc.d of rh. (clDrnti of thit 

rrat who r.r. in na\t.n8ct carr 

in\olv.d in t.ral accid.nts dnd 

Thc Io$.!l nroto,lion ol d.atl't 

fo' all or rh. pollibl. s.aoD8 

po.n,ons, fton' and bact, wal 

amor! Gcupanl3 sitlin8 in thc 

niddl. rcar 5ca'. Ot 1.46J G 

cutanrs of thi5 posnion, onlt 

246 q.r. taraliri.s (16.6 Ft,

u-c.. rt 

119 

2 a,922 - tATAlm€S 

62.90r . OCCT P NTS 

.0,74r , occuPANTs oF VEHICIaS ltl WX|CH ^ fAlAurY occuRR€o 

Pass€nge, Ca' Occupanl and 

Faraliry Se€linq Posilrons 

lable 7-2 

Number and Percenr ol Dr r ers Involved in Falal Accidenls by 

Age-GroLi .nd Da! ol Week 

60,297) 

1tt 10.0 

rrl .t 

.. rz,t

12() 

Mr. NIrt-soN. NIITSA has been concentrating on the liont seal 

because, with their lin)ited resources, they can reduce injuries and 

dr:aths nt

lzl 

which they have in lbct designed and provided to all consumers a 

r,,a."liu"O t it lbr a shoulder harness system in the center position' 

the ""in"t'ii rear seats, of their automobiles. 

i,l.- provided in a number of other European vehicles' 

W. think that trrgineering knowledg| ts therc so thar safety can 

also be provided iherc lt's a r;;uestir:n of strtistics cl)d wtere you 

besin- the desigrr ol safety and where the prrorltles ll(. 1ney ceriri.i" 

fi" *llt'the outboird seating posltions bul ullimately' a's 

V;i;; has Jon", th"." ought to be sh"ouider harnesst's !ur all people 

seated -"tli.. in the vehicle. 

Xi,t"r*o. You're saying the technology is already developed? 

Mr. CoRf,N- Oh, Yes, sir. 

Mr. Kr-nczxn. We're not remaking the wheel here' 

Mr, CoseN. Yes, sir. 

iii;. ;i;";il.-iliing the testimonv this mortting',vou indicated 

ttrai ine auro manufacfurers on a voluntary basis will bc putting rn 

i'n"-*.r t"" and shoulder belts. Is this in fact accurate and how 

-"r"" -u"tifJ"rers are going to move ahead with that progrqm? 

"'i4i. 

K;;;;;. -flgt well, the inanifacturers have so st'ated to the Natlo"ui 

*ty Traffic Safety Administration' Again' the control-- 

Mr. Kmczxl. Effective when? 

ii.i;. i;;;"" Well, effective thev sav, and d.on t hold me to this' 

*-"ti-i ty'i9gZ,-i fuli"u", thev sav ihev will be in all. cars l'm 

sure that the industry representative will be able to grve you a 

il"* i.?"i"li ni,;i". ri'e piobt"- is that he who giveth mav taketh 

il;; ih;; ";? the same car companies who.began,to provide air- 

;;; ";;-;i;;; ptot "iiot in the midseventies and said if vou'll 

iff;;" "|";;-f?o-m a regulatory standpoint, we'll do this voluntarilYTh"u 

s"u"th for awhile and then they tooketh away for every 

t";; fi"il;i't;; u"tit uuout 2 years ago or 1 vear ago and we still 

iil.î h;;; "l;b"c" in ttto.t """t". lt is-the lob of regulation and it is 

;h"';;;;.* of th"e act Lo see that what tire companies can do and 

;il il;ii"";;;'i;'-u"i"-"i -alned in the resplitorv process and 

that ""iirl hasn't haPPened here. 

xi"tr*ii cive me an update on the airbag situation' Is that 

rirUrl-i"iis" only to protect and provide additional safety for the 

;;tff ;ff; ih"! "o.i,"tto* positibned in the dashboard for other 

occuDants 

""i;i.-i;;. in the front seat? 

th; eiisiing product on the market todav' with tbe 

".i,iiliiii- "i p"it aps one" automobile manufacturer' is providing 

oniv'protection for the drirer sith a-n airbag' One manulacturer' 

;ili ir'il;h;, ii pro"iding its vehicles at an option with the passenger 

side modem as well', . 

Thpre are manv automoorle manufacturers that have suggested 

t" iii;. i"l;;"-;l;""t"s *iU be that same protection for the front 

#";'il;;;;t i i"-ifa ttt committee thit starting.in 19?3' the 

manufacturers that Put arroags in vehicles at that- time had sys- 

;;;i;;6li f;";tal irotection, both passenger and driver' two sep 

arate -'il|-i. operations. 

fto"r*o. ln your estimation, is the.airbag critical since all 

cars are now equrPpeo *ttrr itt" iai and shouldir front seatbelts?

t22 

Mr. Cogan. We believe it is. We believe that the airbag provides 

supplemental and additional protection which is highly supt'rior to 

seatbelt svst€ms alone. 

Mr. KLiczxl. Would you also prefer to see i,hat a mandatory regulation 

l 

Mr. Ckraer.r. We would nrost defrnitely. What is happening.here is 

that the industry is being provided with options ol chorce l hey are 

rlectins- in the t'assive restraint options-1hey are eleclrng Lo go 

with what they bt'lieve is feusible, practical, and less costly to them 

and to the cortiun,"t. What is happening, thougtr' is we see that the 

industry is being lbrced because of consumer demand to go to arrbags. 

ilo-.n"., we're talking about a very slow introduction into the 

nrarketplace and in t he meantime, people are -d-ying ^, 

Mr. Iileczxe. I have no further questions' Madam Chair. Thank 

you " all. 

Mrs. Cou-txs. Thank you' Just for m-v own curiosity, I wonder if 

I can get an answer to-this. Why.is the diagonal halter 

.shoulder 

more beneficial than perhaps a double shoulder nallerj 

Mr. Kru-tv. It is not necessarily more beneficial, Mrs' Collins, 

and some of the attachments to our testimony sugg€st knowledge 

and engineering work within the industry showing tlat the double 

harnesJ is even more effective than the shoulder belt However, 

ihe.e has been the feeling within the industry and possibly the 

Goro"r.r.trettt that many people would not use that system- since it 

reouires a eood deal nioie aition in order to get it on and keep it 

on-and - it may be regarded as more restrictive. 

Cectt"i".tti, that'is a better system even than the diagonal 

shoulder/lap - combination. 

Ui". Cot-it*s. Thank you l have no further questions We thank 

uou fo. "ou, t€stimony ihis morning. You certainly helped to give 

irs1o-*" ia"u of the siverity of thJ problem Our next witness is 

s"lne t b" M.. Tho** H. Hanna-who is the-president of the 

'Moto". 

V"hi"l" Manufacturer's Association. Would you come for- 

ward please? 

STATEMENT OF THOMAS H. HANNA' PRESIDENT' MOTOR 

VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION 

Mrs. Cor-Ltrss. Mr. Hanna, you may begin your testimony at this 

time, ---t"ti.'H"""". nlease. 

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman l am Tom Hanna 

atrd l;- ptesid"t t of tie Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association 

.oa -MVMA I nui" a brief statement to make to the committee' 

is a trade association whose members produce -more than 

96 peicent -l;; of the motor vehicles manufactured in the United 

biuGi here today to tell you about the domestic. manufactur- 

;;t;f";; to install lipishouldir belts in the outboard rear seating 

ob.itlo"i-of p*""ng"t.u.s, light trucks and multipurpose passeneer 

vehicles ind to offer accessory kits for ins-ervlce vehlc'es 

'-MVMA 

members are commitied to install those- restraint sy& 

t";: il f"a;;""y ot tft" 1988 models already incllde theT: 9v 

i-Sliii. "i*"uliv euery car produced in the United Siates will be 

A;iir# ;ifr lap/ihoulddr belLs in outboard rear seating posi- 

q 

, 

'.

123 

tioDs. By 1992, practically ull light trucks and multipurpose passenpcr 

vchicles also will be includcd in this cflbrt ' 

*Of 

fou."". [hose i,ct luns apply r'rnly to new nrotor vehicles To 

extend the availability ol these systtns to v( hrcles.'rlrtady In servi"*,- 

irlvMn mlmberi have designed i,c('essorJ k iL\ cnd notified 

iir"it a"ul". service nelworks r-rl the availabilily ol oulboard rear 

*rii"g-p"iiti* kits for most models manufactured in the last 10 

- Years. -Manulacturers 

have included information on accessory kit.s in 

"tii.".i p.i"r "avertising. lt's contained in the owner's manuals 

unJitt" piUti.irud regularly in speeches and in corporate communi- 

;;;i";.6" ih. n,unuIo"tu.ittg companies. In uddition, the.manufaci;;;;;;;;;".i.ate 

directlvlo deilers about their availabilitv and 

i;;-e;^;" '--lutu"ulu"t"t".. haue becn madi repeatedlv avare of-their availabilitv' 

have also cooperatsd with the National Highway 

Traflic Safety Administration in its efforts to produce consumer lni"r-rii"" 

ob'out .c.e""o.y kits Domestic manufacturers have indi- 

;;t"J to NHTSA in response to the advance notice of ploposed 

."i.^^xi"*, ittî ihev tiouta not oppose amendments to Federal 

Motor Veiicle Safety Standard No.208, to require the systems 

they "'itr"i" are already voluntarily providing. 

"." h6*euer, additi'onal issues raised in the notice that 

"ouiJli ou..u"a lo tlre level of regulatory requirements' disrupt 

'schedules 

ilu"ufu"iui"t 

for introduction of these s.vslems For example, 

the agency has solicited comments on dynamrc testrng or 

belis and on ihe need for comfort and convenience requirements to 

r.t-"t"-ttt"ii t"". The multitude of issues that would need to be 

iesolved for such requirements could seriously delay some manufacturers' 

'- schedules for introduction. 

e-sr"it"; it""nilv" tot rear seat lap/shoulder belt use would be 

r""i"t"*- Si"*-belt u"" laws that require both..front-and rear 

;;;l'-;;ir;; to buckle up Neither the availabilitv of the belt 

i".t"t" "o. its effectivenesi will produce results unless the belts 

l'.!" ,iLa.- nJ. ttti" l"*o", lvrvltit car companv joined 

Irembers 

ilift-"ttr"i pii"ut" """tot interests to create Trafhc Safety Now' 

lnc. "'iri" tTSNl, 4 vears ago 

*tt -"issio.t if TSN is to encourage the widest possible use 

of safety belts through educational programs and enactment and 

""foi""ir"nt of effect'ive use laws in'all-fifty States To date' TSN 

i* l.i""i"a ""Li $54 -illio" on this elTort which has directly coni'.I6u-i"-J 

m i["iuit thut lz States and the District of Columbia now 

have '-fto*"u".. belt use Iaws in effect. 

'*f',i.n-ii-ii onlv eight of those laws cover rear seat passengers' two 

"the"rear 

"f 

belt use requirement to- children As the 

iif"-*"i"S and injury prevention benehts of safety belt use laws 

become even more apparent than they are today'.we're hoPsful 

fi;;^;;.;';;";;- t"."bi"t of a passenger motor vehicle in all 50 

States will be r'equired to use safety belk 

This is a goal to which we remain committ€d Madrrrtr L:harrwomu", 

l.}iaf"otipi"t t my-prepared st€tement and I tharrk vou lbr the 

opportunity ' to aPpear here lodaY. 

iTh" pre-pared-dutement of Mr. Hanna follows:l

t24 

l,| A ItS I lr'1UfuY 

IJTIURL II]L 

GUVIIiNIIIN] ALIIVIIILS ANIJ IIiANSPURIAI IUI'/ SUIJLOI'II']I I ILI 

UI' IHL 

t.ulllllllLt uN 6(lvtRNllLNl 0PtRAi luN: 

UF ] HI 

UTIITLJ SIAILS HUUSt UI. RLPRLSLI{IAIIVLI 

JUriL lJ, TqJJH 

l'ly raHE ls lHotas H, flANNA. Ill 

pntstotttt oF THL ll0loR 

VEBtcLE IIaNUFAcTURERs Ass0clATIo oF rHE lJllrED SrATEs, lic', A 

TRAD€ ASSOCIATION iIHOSE II'HBER5 PRODUC€ ITORE TNAN 9b PERCL'{T OF 

THE HoToR vEHtcLEs TIaNUFAcTURERED lN THE IJNITED STATES' I al 

HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU ABOUI DOIlESTIC fiANUFACTURERS, PLANS ]O 

lnsraLL LAplsHouLDER EELTs Itt rHE ourSoARD REAR sEArlx6 PoslTloNs 

OF PASS€N6ER CARS, LIGHT TRUCKS AND I'UL-TIPURPOSE PASSEI'IGER 

VEHICLES AND ]O OFFER ACCESSORY KITS FOF III'SERVIC€ VEHICL€S' 

flVl'lA HEHBERS aRE cot{llrTED To lNsrALL THos€ RESTRAINT 

sysrE s. lN FAcT, nANY or rH€ 1988 ttoDELs ALR€ADY lrlcLUDE THEtI' 

By 1990, vtRTUALLY EvERY caR PRoDUcED lfl rHE ll. 5. v?lLL BE 

€ou:ppEo NlrH LAp/sHouL0€R EELTs Ili ourBoaRD R€AR SEATING 

poslrloNs, lro av 1992, PRAcTtcALLY aLL LI6HT TRUcKS Ati0 

IIULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES ALSO WILL BE ]NCLUDED IN IHIS 

EFFORT. 

IJF coURsE, TfloSE ACTTOIIS APPLY OIITY IO IIEU ttOTOR VEHICL€S. 

To Exr€flD THE avAILABILITY oF THEsE SYslEHs ro v€HlcLEs ALREADY 

li{ sERvtcE, l'1V11A MEHBERS rlavE DESIcNED accEssoRY xlrs alt0 

ItiOTIFiED THEIR DEALER SERVICE I{ETIiORKS OF ThE AVAILABILITY OF 

OUT!OARD REAR SEATING POS]TION '

25 

- !' 

liA(!fA(lttrlp' HAvt lilcL(10t0 INF(tRl'iA'I toil oN ruL A('i:{ssnkt xlT': 

[t ltAIloN/\t ll'lr]l ADvfRIlslNG aNIl lN 0|lNIRS HANllAl!i ulr 

PUiLICIZID 

II]TIII AVAILAITILITY It'I SPELCHES AND CORPOIiATT 

coffiuNttArtolrs. ltr,0tillloN, MANUFAcTURERS c {r 11 l'1 u N I c A r t lJ DIREcTLY 

TO D€ALTRS ABOIIT IHEIR AVATIA!ILITY, AIID COOP€RAIED ylITIi TtIE 

l{artoNA! HtGHwAY lrrrrtc Seretv AD INIsTRATIoN It! lts EFFoRTS ro 

FRODUC€ CONSUtlIK INFOfII'lAIION ABOUT ACCESSOFY K]TS' 

UonEsTtc rANUFAcIuRttis HAvt INDIcATED ro HISA__lN R€sPoNsE 

to THE ADvaricE llottct or PnoPostD RuLEnaKttG-_THAT TH€Y lrouLD Nor 

opposE AHENDT.TENTs ro IEDtFAL I'l0ToN VEHIcLE SAFETY STANDARD 

(II'tVSS) I.IO.2O8 IO sEGUIRE TNE SY5]EI"IS THEY ARE ALREADY 

voLur,rraFtLy pRovtDtr{6. IHERE aRt, Hor€vER/ ADolrtoNAL Issu€s 

RAtsED tN THE NUISA NorlcE rHAT couLD, IF PIJRSUED To rHE LEvEL oF 

REGuLAtoRy REoutREraENTS, DlsRuPT H A N u F A c r u n e n s ' s c s t o u L t s ron 

tN-rR0DUcrtoN oF THEsE sYsrEtls. loR EXAtIPLE, THE AGENcY HAs 

SOLICITED COIIXEN-IS ON DYtlAHIC TESTTNG OF THE BELTS AND OI{ IHE 

t€ED fOR COr'1FORr AllD COt{VENI€liC€ REOUtSEn€NTS TO PROtIOTE THEIR 

ust, 

lle lruLTlruDE oF IssuEs rHAl rouLD NEED To BE R€soLvED FoR 

sucH REOUtRET,lENTS COuLD SERT0USLY DELAY SOnE rllHUraCrUnens' 

SCEEDULES FOR I IIIROOUCT ] OII ' 

A GFEATER lNc€flrl vE FoR REAR stAr LAPlsHoulDER B€LT usE xouLD 

BE 5'TATE hANDATORY BELT USE LA\{S'IHAT 8€A!IRE EOJH f RON-I AND REAR 

sEAT occupANTs ro BucKLE uP. l{ElrflER THE avalLABlLllY 0F ltlE 

BEL'I SYSTEIl ItOR ITS EFFECTIVEIlESS WILL PRODUCE ANY RESULTS UITLESS 

IH€ BELTS AR€ USED. 

Fon rnts vtnv REAso,llVl'lA cAR coflPANY rlEr'18€Rs JoINED rlrH 

orrlER pRl!arE s€croR lltrEREsrs ro cREATE TRArFlc SAFETY ilou (TSil)

t26 

Foun ytARs rcn lrE so!E ntsstoH or IS ts t(J t cot,t4r,r rIl 

-t- 

I'llDESI POSSIILt l,St Of SAFETY BEITS IHROUGN tDUCATIoNAt l'fi{rnRAnS 

4ND EtAClr.rENr A n E f0RCtnENT OF EFFECTtVt US€ !Ats tn ^t I 5(l 

srATEs. lo tj^tr, ISN HAs txfiENDt0 ovtn t5lj rrrr-tor r,r rrrr. 

EFFoRT yrHrcH HAs DtRtcrLy coNTRIBUTED To tHE FAcT tHAl j/ : r^rrs 

aND TrE UrslRlcr or coLu BtA Nori HAvE BELT usE LA\{s Ifl fr | | ( I . 

tlol{EvER, or{LY EIGHT 0F TH0SE LAHS COvER REAR S€Ar pASSEX6!ris--Tl{O 

OF I{HICH LIIlIT THE REAR BELI USE REOUIREtl!ItT TO CHTIDRE'r, 

AS THE LIFE-SAVIIIG AND IIiJURY PR€VENTION 8E!EFITS OF SAFETY 

BELT I'SE LArlS BECOHE EVEN }IORE APPASENT ]HAN THEY ARE TODAf, TE 

AR€ HOPEFUL THAT SOOII EVERY OCCUPAXT OF A PASSEIIG€R IIOTOR VEIIICLE 

tN ALL 50 srar€s l{tLL Bt REoUtRED To usE sAFEry geuts. Trts ls I 

6oAL To nHIcfr TSN AND 11VllA RETAIN conHITT6D- 

/ APPREcIA]€ THI oPPoRTUIiITY To APPEAR 8€FoRE You ToDAY. 

.' 

a 

{ 

I 

I 

i

121 

r,Y#;,3j;i'ri,?;*',:T;1 :if' #',J::i.? JH"iii"f Xill"l'""nil,ii:; 

belts in the back seat^s'/ 

I$;tt il,.m J*Ti ","Ji'1"i"""':1.1 

6;;:":1J:';,:titi'$:t*i 

r:r*;[i:{i}:*ir;'"",""3iTiili"o,'"}1fil:Tli}'i:'*',? 

.rrt"ai "'itlr.. li "t were in the blck seats of cars 

co"ti". tsut is that a reason why the manulacturers should 

^ti15{lt*1+:il["JiH::$"flJn'J"'1,'-lii:;:ff 

li'1,*,' 

llii"l-nlit*;P:nfi ,::l';1"1-*i--:s'":*1;$!1""i,'iii 

il;,;,t;;;;;; to'u"", tni' less ljkclv people are 1o.use it if 

-And 

lilT,Yt: .1''f #1"T3""ii"''"t"f"1",'il"T",'f i$;l'i:Ti]li'"?'T; 

;l+$J""*i*i;1"t1:*t 11" tr::"+'i"''*"T"x'.i,i"sti-o.,y tr.,is 

-irt" relative eflectiveness of the lapbelt and the 

-i."'iit"g tnr"i 

*nitfyJJ*:*;ln*i''**;",i?"Jlilo:1":;i:ft :'-::iJiTf; l; 

;il;';ffi ttt"-'rnu.t"futt"ters are now voluntarily introducing 

ir,i"'. rl'i,: p"i"t is it's-not "i 

:i;""i ?ru"'T;:t;i:t f:,tJl:T"i:I: 

::it'i:i{:rfr ]l:{*rlliii:":T:in',"'x"trjti,,,w:*1,,ru 

it that manufacturers haven I 

Hll'#Ui:i:i'f 

"f 

'lon*.tl'rut*s;H'""is"l'H:"lHl**.:"fn:l 

iii'. rri,.ia now, the costs run $15 to $20' ls that,the case'/ 

Mr. HaNrv.r. I wouldn't^dispure that number' lt s-- 

,^lii:';'1"J^'ff .';";liiill;it?i,t'1""',..i'3i"i'i}Ef *Hf fl *Jli 

'"fiiUf,l;'$:ff1"i''Jffi 

!'T"Yiin:T,T;manu-ract,rer'sde- 

cision whether or not tne..pedple *ill use them l believe it's the 

-"u"rtu"iri".'. responsibi-lity to make sure they mal

128 

not. taking 

_eare of [he safety of the American consumer. you,re 

telllnA us all lhe tlme lo buv American. 

Mr. IlanNe. There's an entirely diflerent set of circumsLances in 

Europe due 1o t.hc lirtl that they havc national seatbelt uie laws 

and,usage rate there are typically in the g0-percent plus iange. 

I nat n r (:,r ns-- 

( 'or-r,r 

. ,Mrs. 

r'rs. 

. Your point is if it's required by law. vou do it. If 

lts, nol, requtred. by litw, vou..dont thjnk its necesjirr! t,, lry t_o 

make thc rrder ol an uutt mobile in America sali.. 

Mr. HlrqNe- No. My point- is you will do it if you have some as_ 

surance that you.will actually improve the aggrigate salety of car 

pas engers as evidencr'd bv their willingness to use thc svsltim 

Mrs- Colr-rNs. OIr. rhat's baloney. 1'hat b me is not a lrlausible 

response- It seems lo me that automobile manufaclurers have a 

duty. and a. responsiLrility to make the automobile as sale as humanly 

possible. Mr. Kleczka, mv tjme is expirins. 

Mr. Xleczxe. Thank..rou. Madam Chairiryomin. ln your testimo 

ny, lvlr. rlanna. you Indrcalp lhat some ol the lgEg models already 

are including 

_the^lap/shoulder rear seatbelts. Could you indicate to 

me which models? 

Mr. HexNa. I have a summa-ry he_r-e, a ver"v good sumrnary, 

thar's. been nlblished b.v the.N-ational Highwa.v iriinc Sateiy al_ 

mlnrstratlon. Uould I submlt rt lor the record:) 

Mr. Knczx,q. Are there too many models to mention here? 

Maybe just give me a flavor for whicir manufactu.e." ".u .r

129 

manulbcturers until l!|l)2 to Put thesc devices in the cars? What's 

the ""i4;.U;;;; lag time therc:/ 

lor autonrobiles, virtua)ly everv automobile wil) be 

*mpi"f ed bl lllll(r.'l lrrrl'ts th('next 2 modt') yer'rs 

Mr. Kr.ct'zxe.0X. 

itit. uiiiîi.'t'tt" l1)$2 datt' relers to the vans and multipurpose 

vehicles-- "itii. -ii.',""r*o. 

I'm talkiug all vehicles lf the technology is with 

""'i iary,'iiny'it.ii'sottte a years bclorc the nranulacturers actually 

install "'*L"i'Hn**o the device 

lt doesrr t hlve to du \^-tth th(' tecl)nology of.the belt 

.""#- io"ii,'it- itas io do *ith the curr{'nt cunstruction of the vehi- 

;i;. J;"i;: ii';;;lndicated belbrc, vou have to provide an anchort*f;n?l*;;*^. 

Are tbose anchors alreadv in automobiles produced 

today? 

Mr. HnNua. ln automoblles' yes' slr' 

Mr. Kleczxe. But not trucks? 

M;. il;"". But not necessarily in all vans and multipurpoee ve 

hicles, "'i"fl no, sir. 

(iuii*o. So, then as early as 1989' we could have all passenger 

automobiles equiPped wlth Ihese devlces' 

"'i4;. -ii;;. 

S6m'e' mattufacturers will Some have indicated 

tfreie *rit be a few models that will go hto the next year' 

Mr. Klsczre. -il;.rli. What's their rationale lor the delay' 

iil. 'Ji'"tgi"""ii ii'eo". ; the construction of i'he car and the 

"riiii"i 

ni tt'at will have to be do;re to get them in 

in"i". i .""{ t?tt you ireciselv model bv model-- "'i4;. ., - 

X;;;;;^. fto, vou lusi said the-anchors are there Ttre an- 

chors are already there,-so I don't think any more englneenng 

;;;ld h;;; d b;"done. Mavbe drill a hole, put a plate in there so 

vou can attach the belt 

'"t4;: H;;";. ihe point is that ihev are doing--this across their 

-#;i ii;;;il. iij" i.-if z -"a"t,vedrs' thev.will !,"-9 

".?lpl"d 

ile entire iob. Bevond that, I don'i have specific information as to 

iîili'itiiiif* tt"ir"rn ttt"t" -igt't t'" with a particular car model' 

"'t\il."ft;;t 

"going 

i. oii;'"; v;i''; to advis6 vour n1er.r!.ers that 

tnei tetter have a little bettcr oulreach on the retrotrt l(rts' s)nce 

;;;"l"it what we heard about this morning didn't really prove 

this *'itli. stafument to be verY accurate 

Hlin"o. If the availabiity isn't being made known to the 

.rfi;;fii;;; ir" 6i-"*i liii. tt'd dealership,-not a.good enough.job 

il.;;;; done to eet that message through l wouldn't cont€st that' 

toi4tjl'*""."*o. 

How about- the affordable.cost o-f t}e re,trofitting? 

tsiir;;;;;hit;-ihut "u,t be-aone auout that? We'r-e t-alking $200 

irU"i""J ii" ki"ts being around $200 1 think very. few consumets 

ii i'i.tlit- $ioo for a d]evice, knowing or not, it's better for their 

oTff:fiTi"". 

The numbers published bv the manufaciurers that I 

h"* ;A;;';; uii l..t lttu"'that Thei're in the range of $66 to 

about --Mt. $99 for the kit itsell , 

itr,tcz*r. lncluding labor? 

i,ii. iii"tii. t$, ;ir. Fri'r the kit itself, plus labor' 

i 

i

t30 

Mr. Xl.nr--zxrr. And labor, averaqe, would 

' 

be what? 

..Mr. 

Ilnr'lNe. Oh, il -vou figured g25 an hour and it took a couple 

of hours to..do it, nuybe another $50, but please, Llrat s lust l rougrr 

esl,inrllt' oll tht,toJr ol ny head. It's going to var-y delx,rdirrg orr tne 

vohiclc and tlre deuler's service charge and so on. 

Mr. lir,r:r:zxrr. 

'l'irirrrk 

lou, Madunr Olrair. You indicalc orr page i3 

ol -!our t(,$trnlonl thtrl 1-ou rt:lily don't have any opposition or ol> 

jection to a mrrndatt'bv NIITSA to mukc thesc devices rrrandarorv. 

ls I ltttl ar'curirttj. 

Mr. llexxr,. Yes, sir. 

Mr. Kr,rr;zxe- So then, if this committ€e should reconrnrend that 

to the entire C,ongress, you would not oppose that? 

Mr. Hlnra. That's corrccr, sir. 

Mr. Kr,rczxe- OK, but you have a caveat to that endorsement 

a_nd.that is the ?gency is soliciting comments on d-ynamic testing of 

the belts. Explain that to the comrnittee. 

Mr. HeNNa. That would require that a whole test protocol be established 

so that you would do the testing of these vehjcles model 

by model. You would have to work that out 1-rrst and establish a 

test procedure. Our concern is that if that is undertaken, it's going 

to delay the process and the manulacturers alreadv have scheiulei 

to put these into vehicles or car-- 

Mr. Klrczxa. Aren't these tests already being conducted or 

haven't they been conducted? 

Mr. HANNA. There are tests of a kind that test the quality and 

strength of the belt materials. There are observations ihat eo on 

regularly during rhe teii process. Sled tesrs of dummy kinem"atics, 

observations of this. I really don't think it's-- 

Mr. Kr,nczxr.. So it's reaily no additional burden if in fact, 

NHTSA would ask for these lab tests. 

Mr. Hewxl. If the tests were of a character that are being done 

now for the front seats, no. 

Mr. Kr.rczre- But it's your understanding that the tests that 

they are asking for are different. 

Mr. HervN.c.. No, sir. It was an advance notice. They just raised 

the.questiorr of whether there should be. We're saying that we 

don't think it's necessary so that we can get on with'the job ol installing 

these systems. 

Mr. Kr-rczxr,. That's all the questions I have. 

Mrs. C;or,r,rNs. I have no further questions. Thank you for your 

testimony, Mr. Hanna. 

Mrs. Coluns. Our next witness will be Jeffrey R. Miller, who,s 

Deputy Administr-a.tg1 for the National Highway Traffrc Safety Administration. 

Mr. Miller. 

Mr. MIr.r.nn. That's a long title. 

Mrs. Cor.r,rNs. Yes. Easier for us to say NHTSA. Will you tell ue 

for the record, who's accompanying you, please? 

Mr. Mrr,r.nn. Yes, ma'am. To my left is Mr. Barry Felrice, who,s 

our Associate Administrator for Rulemaking in NHTSA. To my 

right is Mrs. Erika Jones. She's chief counsel of the agency and i 

am Jeffrey Miller, Deputy Administrator. 

,\- 

t

131 

StrAT.EUEM OF JEFFBEY R MILLER. DEPIITY ADMINISIRAM& 

NATIONAL HIGITIYAY TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATION, ACCOMPA. 

NIED BY BARRY FELBICE, ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRTOR FOR 

RULES, AND ERIKA JONES, CHIEF COUNSEL 

Mr. Mrr,r.nn. Madam Chairwoman, members of the subcommittee. 

We appreciate this opportunity to appear before you today to discuss 

thl matter of reii seat sdfety beit safety, both with regard to 

lapbelk and laplshoulder belk. 

Ste'll also be discussing the NHTSA rulemaking on this issue, 

our followup to certain iecommendations made by the National 

Transportation Safety Board in 1986. Before discussing some specifics, 

I'd like to provid'e just a little background. I will be summarizing 

my testimony here but I would asklhat the fuIl text be inserted 

into the record. 

Mrs. CorrNs. Without objection. It will be. 

Mr. Mrr.r,tn. Ttrank vou. Higtoricallv, safetv belt uee in the rear 

seats has been lower lhan safety beli use ii the front seats, and 

even that usage waa very low until just recently. In the eaily eighties 

for example, when front seatbelt use was only around 12 percent, 

usage in the rear seat was almoet too low to measure. Our 

survevs indicated onlv around 2 percent. 

Now wittr the incieasing pubiicity about the benefrk of safety 

belt use and the advent of ealetv beli use Iaws in States around the 

United States, belt use in the fiont s€€ts has increased substantiallv. 

Belt uee in the rear seat has also incr€ased, but it's still far less 

than in the front seat. Our latest national survey indicates that 

usage rat€s in the rear seat are oaly about 16 percent. 

We also believe it's important to keep in mind that orer 90 percent 

of all the passenger vehicle deaths -and injuries in ,this country 

occur in the fiont seit of passenser vehicles Since that was the 

area of greatest risk and fieatesl ha.m, it was also the area of 

greatest .- opportunity to save lives and prevent injuries. - 

We theitifore believe it was entirelv appropriate for the Federal 

Government and for State governmenG drid for motor vehicle manufacturers 

to place their top priority on improving occupant prot€ction 

syst€ms and usage ratee in the front seak of passenger vehicles. 

Those campaisns are now well underway We believe they are responsible 

for savlng literally thousands of lives. Now the number of 

r-esr se:t passengeis is far-lower, and that s€ating environment is 

also Iess risty tlian the front seat. Nonetheless the safety of rear 

seat passengers is just as important as the safety of front seat passengers. 

WLile the total opportunity for saving lives and reducilg injuries 

in the rear seats is-s;aller because the numbers are smaller, there 

sti.ll are some opportunities to impmve occupant protection in the 

rear. So we now have a second campaign underway, and again, it 

involves the Federal Government, State governments and the auto 

makers, to improve safety for rear seat passengers 

We nbw have 32 State safety belt use laws in the U--nited States. 

Si-x of those require safetv beli use in the rear Eeats We don't have 

extensive data -so far on iust how effective tho6e usage lalls are in 

improving actual usage rates in the rear seat, but we believe they

L82 

will be effec,tiva, at least based on the experience we,ve had with 

front seat usaqe laws. 

- We've seen-about a 20-percent increase in usage rates in the 

lront aeat due-to usage laws, and we are opti:nistiC that rear seat 

usage rat€a wrll continue to rise as well. The total benefrte of anv 

safety system, whether it's front or rear s€at, is e;ins to ai*"a-# 

how many 

.people aciually use and take advan-tagd of thA€e ffe_ 

Bayljrg anq rnJury-reduc tng syst€ms. 

, we ve- stated on many occasions, and I know this subiect ha8 

been agdre8sed earlier before the subcommittee today, that-the sys_ 

tems 

lhal 

are currently in place- in the rear seats of i,isseng€r cars; 

na-mely, lap safety belts, are in fact effective in reducing ani reduci'tg 

substantially the risk of death and injury. We also -believe that 

rear Beat lap/shoulder belts will be even more effective. 

At the current estimated usag€ rat€ of 16 percent in the rear 

seat, we believe that lap/shouldei belts, if they were lrrstattea in ati 

'lhatI 

gtssengers cars in use today, might prevent another 25 deetlu. 

above and.beyond the 100- deaths that we believe are pre. 

rTtrqally 

I9:td 

due to currenj levels of lapbelt usage. As usage 

rat€8,go hrgher, benef-rts of either system, either laponly or la[/ 

snorucer Dert€, could b€ exDect€d to increa8e. 

- Because we believe that-lap/shoulder belts will be even more eflectwe. 

than.lapbel$, yg've been encouraging vehicle manufacturer€ 

to rnatall.lap/shoulder belts voluntarily. In part as a result of 

Enes€ ducuSslons ln recent years, marty manufacturerE who had 

Dot prevrouay done ao are now installi.g those systems in ttreir 

ne-w- models. I'hey're doing so on a rapid basis. 

- w9 qee that many 1988 models already have rear Beat Laplshoul_ 

der belts, even in similar models that did not have those -belt6 in 

recent years, As you heard from Mr. Hanna, moet manufacturers 

plan to have them in all of their passenger car lines \yithin the 

next year. oT-tyo..lrl. fact. by_ 1990, virtually every passenger car 

alq oygj nau ot alt lrght trucks and multipurpose passenger vehicres 

wrll come equlpp€d with rear seat lap/shoulder belts as standaro 

equrpmeDt. 

_ Eariiei this year, we canvas.sd all of the automakers, and in 

lebruary we released a consumer information bulletin which 

showed that 24 out of 29 manufacturers already have iear seat 

l?.p/shoulder beJ!4 !a at least some of their car ioodels this year. 

We think that NHTSA bulletin, a copy of which I have ".itfl me 

and I would like to leave for the comnii-ttee, will help consumers in 

making plrchase decisions. We also believe that 6ur diision to 

prepare this bulletin did in itself help to accelerate the plans ^ of 

manufacturers to install rear seat laDl;houlder belt^s- 

I'd.be lrappy to submit that for thd committ€e. I'd also be pleased 

to-l ve heard the bell so I will keep my further surnma& even 

p,ngfer;w3 have responded -to the recom-mendations made ty the 

Natlonll 

'lYansportation 

Safety Board in 1986 when it exa;ined 

the, subject of rear. seat lapbelts. We were concern-ed quite frankly 

that so-me_peq)le drew some improper inferences fion that repor[. 

The Irl'ffiB itself studied only-a very small number of csses'and 

they did not draw any conclujions oi make .try i-o--ii-dltion, 

one-wqy or the other on uaage of lapbelts. They strongly encouraged 

ttte movement tn lap/shoulder belt systems. We ri'ere con-

133 

cerned that that report weakened public confidence-in the safety of 

lapbelts and indeed in safety belts ge-nerally. 4" Y..Y" stated many 

times, we believe the record is very clear that -lapbelts are effective' 

ianlshoulder belts are even morL effective, but that does not di' 

minish the safety of the syst€ms that are currently-ln P!ac:' 

We hate also -made pr6oisions to assist in providing information 

to conEumers on retrofit kits. Most manufacturers now have retro' 

frt kits available for those models where they believe it is appropriate, 

and indeed we believe it's appropriate to look- to manufacturert 

ioi'itt"i. expertise in determiriing -which models car and which 

cannot be suitably equipped with retrofrt kits. 

The effectiveness oT a ietrofrt kjt is going to depend in large part 

on the specifics of the vehicle-the seat stiffness, seat height, floor 

oan design, thinm of that nature. Ttrerefore, it's very important to 

iook to tle manifaciurer for guidance as to whether a specific retrofit 

kit can be adapted to a vehicle and also on installation instructions. 

We have information available through our toll-free 

consumer hotline to assist consumert in finding retrofrt kits if they 

encounter - dilfrculty through the manufacturers. 

wt are ako p.odeedingiwe issued an a4vance notice of proposed 

rulemaking in 198?-0; the question of whether rear seat lap/ 

ihoulder bilts should be made mandatory in the United States' 

itt"." u." many ancillary issues to consider such as comfort and 

convenience standarils, dynamic crash t€sting. 

We expect to announce a decision very soon on the issue of mandatorv 

$stauation. But as a practical matt€r, the commitments 

have -all been made and cemented by the manufacturers now to 

huoe.u.t seat lap/shoulder belts installed as standard equipment 

in virtually "u"ry'"u. to be sold in the country in the near-future' 

That concludei the summary of ny prepared rem-arks' My collea.gues 

and I would be very happy to try to resPond to any questions 

vou or members of the subcommitt€e might have' 

Thank vou. 

[The pripared stat€ment of Mr. Miller follows:]

134 

STATEX€IIT OF JTFfRTY R. IILLER 

oEPt w ^0 uslnAToR, tiATtoilAt- HIG|{IAY TMFFTC SAFtTy AIXtrtSn TIfl 

EEFORE IHE 

mvtni ENr AcTMTIES Aio TMltSpoRTATIoat SUS6fiIITEE 

0t lrt NoJst cor,trTEt 0N covtRt,|tt|t optr IIotS 

JUXE 23, 1988 

Irdu Ch.trro n rnd H.nb.rs ot tha Subcfiltt!!, 

I tppracl.te thls opportunlty to dlscuii tha rittar of rarr-lalt ihoulthr 

|nd l.p b.lt i.fety, the ltr on.l Htghrry Trrfft. S.flty ad tntrtrldon,r 

(llllTSA) ruleniklng on thts !s5ue, .nd tiXtSA's fol tor-up to th. l9t6 

tttlonal lri.sportatlon Sifaty Eoard raport rParformlna! 

of Lrp Balts In 

25 Frontal Crathe5." t{lth ne rt tha ritaa!r tablo ira garry felrla!, 

Assoclatr Adnlnistrrtor for nulemiklog. rnd trtka Jones. Cht€f Counsel. 

Lfort I rddrall tha lDlcl?lci ol our rultiaklng, t rolld flrrt ltlr to 

provlde soo€ gen€ral inforoetlon rs a background for our dlscusston. 

illttorlcally. lrflty brlt ure In the r.ar sltts ha! b.en tor.r than b€lt 

lla ln th€ front larts. In 198l-1982, for aruple . rhen tfia front-rrat 

balt lsa rate ris around 

I2 per cent, rear-rtat ualge ra! alFjt too lof 

to.r€asur€ -- trosnal 2 ger c!nt. *ltft tha Incrs.jlng publlclty about 

3tflty belts ind tha anactoent 

of lafaty belt uie tara, b?lt usa to tha 

raar seat hit lncr€alad to ibout l6 per cant ln 1987 bot it reoalns tt!ll 

3lgnlflarntly lorer thin belt us€ 1n tha front !ait. $lch hi! rli€n.to 

ln e!tlmated 42 per c?nt nrtlonrtde- 

:: 

t6 

,-q 

t 

{ 

$ s 

f r 

:.{

35 

Ooe lhould rlro krip ln $lnd o{ir 90 9tt ctnt of lll pelsenqer v?hlcl! 

otclpalt dertlri rnd 103srles occ(r ln the front sctt 

Tirt Yai 'ne erea 

of grtrttlt rlsk, lftl the grert'5t ogportunlty to ilve llv€t; 5o lt r'5 

tDgroorlrt€ for the Fadaral gov'rntent' st'te !ov'ro[Ent! and tptor 

ttilcla rnufactlr.rs to glace toD prtorlty on Inprovlng oc'up'nt 

prot?ctlo. systent ind utlEe r'tes 1n the front s"t 

rall u.ldar vay! rnd lt t5 !'vlng tho0lrndt of llv'i' 

lhst 'rtpilgn l9 

R€ir-seit Putangers are fir feYer ln n0.|b'r' lnd th't l'itlng 

anvlronmgnt ts le3s rlrky thin th€ front' But the trf€ty of thos' 

gr3rangert l9 lutt !! toport'nt '5 thelr fronl-5eet coonterprrts 'nd 

thara rr? opportunltl!s to prtrent denths 'nd lnJutle! In tlre re'r l'at 

through tnproved occupant protectlon so re nor have ' second ciopil9n 

In progress, 19.tf Involvlng the tederal end St'te !ov'rnnen!5 

autodlakarS, to upgrade 5afetJ for reir-se3t Da'sengert 

Durlng the last folr yearJ' 3t Stttcs rnd tnl Olstrlct of Colsdblr lr't' 

adopted lifety balt u!'e lars for froni-3r't sist'$gers' but only sir of 

thrse lir! alrrently rtqu\re lafety belt us' tn th' r€'r seats Ne 

cr$not yct dris an! flrn conclusloni '! to ho|. eff'ctlv€ those l'vs rlll 

be 1n eniouraglng ln

186 

In tht rtr. tl|t rlll contlnua to lncr?a!! to rooe ertant, avln rhera oot 

raqulrad by liH, at the habtt or Influence of buckltng up ln th€ front 

saat alrrlai ovla to thola rtdlng In tn€ raar. 

Ihe tot.l bao.ftts of rny t.trty boll 5p16 ylll naturatly drgrnd od ft6. 

aany leopla yetr thasa ltfa_javlng .nd lnjury-reductn! iylt€nr. As re 

nava ltttad on |||iny occtston!, ye are convtncad that raar_raat llp nfatJ 

baltt are effectlve ln reduClng th€ rlrk of d€tth rnd InJ!ry. ta rlso 

0el1ev6 1s61-raa1 1.p/shoulder safety belts hay ba av!0 rbre effacflva, 

At tie estlmated belt ose r.te of l5 prr caot ln tha ra.r seit, te 

Itt hate that lrp/shoulder beltl Instillad rt.raar outboard seattng 

porj:lons voutd prevent.n iddltjonil 25 fattll as and 547 

'ltsO?rata-to-crltical 

lnJuri{s innuil ly. a5 conparad tO lap-onl} baltr. 

If usage r.ta! rere hjgh?r. thr added beneftts of tha lap/rhoutdar Syit[ 

ro!ld be larglr, too. t€ are exaninlng the!a aff€cti In the contert of 

our rul€oaklng on rear-seat lap/rhoulder belti. 

I rlll raturn to tha rubject of our rutenrklng tn a Foant, but flrit ! 

Lnt to giv€ you a report on davelopmentr In tha iptor yahlcl€ Induttry. 

Btcalle of agalcy as lnltes that ]rp/shoutder belti tn tha rerr iaat 

rould be 3onerhat rdore eff€cttve than lip betts In raduclng fatrllfl!s, 

ve hav€ bean €naouragtng thQ vehtat€ lBnuficturart to lnstall 

lap/shoulder belt3 vol0nt.rlly tn tha re!r seatJ of pts!.n9€r aari. tn 

pirt aJ a rtsult of the5e dlscurjloDs, ,iany &tnufacturers ,ho hid 

previorJsly not dona !o ara nor ripldly instal1lng tiere systams In thetr 

n€Y rrbde I s , 

3

1$7 

t.nJ lgEE rcdel! rlre.dy have r!'r-!'at 1rp/shouldlr b€lt! r! !t'nd'rd 

aqulpm€nt, aid iblt olnufacturet! pl'n to Dh'!e then in to th' remilndg' 

gf th€tr passenger crr oodel3 rlthln ' ylrr' By 1990' ttrtu'llJ 'll 

ctrs. and lpproxlmatety 50 p€r cant of 'll ltght trucks 'nd n!ltlpurpd3e 

vahlcl€r, rlll cooe aqulpped vtth ther€ dtvlces 15 stind'rd e{ulptilnt' 

trrly thls y.rr, Y. Ganviiled !L! of the !utdt'k!r!' lnd !n F'brurrt r' 

rllltsad a consuflEr lnformrtlon bullltln rhtch lhorcd thtt 2' of 2.9 

oanufacturer! hr!e rear_3aat lip/shoulder belts 1n sc'De or 'll gf thtlr 

cl. nodeli thl! nodel yerr. Anong the do0Estlc r'nufactur'r!' Gl{ !'ld 

all of tts 1989 dooestic flodels,ill hav€ r"r-!'at l'p/should'r b'lt5' 

rhlte Ford srld 40-45 per cent of itJ c.rs rlll be Jo equlpped by 1989 

.nd all ncdels, €rcfpt for aeitiln coov'rtlbl'i' by 1990' Chryil'r 'l!o 

plrn! to h.ve ill of lt! tDdals rquipp'd rlth th'5e lystens by 1990' 

crcept for c€rtaln aonvertlbles Thjs llllTSA b0lletln' tog€ther Ylth 

oth€r consum€t lnfornatloo mitrrlal5 r' h'v' prep'r'd' vill h'l9 

consumer5 ln ftaklng th€lr purchaslng d'cl5lon9' te b!ll!ve th!t our 

dtclsiori to prag.re thls bulletin n'y tn ttself nave 'ncour'ged the 

Ba|luficturer! to tc(elar.te thelr p]an3 for prgvldlng l'p/!hould€r b'lts 

ln the r€ir a€rta. 

At Jour raqueit, I Ylll dtlcuss ilHTSA'! folior-up to th' il'tlon'l 

lrrnspo.tation S.fety 8o.rd's rlport of Augult 1986 that called Into 

que!tion the safery of reir-sa!t l'p b'lts 

Th't r'Dort not'd vrrlo{'! 

lap-belt-lnduced lnJurle3 at|ong re'r-s!'t occupanti In 26 frontal 

cralhes, ! nunber tha Board admltted vas fEt too tmall for 'ny 

!trtl !ttcal vrl l dl tY 

4

188 

lfirn thr rl9ort rrs r!lf.!!d, iflls lttongly dlrrgtard vltti th. 

jmplicitJon 

that people lght be better off !9! 

urlng l.p b€lts th.n 

rldl[E In tha r!.r 9€tt. x€ etpr€lsed our d!!9 conaarn that thE 8oa.d 

based ltJ rnrlyil! on tlte v!.y loll l nudar of cralhat conttlned ln lt3 

ilport, tnd that tht ragort dld not axaftlnt cllts rhtre rtlr-lilt 

laD-bllt |'!r had prarlntld llrlous lnlltla5. lh! Soard'r concllslons 

contrrdlct the flndlngs of n0narous studl?i by a lld€ rrnga of 

prof€sslonal r!s€archor! lnvolving far ||rcre cilia! thit cla!rly shoY tha 

llf€-srvlng p€.fornance of rrir-se!t lrp beltt. Br5ed on oirr inaly!l! of 

I number of crish data flies. re.r-5eat lrp balts ar€ abo0t 32 par (ant 

affectlve in preventlng fatalttles.nd.boot 36 par c€nt affactiva In 

radualng lnJury. In l98r alooe, re estinrt€ that raar-reat lap belt! 

!avad rbout l0O llvet and prlvented over 1500 trrlou5 InJurl9l. And 

these flgorer rould have been huch larger lf uiage rrte3 had bean hl9htl, 

lr tre concernad that th€ publtctty icconganylng th€ Soard'! r!0ort 

confulad the 0ub1lc and desgenad anth$3lish for !lf€t) belt u3e ltr 

gan€rll. lhls publlclty hrt been tlted'by t{rbrriki Stlte offlclals i3 | 

'partlculirly dr .9ln9 €!ant" ln tha referlnalur rhlch r.peil6d l{€bretka'! 

ilfaty belt use lly ln tlovrnbar 19E6. fe crn onty hopa that our futura 

alforts and thosa of others ln the lafaty cotfiunlty rlll ovarcoDP any 

lgig-tetu neg.tlva rffect3 th.t tha publtclty surroundlnq th. Soird'! 

ra9ort iBy have hnd. 

^! a result of lts stldy. th€ Board nade four r€co|||nendatlonti 

thlt 

IHTSA ihoLrld enaoura0e nranufacturers to provlde after.har|(et lap rnd 

: 

1 

a ,1

139 

!ho0lder balts for consun€rs to ln3tall ln th' r'ir 3€att; thit NHTSA 

should lnltirte rul€ttiklng to reQUlre such belts ln the futur'; thrt th' 

agencJ, iho!ld €ncourige fiin0facturers to lnattll !uch b'lt! Yolunt'rlly 

ti rn Intarlm naasur€: and thrt ve rhould arahlne th€ fe'5lblltty of 

tnrtalltng 3-polnt belts ln other !eatlng 9osltlonl' 

The agency hi! carefully revlared th€se r€coih€nd'tioni' tk l9r" thlt 

Droperly deslgnad lrp alld shoulder belts hrv€ th' pot'ntl'] to offtr tttn 

graat€r rra!h protectlon than lap belt5 alon€' lhlle both systen! ire 

aff€ctlve ln pr€vantlng tJ€ctlon (r alor ciu!€ of lerloui Inlury or 

darth). l!0/shoulder belts provide the added b€neftt of prot€ctlng th' 

haid lnd uDDer torso as rell as th€ lor€r body liorev€r' re fiu5t dg"n 

stresr th.t our vjeYs rbgut tha tdd€d protectlon off'r'd by li9/lhould'r 

balir do not tn any ray altet out conclu5lon thrt retr_t'lt l'p bllts lrt 

thanselves lffactlve ln r€duclng the r1!k of terlou! lnJury or d'rth' 

llth r€gard to tha loard'5 r.cofilr€ndatlon for tht rettofJttl,'g of lap 'nd 

rho!lder belt! tnto aars aqulppad rlth re'r-5'!t l'p-only b!ltt' r' h've 

baen cautlou3 ln our ddvice to coniuner!' Th're ire soil€ lliportint 

r€rsoos for thti approach. Flrgt' In vltr ol the genertl 'ffectlveness 

of ltp-only baltl ln tha rlar !aat, ra b'll!v' lt !! €rtr'!'lJ lhport'nt 

ttat re !9! uadeflDine publJa conftdence or deter ulrge of the s'f'ty 

!r!ten! that lta rlraady avillrble In nllllons of crrs on th' ro'd' 

Sicond, the effectlv.ness of a retroflttld lap/lhotlld'r 5'f'ty bllt 

system fiay rell depend on lts design coogitablllty vlth the v'hlcl' 'nd 

the lnrtallatlon, slnce they rere not enqlneered and bullt In at th€ 

faatory. A vahtala'3 floot 9rn deslgn, r€it ttlff;es3, rnd s'at deslgn

F 

- 

(as lt relate, to oc(uDtnt posture, €an affect tha p955,bl)tty 

of 

occlrpart', 

a, 

suboartnlng in a crarl sl'lt'blllty of r prrttcurar 

yahrcr€ for rltrofrtang ,, ,nar,' ' co'Dl'r q!''ttoi. 

In our vtar, 

tne Jud$rrrt !s to .,refhfr " .a*.tott l'plsiouid'r 6.rt Jystar should 

lnrt.r.d 

d! 

rn. rehrcre rs 0",,,"1t" ot tnt vahtcr€ hrnufrct,r.r, yhtch 

&it fa.rr.r 

r5 

rrth tb? drta,r.d,f" "rd itr{'ctur'r dtsrgn 

ptrfo 

and crarh 

..nca of the car. ,n,"0, a,ttt Jnsumrt tholld bc 'rtr' 

purchasa 

thrt th. 

and prop€r lnstirit,on )f ' ratrofrt rear-saat ilp/strorldar 

Dert krt.rr rntaJI consrderabre 

ttth th€re cauaonr rn nrnd, 

noy€var. re have actlvery aought t 

ptovt.ren 

ro the 

or r€tro*t 6.rt! ," ,",:::;t:t:;::'.cooe'r'tron 

l{a nrve aontact.d €aci of the rEjor vthlal. lanufraturari to asctrtaln 

thttr pt.ns for offlrtn9 tip/rhoutd b'lt r'trofJt kJts for r.rr 

of yohJ.,!! i..t! 

orrrrnary €qutppad rrt 

rlr..dy orfertns ruch kr ts to,,,. r:r;:: ::jt:"r'::"::: 

:::r:: 

Chryiler 

..r, 

haj jgsued 

r,arvic€ brrllal to ttt d"rars that descrrbrs 

ratrofrt 

th. 

krt3 thnt are irrrr.br€ ro,."n lt! r.d'li' Ford r3 d.veroprr)9 

r.troflt krts fo-rrst ol rts l9?9 a iat€r ad'l-t"r crri aod vl' 

orovrd€ th€le ktts to rtr dairers th Atlgust othlr r'nuflctlrars rr. 

rrio offarrng ktts or hryr rrrd,r!tld tltct 'r! rtvl*rng tia rtsual 

irve 

but 

not yet n de flnar dacrsto.s. 

L both gublta and Frtvata raa ng!. IFTSA hat anco0rrgtd atnufacturart 

to off?r yett-destgned 

retroftt kjts tot tnorr 'onsufterr rho d€srra 

lrrd 

thafi. 

," .re ad'tin,rng our efforts ,n t"ttto le rlgo a'e tryln9 

!d!cita 

to 

consuner!, through pubrrc ,nr,tn" )matlon l|ateri al,, lbout trle

14t 

beneflts rnd (osts of theg€ belt rystatti !o that th€y aan oak€ an 

lnforned cholce. He provid€ tha nrne, addrgs! rnd t!iaphone nuflb€r gt 

InJ, tntarested consuit€r lho contrcts tha agaocy to I tanufacturer'i 

raDreslntatlva rho ln tlrn arrang€t to hrve e ftctory rapreientrttva 

advlse th€ consuher about th. ratrof!t optlon. 

I Fold alio ]lke to aall loor attantion to a rllatad flnal rola ra 

tttlad tn t985, nonth! bafor? tha iTSB raport vrs ralaatad' to rslllt 

consum€ri rho rlsh to hrve r.troflt lap/!houlder belt5 !nsttllad. That 

r0la raqulres, for any vahlcle not aqulgpad rlth r€ar-t€.t lrp/ihouldar 

bll:s i! itandard rqulpment. thrt tha mrnufrcturer n!!t provlde I dlrgra. 

In th€ orn!r'3 anutl !hortng tha locatlon of the rarr_t!rt rltoolder balt 

anchorages, rhlch are crltlcal tn proper ln!tallatlon. IHTSA hai 

raqulrad thase inchorage po1nt3 ln all pa3sang.r cars !lnca 1968. lhls 

ornlr'3 ornual lnformatlon requlraient, rhiah rant lnto effert on 

Saptanber l, 1987, 3ho!ld ilart consumers that th!lr v!hlcles clo ba 

raulDped rlth iuch b€ltl and lt rhould conplement.anufecturars'lffortt 

In thl r r.gard. 

Tha ilTSB tlro oade r.aofi[ndatloos r€qlrdlng po!3lblt rulafirkfng to 

rtqutre reir-se!t li9/rhooldar beltl to nlr ibtor {ahlalei. ln thll 

rtgard, the igency granted I g.tltton fll.d by th€ Los AnEeles Arei Chlld 

Paii€nger Safety Asroalatlon rlqua!tlng th€ ag€nc, to raqulra the 

initillatlon of re.r-!eat l.p/shoutder beltl as orlglnal ' 5t.ndird 

aqulDment. Tro ner factors 1!d the igency to grant this petltion. 

Flrst, nany states had adopted !ifqty belt u:e laYs, rhlch led to an 

Incraale ln belt use in the rear i€at. Sacond, i nlnber of ahlld

lltrrl nt lylterl hrd b..n 

ncre ?a5lly ba usad ln rear 

provl dad. 

712 

d€!lgn.d for uie rlth lhoulder b.lts ahd could 

seatlng poslttons lf ihould€r belt5 yere 

l3so.dlngly, ltt Juna lgt? rr pu0ll3iad m ldvrnctd iotlca of prooo3.d 

rultn|.king (ANPRl,4) reeklng coooent5 on th! neld to rlqulr! lap/shouldar 

baltr ln the r.rr s.!tln9 posttton! of priilnllar carr, nultipuiport 

prtsangar vahlclas, su(h a! vans and utlllty vahlalas, rnd sm!ll buttt. 

Thl c€nter s€ating posltloni rere to be ronsldaaad, as yell r! the 

outboard porlttonr, fhe a.,ltrP-hts tr resDorg€ to th€ AnpRil h.ve provlilld 

ur,lth conaldarabla Inforirtjon on thls sublert. 

ln connactlon tlth our ra?xanlnitlon of the lrru. of reqolrlng 

lrD/3houlde. beltE ln re.r !e.ti. tha AilPRI also dlsco!s€d the rat!ltt ol 

tha agencJ'! prallnlnary revl€r of the co5t5 and rrfaty beneflts of 

ratr-i€rt lap/lhoulder balts rnd req!€sted coiment! on thot! rasults. 

lh! prallnlnary rlvl€r lhowd thtt raar-saat lrD balts hava bean 

.ff..tlv€ !n reduclng deaths and r€rlous tnlurl.i. At th!t tlr€, !e 

tttllated th.t the beneflts of i.vlng r.ar-laat lap/sioulder beltJ lr.ll 

pa3rantar vahlcler rould ba io.ddltlonal rnnual rrductloo of about l0 

fatalltl€r ind 400 lartou! lnjurlas, rt tha 1985 u5a9e rata of rbout l0 

pa. clnt for rear-iaat oacupints. Th€ pr!llrlniry ravlar al!o ritlrtad 

that the Ennual cort of a req!lrerEnt for lrp/rhouldar b6lts at th€ retr 

outboird !eatlog po!ltion5 rorild be tl39 rllllon for pt!i€nge. car!, t2l 

nllllon for llght truck!.nd multlpurgose p.rr€n9er vehl(las. ind 

1100,000 for smal I buses. 

9

l,l8 

Glwn tll. currant ?rtlitrt€d o€lt utaga rat€ of 16 9ar caat In raar j€att, 

aa cofipared to the 1985 usage rate of 10 per cent, th€ ben€flts 

alsoclited rlth raqulrlng lap/shouldar beltt In the raar sa!ts rguld ba 

grlltar than ra astlmated 

ln the AliPRI. le ara nor coDla ng our rcrk 

to detarnlne nbre er.ctly the rott3 of tha rulaaaklns and r! banafltt 

for dlffarent proJected usage rat€s. 

lh? rul!m!ktn9 proceis eotatls caraful aongldarrtloo Of tha comant! 

received in response to tha ANpRH, ei rell r! tha thorough.n.ly5ts of 

th€ manufactur€rt' Dlanr to ln!till lap/!houldar b!lti voluntarlly In tha 

raar saats of thelr veilcles, the contlnutog trend of Strtes to anact 

itfety belt use lars, rnd JnCreaSlng belt o!age rata!. la are tn the 

ftnal 5ta9r of forfiulating our response to alt thl! inforiE oo and rc 

arpart to ba able to plblt!h the r€gulti of thli Droceir In the ne.r 

Ilth r.lrrd to ITSB,! r.cc-.nlt.tlon tl||t tlSA rholtd anco{rr9c thr 

[.nufacturers to provjd€ r€ar-teat lrp/!hou]6er bettr on a voluntary 

0rrli, re rould ag.ln nota thrt ye hava been dcrng io for ieyeral t!!r!. 

In part as a r€sult of tilJ lncourigefient. v{ arc aaalnE th€ r?toltJ t 

dlsc!ssed aarller concernlng th€ manuficturar!, plan! to lnrttll thar! 

tyttans In th€lr nar mderr. Thui, r! bellGva ra hava cdeltad rtth thlr 

rccoolnendatlon 

as re l1 , 

Iadam Chalrroflan. thii conclodes ny prep.red remarks. l,ty cotl€a9ues .nd 

I rould be h.ppy to trj, to ansrar any quertions you may hrve. 

t0

^,yfii?*Til*"Ti:o"J 

114 

:ff rffi,ffif "ftr$T'*ffi }$:-ffid[]tl'"ff 'v"'l 

#ll"-*ffiHg'##.ffi -**##;f $"rri?:* 

gdi$#'*:i1";ff fu{ffi t:r;'s.j**;HxT"Tn} 

'"'#:tffiltr{f5;iff:- 

not have been done simurtaneousrv' 

ffixffi$*ffiffi 

'V*.#**tm#*mHroiiY'Jl;:s'"*o'** 

tri.*eTJ#lJ*:T#s'srffi'?',:#"ii$ISST?,hfl 

i 

nl,jffil*:n,'*u,;gffi* 

nffidi*ii:{t"#*#*tt},trs Ttr 4,;T$r ff ir 

r*nrffi ;m:#*.*,*ffiTffiffi HH$H:f

t16 

meut That's why we and the manufacturare are rn{}vjDg tmard a 

etandard installation of rear seat lap/shoulder belts. In-deed, they 

are now standard in many of the new model cars in the showrcoms 

this year. 

Mns. Cor,rws. Mr. Nielson asked a question of t,le previous wit 

ness of how many livee have been saved by the rear seitbelts. Have 

you got any information on that? 

Mr. Mrlr.xn. Yes. We have some estimates of savings by lapbelts. 

At current rates of lapbelt uaage, we believe they aie respdnsible 

for saving about 100 lives per year and that's with an eslimated 

uaage rate rate. of 16 pe: percent. If usage _was higher, we could expect 

higher savings. _Indeed, 

i! we had 100 percent usage of those systema 

currently in cars today, we believe we could sive another 600 

lives per _y_ear. The savings if we had lap/shoulder belts in the rear 

geat would be slightly higher. Our estimat€s of effectiveness of the 

sys!€ms when used in the rear s€at is about 32 percent for lapbelts 

and about 4l percent for laplshoulder belts. So-there's a slight incrrease 

but we believe evidence is very clear that lapbelt€-themaelves 

are-and we've looked at numeroua data sources involving 

lite"atly lhorrotrds of cases-srafe and that usage should be encouraged. 

Mrs. CoulNs. Mr, Felrice, now that the car companies have said 

the manufacturers say that they're going to have ihe lap/shoulder 

belts in the cars by f990, ian't your regulation or rulemaking a 

little bit late? 

Mr. FEr,trcE. Well, not necessarily, because our proposed rulemaking 

-addressed more than p.rs,s€nger cars. It addrissdd all lightduty- 

vehicles and it includes vans, utility vehicles and pic"kup 

trucks, many of which also have other than a front seat. 

We don't see the same kind of voluntary efforts for these other 

vehicles, or at least the efforts for those vehicles are later in time. 

O_ur_ rulemaking is more comprehensive thsn the voluntary actions 

of the companies so far. For paa€enger cars, yes, we could not re. 

quire them to put in lap/shoulder belts faster than they're doing 

by themselves. But for other vehicles, it's a potentially differeni 

question. 

Mr. Mu.r.nn. May I also add, Madam Chairwoman, as we've seen 

in recent years that there are a large number of new entrants into 

the U.S. auto market. While the commitments and our survevs 

have looked at all of the maaufacturers that are currently selling 

in the Ulited States, there are from time to ti.rne, ner" auti companies 

coming into the United Stat€s. A Federal reouirement on our 

part w.ould help to guarantee that those new entrants made similar 

commrtments, 

Mrs. Coluxs. Mr. Nieison. 

Mr. NrBrsoN. Yes, I'm sorry I didn't hesr all of your statement, 

Mr. Miller. On pagte 3, you say, and I quote, "Fir€t I must give you 

a report on developments of the motor vehicle industry. Becaus€ 

the agency estimates the lap/shoulder belts in the rear seat would 

be somewhat more effective than lapbelts in reducing fatalitiee, we 

\"t" !*tt encouraging- the vehicle manufacturers to install lap/ 

shoulder belts voluntarilv in the rear seat."

146 

If ttre lapbelt-only in the back seat ie worth one unit, hw much 

is the lapplus-shoulder belt on that scale? Is it three times as effective? 

Twice as effective-1.5? 

Mr. Mrr,r.nn. I'd defer to Mr. Felrice, but I'll double check my 

math. I believe about 1.2. 

Mr. FsLRrcn. 1.29 is our estimat€. 

Mr. Nrxrsor. In other words, 30 percent more effective having 

the other? 

Mr, Fnrnrcu. Yee, 

Mr. Mu,r,nn. That incidentally, is only an estimate. We do not 

have extengive hard data on the effectiveneas of the lap/shoulder 

gvst€ms 

- in the rear seats as vet. 

Mr. NrErsoN. We had wiinesses earlier who indicated that the 

lapbelt only really was of questionable value. In some cases, you're 

better off not even wearing it. I)o you concur with Mr. Sakayan 

when he made that kind of a generalization? 

Mr. Mu.rrn. I was not here to hear the exact language that Mr. 

Sakayan used, but I would not coneur with that general statement. 

lVe believe the evidence is very clear that on balance, the usage of 

lapbelts in the r€ar seat i.s considerably efrective in reducing the 

- risk of death or urjury. 

It is not necessarily effective in every case, and indeed, the sam€ 

thing could be said of lap/shoulder belt€. There are gome crashes 

that simply cannot be survived. 

Mr. Nrcrsox. I may be misinterpreting what I heard earlier, but 

I gpt the impression that the lapbelt plus-shoulder belt was many 

times better than the lapbeltonly-not 

just 30 percent better. 

Mr. Mru,rn. Our frgures are estimates; they are aggregates. Even 

in tJre front seat, which is a more dangeroue seating environment, 

there were demongtrated benefits of lapbelts before the tine in 

which lsp/shoulder beltr were introduced in the front seat. 

The pr-incipal benefrt, or at least one primary benefit of any belt 

eystem-whether it's lap or lap/shoulder-is to hold the occupant 

in place and to prevent ejection. In other worcls, to prevent the occupant 

from being thrown outeide the vehicle. That's 11t" single 

biggest cause of death and serious iqiury. iapbelts do that job very 

well. 

The one advantage of a shoulder strap is it provides additional 

suDnort for the upper torso. 

Mr. Nrursox. Iti older than some of you and I can remember the 

time when they emphasized: Be sure that you have seatbelk, particularly 

in the right hand passenger side in the front seat. I asked 

the question, is that the most dangerous place? They said, no, the 

driver seat is the most dangerous place. That's where you're put 

tine the airbass. 

Why don't you have airbags or recommend them for the right 

eeat passenger, where it seems you have nothing to grab onto and 

therefore would be more vulnerable than ttrre driver? 

Mr. Mu..wn. We do recommend airbagr in both eeating positions 

in the front. In fact, Ford Motor Co. just yeeterday unveiled a new 

model that they'll be selling this next model yeer; the frret domestically 

produced car to offer airbags at the right passenger seating 

poeition as well as for the driver.

tM 

Oru automatic prot€ctioD requirement that I referencetl earlier, 

which was issued in 1984 b,y former Secretary Dole, requiree automatic 

protection syst€ms f6r both the drivei and the righLfront 

passenger. That requirement is phasing in. 'lli8 

i8 the second year 

6f a a-year phaseiri progr"m. 14'e have permittod driver+ideonly 

airbage as a means to encourage the airbag technology. 

At the end of the phasein, whatever technology the manufacturer 

chooses must be available at both seating pcitions' 

Mr. Nrnrrox. You also mentioned the fact that if you hsve automatic 

seatbelt, aa Eome care do, that wes very effective. Why don't 

you recornmend that for aII cars. In Bome cars novr' when you open 

ihe door and get in, the sestbelt automatically cloeea over you. 

Whv don't vou recommend that? 

Iir. tvttl-r-rn. We've done more than recommend it. We've, in fact, 

required either that or airbegs. Our automatic protection standard 

that wag iesued in 1984, will require-- 

Mr. Nrursox. Effective when? 

Mr. Mnr-nn. We're in a phasein period. It becomee fully effective 

in September 1989- We're in the middle of a phasein right now. 

Mr. Nrmsox. The 1990 model year will have them though? 

Mr. Mnmn. Thads correct. Every new car sold in the Uniteil 

States in model year 1990, will be required to have automatic protection 

systema in the front seat. It'e the manufacturer's option as 

to whether to do that through airbags or through automatic ssfety 

belts or if they come up with some new technology, they're free to 

try that as well. 

-Mr. NtEsoN. The Institute for lnjury Reduction said they are 

trvinq to set a car recalled becaue€ ist has a defective s€stbelt 

grite6. Wf,at is vour recall authoritv and what are ite limitations? 

- Mr. MIr.r.tn. Under the National Tiaffic and Motor Vehicle 

Safetv Act. which is our authorizing statut€, we are authorized and 

also -motoi vehicle manufacturers are required to recall and 

remedy any vehicle which is determined to have a safety-related 

defect. firat term is Ieft very broad so that it can encompaaa any 

syst€m. It doesn't matter whetJrer it's specifrcally covercd by our 

regulations or not. 

Mr. Nrmsorc. It cen include a s€atbelt syst€m? 

Mr. lfrr,r.nn. It certainly would include a safety belt system. It 

must Dr€Bent a safety defirt, which means an unreasonable safety 

risk 6 motor vehicle travel. We have, in fact, had a number of 

cases in which safety beit systerns have been the subject of recalls' 

Mr. NrnrcoN. So you have recalled a vehicle due to a faulty aeat 

belt syst€m? 

Mr. Mru.un. Yea, sir, we have-more properly, the manufactur- 

ers have. Thoee have been to address a number of probleme euch ag 

faulty retractore or inadequate webbing. Safety belts are-and I 

don't want to leave the impression impr€ssion that in general geneial they're bad' bad, be bg 

cauee they're not. They're very good. They're y're very effective, but 

like anv syst€m system in a motor vehicle, vehicl' ther€ may be eome occasional 

orobleris problems durins during manufacture and becsua€ becauae thoee relate directly to 

0he safety of ocdupants, E8, they're lhey Te covered covereo by Dy orrr our recall recau authority. aurnonly. 

Whenever we frnd a defect defeit in a safetv safety belt syst€m, we do require 

a recell,

148 

Ms. JoNEs. I would like to add that under the statute. if a safetvrelated 

defect is determined to exist in a car, whether ordered 5y 

our agency or determined by the motor vehicle manufacturer, the 

consumer who owns that car is notified and the remedv is provided 

free of charge under the law. 

Mr. Ntursorq. I have more oueetions which lll submit later 

unless there's another round. 

Mrs. Colr.rxs. Mr. Kleczka. 

Mr. Krrczrce. Thank you, Madan Chairwoman. Mr. Miller, for 

the auto manufacturers installing the rear shoulder/lap belts in 

the 1988 models; is that being done as standard equipment in the 

cat? 

Mr. Mrr.r.nx- Yes, sir. T?rere may be one or two models-there are 

ao many models, it's difficult to keep track of them all-where it is 

still optional, but our focus hag been on installation as standard 

equipment. That is the commitment that the manufacturers have 

made, that by model year 1990, virtually every new passenger car 

sold in this country will have rear seat lap/shoulder belts as standard 

equipment. 

Our congurnner information nieee- 

Mr. Klrca

1tl9 

Mr. Krrczse. Do you have any gugsstimate es to what year this 

might be required to be put into care? 

Mr. MIr.r "n. It would-depend to some extent on the number of 

@mments we received on the rulemaking and the length of time it 

took to resolve any issues that surfaced before we issued the final 

rule. 

Under the law, we must provide some leadtime, and that-would 

also be one of thb issues to be discussed during a formal rulemakine 

nroce€dine as to iust what amount of lead time wa6 neceasary. 

W; 'misht haie stasiered lead times-one year for passenger cars 

and an-other vear fofthe larger vehicles eince they-since, the passenser 

cars dlready have the anchorage rroints. Some of the larger 

veh'icles may not. But it would be within the next few years - 

Mr. Kr,nc'zxn. The speaker from the Auto Association indicatBs 

that there misht be other provisions of the rule which could pro 

vide a hardsf,ip for the manufacturers. Do you know what he 

misht be referring to? 

ffi.. 1141r r rn. Ye-s, I believe I do, Mr. Kleczka. We raised some of 

thoee i8gueg in our advance notice, in an effort to try to stimulate 

some diecussion at an early stage so we could perhape expedite 

later stages of the rulemaking. One of the issues would be whether 

to reouire dvnamic testing of the belis in the rear 8eat. 

Oviurnic testing is our-way of describing a full'scale crash t€et 

witli instrumented crash t€6t dummies. T?rat's an extremely complex 

means of proceedins with a re$rlation. Our front seat autoinatic 

protectioir requireirent is governed by dynamic tealing gnd 

that t&k-there wire other iss[es involveil there, too-but that 

took almost 20 vears to resolve. 

Mr. Kr,rczx,.-. OK, but it seems to me that that testing has aIready 

been done. In Tact, we just saw a video here in which the institu-te 

did tests on lhe rear shoulder/lap belts. 

Mr. Mrr.r.en. We do those sorts of test and I'm sure the manufacturers 

do those sorts of test as well fo1 purposes of development. 

But when thoee te$s are conducted foi purposes of com^pliance 

with a iezulation. there are an almost couirtless number of highly 

technical -details. These include issues euch as placement of the 

dunmy. If you have a dummy in the rear seat, should-you simultaneousl-v 

have a dummv in the front s€at; the angle of imPactl the 

speed 6f imp-act; the c6nditioning and pretesting of a dummy prior 

to '-If ugase rn the tegt. 

w1- were to determine that that was necessary' that would 

bolh, I think, delay the rulemaking and also require a longer leadtime. 

Mr. Kmczxe. The Institute indicated that they s€nt your agency 

u oeiitio" some time aso and the time for response has since lapsed 

an'd that was Mav of ihis vear, I believe. That was relative to an 

unsa6 eeatbelt il the Esiort. Whai s the status of that petition 

filed with your agency? 

tvIr. Mtri.rn. TEat ri,as a petition for a defects investigation. That 

is cJrrently pending beforti the agency. We expect to,make a decision 

on whether or not to open an investigatlon m that car€ very 

shortlv-within the next few weeks. As a matier ol general agency 

-it"] as with anv law enforcement agency, we do not discuss 

pending enforcement matt€rs at length in public forums'

150 

Mr. Kr.nca

15r 

At that time, baged on the most recent usagp rate *u !4d' 

which at that point were 1985 usage rates, the benefits appeared to 

be low. Our m6re recent information i8 that usage rates are higher' 

They've gone from an eetimated 10 percent in the rear seat to l'6 

pencen[. ' 

That increases the level of benefrte that one could expect with 

rear shoulder belts. We also have eligh v incre-ased our mtimatee 

of the effectiveneee of tho€e systeme when us€d. B€cause uesge 

rates are continuing to rise in the front seat, we are more oPtimistic 

now I believe, tf,an we were previously, 88 to the Projectionl for 

future uaase in the rear seat. The moFe usage you have, the mor€ 

benefrts vo:u will have. 

Mrs. eoluxs. So then you 'to don't feel today that coots are extr€me.ly 

disproportiotrate the possible eafety benetits on the 

shoulder/ lap belts, right? 

Mr. Mrr-r.in. We-have more r€@nt thinking on the subject. 

Mr. Frr,nrce. If I could just add, Madam Chairman, one of the 

rea'ons that stat€ment was in the rulgrnnt ing notice was, in the 

oagt, the agency has been able to issue safety re4ulations which' 

ilttr6ueh w-e doir't put a dolar figure on a human life or an iqiury' 

we flrgired wou)d iost the publiC about $300,000 for every fatality 

that our resulatione avoided. 

For this -resulation, that number would heve been cloeer to 515 

million for eierv fatalitv avoided. So it was about 50 times mor€ 

exrengive than -the tvpical rezuIation we bâve is8ued. It ki'd of 

raised our eyebrows and that's why we aaked the public for comment 

on that point. 

Mr. Mu,mn. Aeain, we're uot focusing eo much on the dollars as 

we are the usage-the best, use of linited r,e8ource3. We have resources 

within -our agency; the .na'ufacturers have limited resources 

and we want-to foake sure tlut when we are dirccting 

Bomebody throwh regulation to do eomething' that we're going to 

eet - a eood safetv -w'e Davoff for that irrvettmeut. 

If rie're not, ilmbably ought t try to channel it- into some 

other oart of th" "dhiclu w-herJwe couid get a good Eafety payofr. 

Mrs. CourNs. I believe in respon€€ to a queetion from Mr. Klecz. 

U tttaCtou mentioned that vou at first had str advan@ notice of 

;frem"Ling and you were nori in*q a secogd phase..My queetion i8' 

when are you ever gorng to get to the tlPa'l rulemakln-gt 

Mr. Mrirn. The-issu-ancds of a final rule would depend on the 

extent and complexity of the comments that are rEceived in a 

"oii". of piopo"d.t ruEmaking, but I would envision t'hat c'ould be 

completed- by early or middle of next ye9r. 

Mrs. Colllr.rs. I8 that your tsrgEt dat€? 

M;. Mrrr.EB" That would be oir target date now, but again' that 

will be dependen! in large part, on the typ€ of comments that we 

"""eire. ttfe're rtquired inder our statuti-and under the APA to 

fullv ---lit". address and ionsider all comments received 

Cor.r"*". If it should be tlnt you reach a t€rget which is 

peihtp" *m" time in the middle of nert year-another y€ar from 

iow:i o* lo"g will it have taken you to let that ruIe into a fi:ral 

rulemakine poeition? 

Mr. MIrlrB. WeIl, it would be- 

Mrs. CoLLrxs. When did you start? 

$ 

E

752 

Mr, Mrr,Lsn. I guess it depends a little on what you consider 

the- Mrs. Couxs. Well, when did you start? You know when you 

started the process. When did you start it? What year? 

Mr. Mnr.in. Well, the frrst notice we published on the issue was 

our advance notice for pmposed ruleinakinS, published in the 

gummer of 1987. So that would have been approximately z year8. 

That is, for our rulemaking process, probably about the norm' 

Mrs. Cor.r,rNs. OK, thank you. Mr. Nielson. 

Mr. Nrnrsox. Yes, Mr. Miller, in terms of safety, how do you 

comparre the relative safety of the bach seat environment with the 

front seat environment? 

Mr. Mrr,r,rn. The back seat of a vehicle tenile to be a much safer 

place. 

- Mr. Nrnr-soN. How much eafer? 

Mr. Mu,r,nr. I'll defer to my exp€rt. 

Mr. NnrsoN. If the risk in the back seat- 

Mr. Mrr.r.nn. I can describe why it's safer. 

Mr. NrErsoN. No, I don't want that. If the risk of the back eeat's 

a "one." what's the rigk in the front seat? 

Mr. Frr-nrcr. I don't know. We could supply that for you. Essentiallv 

vour askins, given that a seat is occupied, what's the risk of 

Ueini iniured or Ell-ed in that seat? 

14i. 1i[1nr-sqN. Well, I know that there's the probability of it's 

beins occupied. but leave that factor out. 

Mi. FnuiIcn. I'm saving, given that a seat is occupied, what's the 

probability of injury 6r deattr and I'd have to go back and check 

our crash data, 

Data from the agency's crssh data frles indicate that the rear 

seat provides a safei environment than the front seat for passenger 

car &cupants. If the likelihood of iqiury to a rear seat occupant ia 

1.0, the likelihood of injury to a front seat occupant is approximat+ 

lv 1.4 or 40 D€r€ent great€r. 

- Mr. Mu.lin. I think it would be somewhere between one and two' 

Mr. NrprsoN. Obviouslv, we need a bett€r range. Our frrst 

panel-you weren't here,- some of you. I think Erika was here' 

they advocated more effort by the Government to Pressure the indusfrv 

to nrovide retrofit kiG so that consumers can equip their 

o*rr iars, iheir existing cars, $'ith lap/shoulder belts in the rear 

seats. if thev so choose. 

Is ihig a dood idea? 

M.. Mr"ii*. We believe it can be a good idea, although -it's not 

necessarily a good idea fo-r 4l vehic-les. That's wFy .we 

rely -very 

heavilv oi thelxpertise of the manufacturers to identify which ve 

ttia"J'c"" properlv be retrolitted with kits and also identify the ap 

^ propriate liit fbr the appropriate vehicle' 

Mr. Nrnrsox. There ire-some vehicles for which it would not be 

a eood -Mr. idea? 

Mu,lrn. That's what we are informed by the manufacturers, 

and thev have the detailed model-by-model information' 

Mi. tirersox. Would the burden'of proof of saying it would be or 

would not be a good idea be on them or on yo.Y? - .. . - 

Mr. Ml,r-rn. bn the manufacturer-for all of this information, 

ru" iely otr the vehicle manufacturers. Particulariy for a manufac-

l5:l 

turer that ofrers largp numbers of models, such as Ford or General 

MoLors; they have done some pretty extensive analyrir ae to just 

which models can and which csn not be properly outftttad with retrofrt 

kits. 

Mr. Nrrrsox. It was also asserted by the firrt panel that in rome 

cases, laponly safety belk may actually contribute t, or ovon caure 

injury during an accident. In your experience, is it unurual to hcar 

of problems with safety features like that? In other wordr, h it 

rather unusual for someone to be downgrading it€ms that you've 

found to be safe? 

Mr. Mu,r,nn. Well, we try not to downgrade safety systemr, brrt 

it's not unusual that a system which ordinarily works well and contributes 

to safety, may in some instances, either not provide safety, 

or in a rare instance, provide some detriment. 

One analogy we frequently use is in the medical community to 

vaccines. Vaccines do a wonderful job of insulating us against dieease, 

but there are some rare case where vaccines may actually 

injure a person. On balance, they are very effective. We feel the 

same way about safety belts. 

Mr. NmIsoN. It seerns to me like you're treading a very frne line 

there, because if you tell people about the danger of using lapbelts 

only and the superiority of the shoulder/lap combination, that you 

would need to be careful that you don't encourge them to stop 

using the lapbelte entirely. 

I'm afraid, unless I misread the first panel-I hope they'll forgive 

me, but I felt the impression was: "If you haven't got a lap/shoulder 

combination, don-t bother." That was the basis on which Ne 

braska changed their law, basically. 

Mr. Mn lfr. That was dne of th6 factors cited by State officiale in 

Nebraska. 

Mr. NtnrsoN. Plus the fact that the people thought you shouldn't 

try to Iegislate good trehavior. 

Mr. Mir,r,rn. That's another issue that surfaces from time to time 

as well. I think your analysis there is correct. We do -try to walk 

that line carefully so that bven when we tout the added benefrts of 

new systems, we do not in any way denieFat€ the demonstrable 

benefits of existinq 6vstem6. 

We frnd a similir iituation in the front seats. We are very excit' 

ed about the added benefits that could be supplied with airbags' 

but that does not in any way cause us to weaken our recommendations 

for usage of the safety belts that are currently in the front 

geats of passenger cars. 

Mr. Ftr.ntcr.-Mr. Nielson, if I can just add for a second. A lot of 

the potential problems that were mentioned by the earlier panel, 

were related lo the misuse of the syst€m. We've been trying as 

hard as we can to urge everyone we speak to, to use the syEt€rrg 

properly. - 

In teims of a lapbelt, wear it on the pelvis. Any safety system' 

whether it's a lap6elt, a lap/shoulder belt, an airb-ag; they all, in 

some rare circurnstances, can cause injury that would not have otherwise 

occurred, 

Mr. Nrrrsox. I think you're being unfair to the first panel. They 

did say, it's better to have it lower. It secures it bett€r, but if you

154 

have it around your stomach, it's liable to cause harm. I think they 

emphasized that as well. 

Eut let me ask this question: I)o you have enough data to accurately 

measure the beneFrts of a &point belt in the rear seat? 

Mi. Mrr.lun. We don't presently have defrnitive data on the sub 

ject, 

-werb for the simple -small reason that up until the last year or two, ther€ 

rebtively numbers bf vehicles in t'he United States 

eouipped with rear seat lap/ehoulder belts. 

ttti. NmrsoN. What about other countries? 

Mr. Ml-r,rn. Other countries have had those systems longer, but 

they tend not tn have as good record keeping systems as we do, and 

occirpancy rates in the rear seats tend to be pretty low We believe 

there is an added benefrt, based on our experience with front seat 

shoulder belts. 

Mr. Nrnr.soN. If you don't have enough data yet, at what time do 

you - think you'll gLt enough data to make a definitive judgment? 

Mr. Mrlirn. Well, we're currently proceeding in the rulemaking. 

The data collection to docurnent effectively-to move from estimates 

into after-the-fact analysis-will probably take another 2 to 

3 -Mr. vears. It will depend in large part upon usage. 

NruIsoN. Iiow did you determine that they would be suffrcientiy 

effective in reducing fatalities to justify your making a rule 

to require them-if you dou't have enough data? 

Mr. Mrr,r-nn. We have some anecdotal data, and we do have the 

experience in the front geats where there is demonstrable improve 

ment. Also the crash t€sts we conduct show that in mat cases, although 

not necessarily every caae, but with a welldesiSxred lap/ 

shoulder belt system ii: the rear, it will provide added protection as 

compared to a welldeaiened lapbelt. 

Mi. Nrnrson. i could-ask thi seme series of questions about the 

automatic harness in the front seat. Do you have data indicating 

that that's better than the voluntary syst€m, other than the fact 

that in the voluntarv. onlv 42 percent uae them, whereas with an 

automatic svst€m. th-ev'd dl have to? Is that the only basis? 

Mr. Mn lin. That's ihe only benefit to automatic eafety belts in 

the fmnt seats, to increase uiage rather than to increase the level 

of protection that's provided. airbags in the front- seat will provide 

added protection, piovided the occupant remembers to wear the 

safety belt in the first place. 

Mi. NrrIsoN. I have a number of other questions. I'd like to 

submit them in writing and I'd appreciate your ansvers L€t me 

ask one that I asked th6 previous p-anel. You've mentioned yourteU 

that you have to look at cost and benefrt analysis' 

Were you justified having concentrated so much on the front 

sest. sinie 90- percent of th; injuries occur there? Did you sort of 

ignore the bacli sest for all those years? Were you justified in doing 

so? 

Mr. Mnlsn I wouldn't say that we have entirely igrrored the 

rear 6eat, but we did focus mct of our efforts on the front seat, 

becauee the front eeat is where the overwhelmiag mqiority of the 

occupanta and the deaths and the injuries are. The other reason 

whv-the focus on the rear seat has been slower in coming, is be 

cause usage rates have been so low in the rear seats. 

il 

* 4q 

: 

ia 

il 

$ 

i! 

t 

* tsst: 

:i 

il 

-r 

: 

I 

i 

n 

? :l 

il 

: 

f 

t 

t

Da 

wrtErr 

Illi Ttl-y!.q 

y9y Jtrq have nave a reasonable 

reruorabl.g pros prqpect of obtaining good 

f;i.,."1 j1g3 T ;ll"^^.:ii :l_*, thar it ;;j[t ;i;ft; 6'oj". "r,. 

proYlce rmproved types of syst€q 

#[d,;."Tf 

"o.9€tts-r :i"*tml{:iiqe;ll-'il;#iri,fi Jn"iliJJrlT,H 

than an unused lalbelt. 

y-our lf.":)jm^l-.Ari!tl;:co,;fiued atr 

statistics. 

a ttfle bit 

on the_one 

dubious 

hr"g,Jiu;y 

about 

"hil;."i'".;'JiilH 

g"?1#: 

rt"r 

:4.!F.".191tt" are;,chiliren-mo"" 

u(elv 

oft n''ta" iii"ii" ur" bacL 

f.*-l!Tl a-dults; how "o-uih;,ii'inrv i,i"iifri Duckung buckling 9; "fiii;.6i: 

up in the back seat nr aB in rh-'r-^*+ ihth;;;;-;ii ^^-+c rt t. ,ilHtt?""l'; 

-t^l--!'- 

aenae, 

Mr. Mlr.LEn. First, Id *T!.91-t that 

children 

we 

who 

exclude.-the 

are in 

very 

chilil r 

srn4.ll 

$;_;,y;'j;il"r.ti:i"d?fJTiJJX*"T;j"',"Hr*1ff ^'i:*: 

rt€ar seat 

Tcup+n$ are not alwayi children, 

have, 

and ftn 

data 

ioi 

that indicates 

uu"" 

that 

*" 

agi group 

buckle 

neiessarily 

up 

a-J" 

nore 

t"na 

than adults_ 

to 

Mr.. NrersoN. The first Sroup saiq so. My experienee 

case; that 

is 

it's rhe_ 

that,s 

childreriwho 

the 

remind adrilts. . 

-_-lur. rurrltn. we re hopeful that that will 

we 

happen 

have not, 

in the future. 

: 

seen thad dennrtrvety In our survey data so far. 

and :flf$t!ifiryFji*i,t?r,ff;,"4*r'l#1i:$it,lln""* 

logic. would tell us that's ttre caee, but i d-;nT 

tbe dat€ 

*jI"""" 

to prove *" 

it yet. 

r,.r" 

Mr. Mrr.un- We'rL certainly, gearing many of our education oro- 

gi11" *ifh rhar soal in mind_to tfr to rtactr'ctriilre-ri;troft; 

:JTtf, thiouch. t)'pee of proglams 

crash 

thaf 

tesl 

aJieil 

dumbies, 

to-"1ilj.rr,_*o.r" 

Vince and Larrv. 

lhere s a muppet program 

ronttns i,hd giro aroundf,ouring 

satety 

the 

bett uee 

country 

and other 

\rye 

iypes 

want 

;a ;lrfii;-sa};ii'p'rogru_u. 

to _reach thar grou-p, bot-li t ;t-go f,it"t i#"'ro" tiru 

lylu"e ,rng also so.they'li- influence rheir paients.. ilui- 

;s 

togfarg to judge the results 

a titue 

of that camoaign. 

rur. -r_ELa,lcE. Mr. Nielson, if I could -juJt 

. add one more quick 

ffil:l{:f, "'."',Pi,,fr ifr I;,',:Ti"or**n.1",:'*i11"'#f 

!l!,n_tflp.,,rner9 q1e tw-o pe4ineng."criteri. 

deAl mlrr the 

Ti ;h;;iL.,J 

selection 

*r,ict 

of aativities that we will under*ike. 

-- 

__y,r. o rne ma€tltude ol the eafety problem. In this case, rear 

f:,: 11y,lg"r car occupank,. althoirgh 

tsn 

in 

f, a 8malr problem, 

a" a-Ueol;d;umbe", 

relative to the 

rt 

dtal highway 

did rank 

;;l;at 

fairly low on the list. 

fi;iil;: 

lh€ sec€_nd .criterion we use is 

problem. 

our ability to ameliorate 

Here'e that 

_where usage comes *. Si"ce"*" coii i r,'"r?ry n"O 

:l{:Jrf _we*dnc belts in the tacl, it jusia-iOi,t ;;;r;hi[";; 

L.t]"i:91 

ot, our scare-?esources to a-problem that we 

solve 

A-dii,i 

by mandating 

tt irif. 

a more effective 

tr#: 

aevice ttra? wLuU "ot 

...TTjg gh"neu .g,n{. ttgt s ryhy ye've. reexamined rhe situauon, 

{15l_.T-I9 are wirh light truck ierety. e Ior of ouiitanOal& smr_ 

LT,I -ipJry 

to passenger cars and. n6w that 

used 

light 

dlnerentrucks 

y, 

ari beini 

the environmert is differeni 

m,g. o.ur 

ula we 

regulations 

are ,-ee-*amln_ 

to. see which ones we 

wnrch 

should "dlitiiigii -"o#-'ju"r 

are often 

t.u"t" 

used as passenger "". "ul"ti1u* 

* 

jr 

i1 

t" 

x 

f 

f

156 

usage increases in the rear seat, \'e are now in the midst of reexamining 

the reculation for rear seat shoulder belts. 

Mr. NreisoNl I thank you for testifying. I return the balance of 

mv -Mrs. time. 

Cor.r.rNs. I thank the gentleman. Thst concludes our witness 

panels for today. We thank you for testifying before us today. 

Mr. Mru.rn. Thank You. 

Mrs. CoLr.rxs. If there are any questions submitted to you in 

writing, would you please see to it that the answers are returned to 

ue within two weeks. 

Mr. MIr.r.rn. We would be happy to do so 

Mrs. CoLUxs. Ttrank you very much. Hearing is adjourned. 

lWhereupon. at 12:15 p.m., the subcommittee adjourned' to reconve'ne 

subjeit to the call of the Chalr'1

APPENDIX 

Meronrar, SusMrtrEo rcn rnn Hnlnrr.rc Rrcono 

lhe Bonor.ble C..di36 coll ins 

Subconnitt.e on Covernre.t Activi Li€6 

and transportaiion 

co.mi tt€e on coverntrenL oper.tions 

8350A Rayburn Horse Offic€ Building 

rea6hinston, D. c, 20515 

tr1.5. ?tm!r of Rqftrmrtroet 

Sl|(!dni. ,n On .ri$ d ,i!l,t{ai.Il 

trc 

Cn'tttlradgdCIlr 

edfi$m, EC r" 

'Jl'ii .i 

June 3, 1988 

I under.t.nil through dl.c!..lon. ,lth our .!rf!6 that yolr 

SubcotroiEtee is planntnq.n inve6tigatlon r.ga.ding seat b€lls in 

th. rear of existinq and new noLor v€hlcles and Lhei. use, includln9 

the avail.bility dnd cost of rnstalling shoulder belts in Lh€ 

re.! of eristinq vehicl€s. 

?he use of s€at belts by all pelsons ehiLe d!ivin9 i$ lhe 

Unit.d Stntes has b.en of con.id€!.ble conce.o of this subcotrrittee, 

as shovn by lhe.trcl.s.d Coriitte€ on Ene.9y a.d Corn..ce 

report on 11.R. t1 (p.9e5 I0-r21. !y lette. of Aprjl 29, r988 to the 

National Highray rraffic sat€ty Adolnistration (NHrsA) and Lhe 

General Account!19 offic€'s 

(GAol r€porr for the subconnittee on 

th€s€ ndtters. I call your particular attention to a letL€r of 

April 1r, l93a rron lhe chairnan of th. N.tioul Transportation 

Safety Boa.d, lrr, Jin aurnett, ,ho stat.s: 

rhe GAo vds (o(recr in irs frndrnq 

that th€ controve.6y prowoled by the Boardrs lap belt 

report.ro6e fron our conclusions.bout the valjdity of 

eatirat€6 on rear seat Iap b€lts, rore part!cula(Iy o!r 

finding that none of the a!alrab),e daLabases (i.cIuding 

ou! ovnl iE.deqvate for this purpose. 

Ironicatly, this uhote controv€rsial 

because. dian.y€d by vhat eo ,ere Iearnirq about the 

serious n!zdrds of laF bel!6, ,e rere enge! to be ibte 

to include in the reporL rhat, oe€i.rl, 

lnp b.rts pro!ide posrtrve b.netits. r'hur, ao6Ld staff 

spenl a substantial portion !f its rjr€ and effoft 

erattnrn9 studi€s on s.at belt eff..tiv.n€ss, r6viFr)n9 

the nature of th€ v.rious databases used in th.se 

05?) 

I 

:. 

a 

1; 

.{! 

; 

.t:' 

t 

1: 

ll 

f .. 

! 

ti 

fil 

i 't 

}. 

'.: 

t 

if 

: 

: 

f

Th. flonor.bl. C.rdii6 Collln. 

168 

rtudt.., .nd con.td.ring lh. at..n9th6 .nd v..lt..... 

ol th.! fo( th. purpos! of..tl.!ttng r..r 3.rt llp 

belt eff.ctiveness. e. y.r. r.ll .,.r. thlt 

"no d.t.b.6e 

is p..f.ct,' .s th. cAo.€port not.6, and th!t th. 

"po66Ibte in.ccuracie6 or lirit.tlonE tn th€ data" !ust 

ib€ 

evrluated to d.t.(rin€ hoe Iit.ly it Is th.t theY 

yould 6igriticantly rff.ct" conclusions.bout re.r Ee!t 

t.D b.)t ef(ectrv€n€66. It '.s indeed 

o! this Lh!l t.d us to con.lude, reqre 

?6irFiEFI6dThiictfu-r;:T*-.codclustonth.aoard 

contilru.s to hold -- hive been 5et fo.th. a5 you tno,, 

ln th. l.p b.!t report itself. th. Borrd'6 reEponde to 

B,J. C..pb.ll,3 p.Per, 6nd the 3.v.r.1 pIec.s of correlpond.nc. 

b.tve.o you(self atrd th. Borrd. 

vr€.re ple.sed ihat the GAo repo!t has dravn 

tu!ther atteotlon to the fact thrt there ar. ve.y teal 

.bortcotrIngs in the najor accident d.t.b.EeE, and it iE 

good that ih. N.tional Higheay T.nffic 5.fety Adnini6tr.!ion 

(NHTsa) is trying to irprove the.ccuracy ol 

.ccidenl drr. r.porttbg, lany t...!rche.5 h.v.,.!ned 

th.t th€ !c.urlcy ot b€lt u6...portlog ir lIl.ly to be 

rorEening a6 .n unfortunat. 61d. .tf.ct of D.nd.tory 

belt us€ IrH6. tien caopbell'5 !t.t.r.ntE iD the GAo 

r.port, p.9er a1-a2 refer to tht! ph.no..non, for 

we.re also Dleased, .s you.r., rrLh Lhe 

ft;d;;'id;r i-(ft. ror ei-ipfel--Fni? frator cotrp;;t st.rt 

a;EfiEfr-ET;7;d Bo.,d 6t.rf on the Etrtus of plan6 aor 

providing ie.. 6ert lap,/shollde( b.lt! (both ner and 

r.trofits), Nce p.o.otlonal e.r.!I.Ir tro! G.n.r.l 

rotors give prolincDt cove(a9e to thc oeu.vailabillty 

of th€6e .y6teos in that coeprny'. v.hlcIcs. ch(yslcr 

r.cently rail.d to its o{ners of r.cDrd a d.EcriPtion 

of rts re.r E.rt shoulder belt !etrofit progrrh and 

"hlqhlv 

recouended" that its oroers h.ve the 

inEi.r'ied. Be a(. sLiIl hooe!ul hdl th. NRTsa 

ce(t.inly, you. strong suppo(t fo. the pas6aqe of 

Et.te 5eat b.lt u3e lavs h.6 plly€d an ilpott.nt rol€ 

in the 6ucc.!6 thus far of th!t effort. rndesd. one of 

che..!6ons th€ Bo.rd i5.ued itE lrp belt report e.rly 

o. r!s to encour.ge a p.olpl lr.n6iLion froR lap belts 

to Irpl.houlder belts, Eince peop!e are inc!easin91y 

bucklirg up. !erhap6 our d€.p.st frustration has been 

th.t luch of th. highray safety 

".orunity,' 

includlng 

\ 

tl 

ft 

: 

.:' 

f i 

t 1. 

I ., 

f* 

? 

i 

. 

I 

* 

I

Th€ notro.rbl. c!rdi38 coLlIn. 

159 

the lttlsA, failed to d..l vith th. rain thru.t of th€ 

.eport -- th€ ne€d to trove to I.P/6houtder b.1ts --.nd 

focused .ltrost er Lirely on rls dis.9reeFent urth our 

d.tab.se conctusron. 

As vou an see our rnvesLigation into theE. 

belt-rel;t€d issues rs f.r irotr ove.. althoLgh, given Ehe co.t 

to th€ consuner, I .n nor .onvrnced !hat ndny irII tnstalt 

tetrofit kits, particularl! on olde( vehicres, Neve.there3E. t 

vlnted tou to be aware of the eatensive.fforts of thi6 subcoinitt.e 

in this area. At the saEe time, I vant to ca!tron vou 

th.t public asareness and acceptance or seat belts ts stiII not 

9!.rt: Tbere continues to b€ fea!! and hisu.derst.ndin9s about 

Ihe6e be]ts !nat are.xplorted by sone dho are opposed to slrte 

ttandatorv -beIi.ve seal se)t use Lavs uhrch I supDo.t. l{.ny, rncruort9 

oy6.lf, 

thdt unrntentronly the Bot.d's 1986 lap belr 

r;Dort conLribut.d to tlassachusetas,.t lea5t, voting to rescind 

1t; seat belt !se lav. I urse your subcoi!ittee to b€ caretul 

lh!t vour €l(orts not.Iso un:nt.ntronallv rekindle oppositlon in 

othe(-6t.te6 l6uch.s New Yort and Ohrol there effarts lo res

|:' 

The sonorable c.rdi.3 coll i.. 

r00 

E.c!u.. ot thlG ..rlou. .l.ction ittu' tlo..' lhc suDcorrrttc!-ii!-iccn 

v€ry c.utrous ;bout ovcr-Ptavt'e-tf: p:::1lr' 

t"i'iv t."' tap bel!6 th!t r. a p.oPer conc'(n or the ao'ro' 

iiiiii'"i-ii.i.i,t h..d injurv loi ei!!Pr.. rioD eiection bec'ur" 

b.It6.r€ trot used is at 1..3t as 9.'at 

wlth beEt tt.he6 ' 

JOHN D' DINGELI 

chai rtran 

Subcolmi ttee on 

ov.rsight and Investigation' 

cc: The r|ono.!ble rhoots J. BlIleY, Jr', RlotlnE llnorlty i"b'r 

srbcoDitt€! oo Ov.r.ight lnd Inv.sti9atio^s ,$ 

j' 

.. 

:s 

6 

$ 

F 

i 

1

100rH CoNcnrss 

2d Sessvon 

l6l 

I RnYr' 100-158 

I souso or REPREsENTATIVES 1 Part2 

INDEPENDENT SAFETY BOARD ACT AMENDMENTS OF 

MARCH 28, 1e88.-{oEruittcdroo;T,?"ff.:f;*";,XH" 

+- 

House on the stlte of 

Mr. Drwarr.r, from the Committee on Energ7 and Comnerce' 

submitted the following 

REPORT 

flo accompany H R 11 shich on JanrlBrv 6 1981' was eferred jointly to the Commitree 

on public worke ab6 ,."""jlli;" ;o'il"'c"--ltio on Energv and 

Comnrercel 

Uncluding cost eslrmare of the ConSEa6ional Budget Oficel 

!h&?,r,fi Fifi 

"{ j=*""f";**T**"rHJfr 

':::.:::-thl-*^me. #,qi-l.#i 

19?4 to authorize apProprratrons l:'- 

report 

u;ni 

l::3""iTt;T:,:H%hm::im:l'"?,T?i"?1f-111"'1T 

as amended do Pass' 

CONTENlS 

8"?lliiii; c";;l;;liq;:, .'."" """" "'-----'-'-- ........::...::.:::....::.::...... 

H**illfi*;*F"g-#$ffii;;;:::::: ::: :: :: : :: :': ::: 

6m-itt e ott Govemment 

Committee Cct E;timate 

6iiil*r.".t ilag"t ofhce Estimaa 

Irfl;tioo6rv lhpact stat€ment - - " 

lnflatioo6ry llnpacl Jrat€nrer! - 

Section.bYSecion Analyall ano 

I'lxe amendments areas follows: 

sii-i6 iîi Jr aft€r the enacting clause andinsert 

in lieu thereof 

the following: 

83-63{ 

2 3361,| 

l4

162 

2 

SECA|oN I. SHOXIT TTfLE 

This Act may be citcd as the "lndependent Safety Board Act Amendments of 

198?" 

SEC. 2, AUTHORIZATIOII OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

(a) GENERAL AurHontz.|rroN.-Sectiolt 309 of the lndeDendent Safetv Board Act of 

19?4 (49 U.S.C. App. 190?) is amended by adding at th; end the follbwing: "Ihere 

are authorized to be appropriated for the purpo€es of this Act not to exce€d 

$25.400.000 for the fiecai yedr ending Septem'bei 30, 1988 and g2?,000,000 for the 

liscal year ending September 30, 1989, such suma to remain availsble until expend- 

lb) Egr BusHMENr oF EMERGENCy Fuxo.-Section 309 of such Act is further 

amended by inserting "(d" after "309." and by adding at the end the following new 

suDsectlon: 

"(b) 

An emergency fund of $1,000,000 is authoriz€d for expenditule by the Board 

to be available for necessary exlt€nses, not otherwise provided for, of the Board for 

accident investigations. There is authorired to be appropriated such surns as may be 

necessary to establi8h the emergency fund under the preceding sentence and to re 

plenish the fund annually- Such sums are authoaiz€d to remain available until expended.". 

SEC. 3. f, LIMINATION 01' CEEIAIN N0TICE REQUIREME]\"TS. 

(a) REpoRrs.-Section 304(aX2) of the Independent Safety Board Act of 19?4 (49 

U.S.C. App. l9031art2r) is amended by striking "and to cauge notice of the issuance 

and availability ofsuch rcIrorts t,o be publbhed in the Federal Regist€r" 

(b) SerT rv RrcoxxsNottloxs.-The la6t sentenc€ of aection 30?(a) of the Inde 

pendent Safety Boad Act of 1974 (49 U.S.C. App. 1906(s)) is amended to read as 

follows: "The Board ehall make copies of each such recornmendation and responae 

thereto available to the public at reasonable cct.". 

gDc. 4. TRATNTNG SCI|OOI^S. 

Section J04(bJ of the Independent Safety Board Act of 19?4 (49 U.S.C. App. 

1903fbl) iE amended by redesigiating paragr;ph (10) ar paragraph (11) end by insert 

ing alter paragraph (9) the following new paragraph: 

''110) 

The Board may at any time utilize on a reimbursable basjs the Eervices of 

the TlansfortatioD Safety Institut€ of t}le Department of Transportatiob (e€tablished 

for ih€ purpoee of developing courtes ani c,onducting trainiirg in safety ard 

€ecurity for all modes of transportation) or any aucressor organization. Tlre Seqre 

tary shall continue to make available such Institut€ or succes€or organization (A) to 

the Board for safety training of employee of the Board in the performsnce of all of 

their authorized function8 and (Bl to such other safetv pereonnel of Federal, interstate, 

State, local, and foreim qovemments and non-ebv_ernmental organizations as 

the Board may frorn time to ti;e de€i€naE in consullation with the *cret3ry. Utilization 

of such training st the lnstitute or any succe€aor organizalion by any designated 

non-Federal eafetv Dersonnel shsll be at a rea.sonable fee to b€ e6tablished De 

riodicslly by the Board- in consultation with the Secretary. Such fee shall be p;d 

directly to the Secretary for the credit of the prope! appropriation, subject tD the. 

requirement€ of an), annual appropristion, and ehall be an offBet against any 

annual reimburaement agleement edtared into between the Board and the Secre 

lary to cover all reosona5le direct and indirect c6ts incurred for sll such trainlog 

by the Secretary in the adminGtration and operation of the lnstitut€ or any su@ea. 

6()r orgadzation. The Board shall maintain an annual record of all euch offsetr. tr 

providing such a traioing to Feieral employeee, the Board shall be subject to chal> 

ter 4l of title 5. Unitrd Stat€s Code trelating to training of employe€a). . 

EEC.5. PAYMENT FOR GOODS AND SERVICES 

Section 304(bI6) of the Independent Safety Bosrd Act of 19?4 (49 U.S.C. App. 

1903(bX6) iE amended bv striki;s and" befo;e'lGI and bv ntrikine the Deriod-it 

the end and inserting t$e followrng: "; and tHl require payirent or 6rher appropriate 

consideration from Federal agencies, aDd State, local, and for€i8n governmeDtS 

for the r€asonable co€t of goods and sericee supplied by the Board and to apply tlre 

tunds received to lhe Board s appropriatione.". 

SEC.6. REPOFTTNC OF ACCIDENIII AND INCIDEIV-I€ IIIVOLVINo CENTAIN PUBLIC AIRCR.AFI. 

S€ction 304(aI6) of th€ Independent Safety Board Act ol l9?4 (49 U.S.C. App, 

1903(aX6, 

"(6) 

is amended to read a; followb. 

establish by regllation requirements binding on peEons reportidg (A) ac. 

cidents and aviation incidents subject to the Board's inve€tigatory jurisdiction 

fl 

i 

n 

),. 

.ti 

r 

1: 

.:j 

'v 

aa ; 

fE 

ii 

{ 

;i 

-t 

* ,6 

s 

! 

i

68 

o 

uDder this aubsection; and (B) accidents and aviation incldente involving public 

aircraft other than aircraft of the Armed Forcesi'. 

Amend the title to read as follows: 

A bill to amend the Independent Safety Board Act of 19?4 to authorize appropris' 

tions for fiscsl years 1988 and 1989, and for other purposes 

PunPosu eNo SuIulr.nnY 

The purpose of H R 11, the "Independent Safety Board Act 

Amendments of 198?" is to reauthorize the activities of the Nation- 

J Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). As amended !v the Corn- 

-itte", Ii.n. 11 would authorize $25.4 million fol -fiqcal 

year 1988' 

and S2? million for fiscal year 1989. The bill would also amend certain 

provisions of the lndependent Safety Board Act of 1974' 

Foilowing are the mqior provisions of the bill: 

i. irr" U'iti authoriz& funding as follows: for frscal year 1988' 

S25.4 ' million; and for fiscal year 1989, $27 million. 

2. The NTSB's emergency fund is reauthorized in the amount of 

$1 million for use in jeari where there is an unusual number of 

accidents and regular -funding authority would not be adequate to 

cover exp€ns€s. 

3- Certain Federal Register publication requirements believed to 

be - unnecessarY are eliminated. 

a. f"itio" flnds collected from non-NTSB employees attending 

NTSB accident investigation training courses a-re- redirected to 

NTSB's appropriations in order to offset the cost or the courses' 

S. ffre NfSb is permitted to collect payment, which would be appti"a 

io tttu NTS'B's appropriations. 'from Federal agencies, and 

State, tocat, and foreign-gbvirnments which request assistance with 

accident investigations' 

6. The NTSF is authorized to require repork from persons rnvolved 

in accidents involving publiC aircraft, other than military 

aircraft. 

B.Lcrcnoulo l.rn Nrro ron TIIE LTcELATIoN 

The NTSB is an independent Federal agency charged with inves' 

tigating transPortation accidents. The agCncy is respo-nsible for in- 

""?iguii"g. ditermining the cause of. reporling the. facts and cir- 

*-"iu""""J of, and ma[ing recommendations on, all civil aviation 

acciJe"ts; all railroad accidents in which there is a fatality or sub- 

"tr"iiul ptop.*v damage. or which involve a passenger trainr all 

oioeline accidents in which there is a fatality or substantlal properiy 

damage; highway accidents. including railroad grade

164 

4 

The last enacted authorization bill for the NNIB was Public Law 

99-37, which authorized funding for fiscal years 1984 through 1986. 

That authorization expired on September 30, 1986. 

In the 99th Consress. the NISB submitted in June 1986 an authorization 

proposil similar to H.R. 11. It was enacted by Congress, 

but it was vetoed by the President. ln his veto statement of November 

4, 1986, the President indicated objections to the budget authorization 

levels and to provisions relative aviation matters not within 

the jurisdiction of this Committee. The Committee believes that 

H.R. 11 lacks these problems. 

The Committee is concerned, however, about the adequacy of the 

NTSB's staffrng, including the impact of cutbacks, and about the 

allocation of resources bvlhe Boara. We believe that there must be 

adequate funding and the Board must turn its attention to activities 

beyond aviation. Both matters are addressed in an exchange of 

letters between the C,ommittee and the Board. In an April ?, 1987 

letter, the Board discussed the budget and the impact of staff cuts 

as follows: 

Below are the dollars and staff requested in our authorrzation 

request, H.R. 11. Unfortunately, the dollar estimatcs 

in H.R. 11 do not take iirto consideration the recent 

ly enacted changes to the new Federal Employee Retire 

ment System and the additional costs for the general pay 

raise. Therefore, our revised estimates for the next three 

years is provided below. These are the same estimates contained 

in the Senate C,ommerce, Science and Transportation 

Committee version. 

f!l|{m€ 4iyrknb fTtl 

H.R, II 

lll d a t6ie--Ht-tl 

t9E7 1983 l9A 

198 19& rm 

t21,000 

317 t25,100 127.000 t26.200 t27,500 l2t,t00 

317 30 311 317 317 

Question 2(a). In a December 10, 1986 letter to the Director 

of the Office of Management and Bu&et (OMB), the 

Board appealed OMB's funding allowance tor Fiscal Year 

1988. What was the result of that appeal? Was i;he 347 

FIE level restored? If not, why not, and what was the 

l-rnal level established by OMB? How will that level be assigned 

within the Board? 

Response. As a result of the Board's appeal, the OMB increased 

the Board's allowance from E22.t4 million and 300 

FTE to $23.56 million and 310 FTE, which is gtill considerably 

lower than the Board's request of 34? FIE. The OMB 

did not provide the Board with a written reaponse to our 

appeal and therefore it is not clear why the OMB only increased 

the Board's fundins to the 310 FTE level. Below is 

the distribution of the 310-FTE as reflect€d in the Board's 

Congressional budget requeat. 

ta 

* 

It 

a 

{ 

il 

5l 

{ Tt 

T 7. 

i; 

I

Policy and direction ... 

Accident investigation 

TechnoloS- -.......-.... 

Saf€ty programs 

Ad]!inistration.. 

Administrative law judgee 

165 

146 

64 

24 

30 5 

Total..................... 

310 

Question Aft). The C,ommittee is concerned about the 

"sharo 

reduction" in the Board's staff level since Fiscal 

Year -1982 and requests an explanation of t}re impact o-! 

the cutbacks on th-e professional and nonprofessio-nal staff 

and on the Board's important functions Please also show 

the FTE attritions annually since that year. 

Resoonse. We share the Committ€e's concern. Enclosed 

(encloiure 5t is a graphic description of the fluctuation 

that the Board's staffing level has experienced in rece-nt 

-Board's vears. This fluctuation has been very disruptive to the 

nroductivitv and to emplovee morale. In the first 

wave of ieductions bccurring in-1981, the Board made significant 

reductions in its administrative and support staff. 

However, reductions continued into 1982,. forcing- the 

Board to implement a rather large reduction !.n force. 

Overall, appioximately 60. percent of the Board's losses 

have been from the professional ranks 

The unrelenting pressure on key staff c-aused by increased 

workload- dlmands, couplea with these reduced 

etaffine levels, has resulted in a continuing loss ol easential 

t€;hnical staff. The Board's stalT ie compo6ed for the 

most part of highly trained technical specialists in3l! the 

various transpi'rtdtion modes. Reductions in staff have 

forced the Boird to eliminate the depth in most technical 

specialtv areas to the point where, in some areas, there 

alre onli one or two speiialists. Therefore, it is common for 

investilators to be oir call 24 hours a day' seven days a 

week. This is one of the reasons whv industry and other 

government agencies recently have been very succeasful in 

hiring the Board's technical staff. 

An! additional reductions would furthe,r com-pound our 

probl-em of maintaining experienced staff, and -seriouely 

- ieopardize our abilitv to fulfill our statutory mandate' 

In general, the siope of the Board's aciident inv€stigation 

ictivity and the comprehensiveness of its aviation accident 

dati base have bee-n sigrrificantly and adversely imoacted. 

The resultins scope, detail and number ot our 

iafetv recommendatio=ns hds been less than what could be 

achidved. Also, our ability to assure the effective imple 

mentation of the recommendations through aggressive, 

persistent ' follow-up has been limited. 

To put this in pirspective, it should be noted that-after 

the slbstantial dutbi'cks in fiscal year 1982 ihe Saf,ety 

Board was forced to reevaluate all of its programs. At that 

time, we determined that we needed at least 34? FIE to 

fulfiil our Congressional mandate Consequently we have 

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Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs' 

U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Courrrrrrru CoNsronnattox 

I 

On January 6, 198?, the bill, H.R. 11, was introduced by Mr. 

Mineta. The bill was referred jointly to the Committee on Energy 

and Commerce and to the Committee on Public Works and ?rans' 

portation. - 

On December 15, 198?, the Committ€e on Energy and Commerce 

met in mark-up session adopted an amendment in the nature of a 

substitute offeied by Mr. Luken, and ordered the biil reported to 

the House as amended by unanimous vote with a quorum present. 

C,ourvrrrrrn Ovnnsrcnr Ftt.tnrr.rcs 

Pureuant to clause 2(IX3XA) of rule XI of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the Committee has made oversight frndings and 

recommendations as s€t forth in this report. 

The Committee, as part of its oversight responsibilities, inquired 

into the Board's efforts to have the DOT better address the poiential 

hazards to public safety in the transportation of hazardous materials. 

The Committee n6ted that in December 1984 the Board 

wrote to the DOT about the "inadequacv of the DOI's system for 

hazard identifrcation and claesifrcation.'t The Board said the need 

for redesigning the system stemmed back to the Board's recommendations 

isiued-to ihe DOT on December 13, f972' The Board, in its 

April 7, 1987 letter to the Committee, said: 

In 1981, the Safety Board reviewed the DOT's hazardous 

materials regulatory progtaE to identify corrective actions 

taken and analy"e ftri r&ults of such aitions. The frndings 

of this review are reported in our "Safety Report: Status of 

Department of Transportation's Hazardous Materials Regulatory 

Program" which was issued Septemb€r 29, 1981. 

Even ihough called for by the Safety Board. the ileneral 

Accounting Offrce, various Congressibnal committ€e€, and 

even by so-me of DOT's own repotts, there was no evidence 

of any'systematic efforts by the DOT to improve its hazsrd 

identifrcation and classifi cation syst€m. 

As you will note in our December 19, 1984 letter, the 

present hazard identifrcation and classifrcation -syst€m is 

in outgro*'th of an industrydeveloped system based. primarily 

on accident experience to make judgmenk about 

the hizard posed by a hsterial and abouf the adequacy of 

packaging irethods' to minimize the potential for releases 

iturind tiinsportation. Additionally, ihis system is further 

limit& in that it was developed with consideration only 

for acute threats to life for persons at the scene of the acci 

dent and upon the assumplon that all accidents would- be 

accornpanied by frre. Such limitations prevent con-srderation 

of long-term hazards tn health and safety and pre' 

vent conside;ations about hazards posed to persons- nearby 

an accident scene involving the release of mat€rials when 

.F

168 

8 

frre is not present. Or said more specifrcally, conditione 

similar to those which existed at Bophal, India. 

In response to the Safety Board's December 19, 1984 

letter, the DOT issued, on February 4, 1985, a Notice of 

Proposed Rulemaking. On March 27, 1985 the Safety 

Board commented on this rulemaking proposal, and enclosed 

is a copy of that correspondence (enclosure 8). On 

October 3, 1985, the DOI issued a frnal rule for regulating 

toxic liquids. Safety Board staff reviewed this final rule in 

light of the Safety Board's original letter and our response 

to the rulemaking proposal. The review found that: 

1. The hazards of many hazardoug materials have not 

lSeen addressed because the rulemaking excludes consideration 

of solids and gases. 

2. Materials for which specific container requirements 

presently are listed in the regulations will have no change 

made in the container specifications. What if any changes 

will be made to these container specifications will have to 

await the result of final action on Docket HM-181: a rule 

making activity which @an in 1982. Under this rulemaking 

action, the DOT propo€€s to address container requirements 

in performance lansuase. At the time of this 

review. we itere advised thatHM-l8l would be made final 

by the spring of 1986. While we yet are awaiting frnal 

action of the rulemaking, it is reported that final action is 

expected in the near future. 

3. The toxic hazard identification requirement wae not 

integrated into tJre existing hazard idenlification and clas 

sifrcation system, rather it has been applied more as a 

bandaid to an already identified deficient syetem. 

4. No action was- taken to interrelate - the hazards of 

Poison A and Poison B materiale. However, the final rule 

reported that the entire hazard classification scheme will 

be reconsidered in the DOT rulemaking actions within 

Docket HM-181: This again deferred corrective action 

until this 1982 rulemaking activity was completed. 

5. No action was taken -bv the DOT for reconsidering the 

scientifrc basis for the staniards established for identifying 

materials which posed substantial toxic hazarde. It is unclear 

whether or not this also waa being deferred until 

final action on Docket HM-f8f. 

The Committee is pleased that the DOT has begun to act on 

these matt€r€. but we are concerned that recommendations of the 

Board are apparently ignored or shelved for long periods by the 

DOT before action takeg place. When asked about this, the then 

DOT Secretary, in a May i3, 198? letter to Chairman Dingell, said 

that the Board "makes important contributions by identifying 

problem areas, and keeping iafety issum before the public eye." 

Their ideas are ofttn a part of the solutions crafted by the modal 

agencies, and are always considered in the crafting of those solutions." 

Nevertheless. Nevertheless, the DOT has concerns about Board recom- 

mendations in that the Board does not assess coets or prioritize 

their recommendations. The DOI Secretary said; 

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At the same time, there are eeveral factors which often 

make NTSB recommendations less usable and effective 

than they otherwise might be. NTSB makes no effort to 

aseesg the costs of its recommendations, or gauge their cost 

benefrt. This can put the Board in a position of offering 

recommendations which provide the public with a negative 

cost benefit, or which ari simply not feasible for technical 

or economic reasons. The Boiri could increase the functional 

value of its recommendations by exploring implementation 

issues, making a preliminary cosi benefrt estimate, 

and providing this-info'rmation ai part of their recommendation 

package. 

Moreover, the Board issues a large numtrer of reconmendations-106 

in the railroad areia over the last elht 

years-without making any effort to prioritize among 

them. Each recommendation .is treated in isolation, both 

from a cost and an implementing perspective. All are accorded 

equal priority. The problem with this approach is 

that, as much as we might like it to be otherwise, resources 

are finite, tre they in the public or private sector. 

Rezulatory agencies have enorrrous inlluence on how privaie 

parties;llocate those safety dollars. The key challenge-before 

any safety regulatory agency is the challenge 

to Drioritize. to pursue the option that will steer available 

doliars to their irost effectivri use from a public safety perspective. 

To the extent that regulatory agencies utilize 

tireir authority to steer limited iesourc& td ttre 8th, gth, 

or 10th most productive area, they have a less than oPtimum 

impact on safety because of opportunities lbregone. 

Determining which safety initiatives have the greatest 

impact on public safety, and can offer the public the greatest 

cost beirefrt, is a cirallenge that lies at the heart of effective 

regulation. And NTSB's recommendations, ir' their 

current format, offer little guidance in rnaking this type of 

judgment. 

The modal administrations. on the other hand, must 

make safety policy decisions tliat are in fact resource alle 

cation decisions, and must make them in a real world environment. 

They must consider not only the merit of a 

safety-enhancing measure, but also its t6chnical, financial, 

and operational feasibility. 

The Board responds that it has "very limited resources and i8 

unable to make a cost/benefrt analysis with respect to the recommendations 

we issue." The Board. howene., con-tends that it does 

analyze "the expected impact" of its recommendations and ''only 

issue those which pass a test of 'reasonableness'." The Board says 

that the "cost of implementing a recommendation is a factor fre 

quently considered iir this test'' and the "highet priority is given 

to rec6mmendations which are 'reasonable' and which will yield 

the highest safety benefits." The Board adds: 

Also, after we issde recommendations to the modal agencies 

we are freque;itly drawn into cost benefit discussions. 

If the modal agency presenk a convincing case that imple- 

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mentation of our recommendation is not cost effective or 

practical, we reconsider our position. While the cost may 

at times seem high, the benefits over a long period of time 

may far exceed the initial cost. 

Clearly, costs should not be ignored. However, the first priority 

should be safety. Co6ts can be used as an excuse, not a sound 

reason for failing to act. Even costs can be lessened through phasing 

and other methods. Recommendations that improve safety significantlv 

should be civen the hishest priority. The Committee's 

concern is that Board- recommenditions -tend to "sit on the shelf' 

for far too long at the DOT, although to be fair, the Committee's 

examination s6ows that DOT mak-es the required statutory re 

sponse, but the Board is not always pleased with the response. In 

its reply, the Board said of 2,271 nonaviation recommendations 

issued since 1980, there were 146 in an "Open Unacceptable 

Action" category. Tltese are cases where the "addressee responds 

by expressing disagreement with the need outlined in the recommendation 

and when the Board has some further evidence to substantiat€ 

the need defined." 

While this is not a huge number, the Committee believes a 

system is needed to ensure that all recommendations are addressed 

in a quicker and fuller fashion and where the responses are not 

satisfactory to the Board, to resolve differences. There may be 

sound reasons not to adopt them in whole or in part, but they can 

only be deternined after consideration. 

We expect both agencies to examine this problem and report to 

the Committee before the end of hscal vear 1988. The report should 

identify all outstanding recommendations of the Board -relating to 

nonaviation safety matters that are more than two years old that 

have not been ieviewed and implemented. It should indicate 

whether they are still sound from a safety standpoint and whether 

implementaiion is still needed. If not i.-mplemdnted, reasons for 

such non-implementation should be provided. 

Finally, the Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 

with the help of the General Accounting Offrce has been 

examining in great detail the efforts of the Federal Government to 

encourage the use of seat belts in the operation of motor vehicles. 

Of nartiiular concern to the Subcommiltee has been the slowness 

and-, in some cases, the resistance of Federal agencies to require 

seat belt use by all pnrsons when operating on Federal areas. To its 

great credit, the Efense Department (with encouragement from 

the Subcommittee and the GAO) has taken an aggressive atance in 

requiring such use. On the other hand, the National Park Service 

recently abandoned a proposed rule requiring such use after receiving 

complaints from its employees. This investigation is continuing 

with the help of the GAO. 

During thi hearing, Chairman Dingell expressed concern about 

the Boafu's 1986 report on the use of riar seat belts. In exchange of 

letters between the Oversight and Investigatione Subcommitt€e 

and the Board, there was concern about the idequacy of the report 

and about its adverse irnpacts on efforts to have all 50 States adopt 

mandatory seat belt use laws. In a November 13, 1987 report by 

the GAO about the Board's studv. the GAO said: 

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We do not believe that NTSB's concerns about the data 

provide a sufficient basis for dismissing either the results 

bf other research in this area cr the databases themselves' 

No daiabase is perfect. The question an agency lnal lntends 

to use data must address is whether the data are. sul' 

i.i""tlv "".tttt" to vield valid findings about the.thing 

beine analyzed. Possible inaccuracies or limitations rn tne 

data-shoulil be evaluated to determine how likely rt $ that 

thev would significantly affect any conclusions bas€d on 

the-dara. NTITSA investigated the flaws in the data l! uses 

6-;;;"; i".[ u.tt effeitivenegs and concluded that the 

"ioUi""i" *"t" not sufficient to invalidate the data for re- 

5.uiitr. nrss did no analysis of its own to -demonstrate 

the NHTSA's frndings about the usability of Lhe data v'/ere 

rncorrecl. "'ifr"t"ii.", 

we find that while NTSB has highlighted 

*-"-i-pori*t limitations in widely used accident data' 

bases. it- has not shown thai these databases cannot be 

ua"a i".tto* that lap belts, on balance' protect r-ear seat 

Dassengers in automobile crashes. The presence ol lnaccuiacies 

in the data is not a sufficient reason lor dsmrssrng 

i["-ii"dine. of all the research that has us€d that data' 

Finallv, NTSB's criticiems of the principal da!"bases re- 

*;;;h;; used to analyze the performan-ce. of diflerent 

;;;';'a ;f"tv iv"l"-i rtau" nbt beett fullv answered' 

While *e believe that NTSB has not shown the data to De 

u"Lt-& fo. anal-ysis, there are. nonetheless, short'comings 

in the quality of databases that rely on police accldent reoorts- 

NfffS,{ is working on several programs that mrght 

imorove the accuracy rf police reporting and Proude more 

cuirent information on the relationship between potrce re' 

ports and investigator analysis of accidents. 

AIso of particular concern to the Subcommittee is the fact that 

-iiii".il"it" Itii"i"a in -otoi vehicle accidents are ejected ln a 

i,ir;'ri.-i5ii ieit"i i.ttt" Committee. the Board resPonded to this 

coniern by saying: 

To put this in some p€rspectivi', the statement in our Octoue't'20, 

10b6 l.t;"; ,irit iejection is not at all a probable 

outcome for most crash-involved car occupants, even. un- 

["t-iii".ti"i"-ii- uasid on data contained in the--1984 

iiffiBl Nutio"al Accident Sampling Svsten - tJ!$ps) 

;;;;: Th;t;;p'; indicates that d6,00i0 or- th,e.15,43?'000 

o6ole involved in reported traffic crashes had been. ejectia. 

Tnat is about 0.2 percent About 0 6 percent ol all occu' 

oants involved in reported crashes were ejected and rei;ita;i 

i;;a;;deilie injuries. Even for towawav ^crashes. 

the NASS report indicates that only 1 0 percent ot occu' 

Pants '-ift" are eJecteo. 

S"f"w Board agrees completely that seat belts. of 

any type, iricluding lap belts, are effectiv,e in preventlng 

eiectiiri. ttre Board's report did address the lssue -ol eJec' 

;i;;;;d ihe role of lap'belts in preventing it I.n fact'.an 

entire section (pp. 23-24) on the role of lap belts rn eJectron 

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prevention was included in the Board's safety study on lap 

belts. 

It is the Committee's understanding that not all of the 15 million 

people reported to be in traffic cras-hes were injured. Nevertheless, 

the Committee believes that 36,000 ejections is large, particularly 

when one realizes that many result in death, head injuries, or 

other s€vere injuries with lasting effects. 

Despite this controversial issue, the Committee shares the 

Board's view that the best solution is the installation of the threepoint 

belt in the outboard positions of the rear seats. Most, if not 

all, the auto companies are quickly moving to install these belts in 

all models. We applaud that effort. 

CoMMrrrEE oN GovERNMEf,{T Oppnrrroxs 

Pursuant to clause ZOXBXD) of rule XI of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, no oversight findings have been submitted to 

the Committee by the Committee on Government Operations. 

Conrnrrr:rnn Cosr EsrIue.rr 

In compliance with clause ?(a) of Rule XIII of the Rulea of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee notes that the bill would 

establish an authorization level of $25.4 million for the hscal year 

ending September 30, 1988, and $2? million for the fiscal year 

ending September 30, 1989, for the activities of the NTSB. In addition, 

the bill would authorize $1 million for an emergency fund for 

NTSB investigations. 

' U.S. CoNcnpss, 

Coxcnrssroxlr- Buocrr Orrrcn, 

Washington, DC, January 27, 1988. 

Hon. JonN D. Drr'rcnu,. 

Chairman, Committze on Encrgy and, Comrnerce, House of Representatiues, 

Woshington, DC 

Dnln Mn. CnA.rnrr,r,c.N: The Congressional Budget Olfrce has pre 

pared the attached cost estimate for H.R. 11, the Independent 

Safety Board Aet Amendments of 1987. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to 

provide them. 

Sincerely, 

Jlurs L. Bluu. 

Acting Dirccton 

Coucnrssrox.r,r, Buocnr Onnrcn-{osr Esrrurrp 

1. Bill number: H.R. 11. 

2. Bill title: Independent Safety Board Act Amendments of 1987. 

3. BiIl status: As ordered reported by the House Committ€€ on 

Energy and Commerce, December 15, 198?. 

4. Bill purpose: This bill would authorize the appropriation of 

$25.4 million and $2?.0 million for fiscal years 1988 and 1989, re 

spectively, for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). 

In addition it would authorize an emergency fund of $l million to 

be available for necessary expenses of the NTSB, not otherwise pro- 

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vided for, for accident investigations. Ttre bill would authorize the 

appropriation of such sums as may be necessary to establish and. 

replenish the fund annually. 

Other provisions in this bill would (1) provide that tuition collected 

from non-federal employees attending Department of Transportation 

training courses will be credited to the department's appropriation, 

(2) require paJrment from federal agencies and state, local 

and foreigri governments for the reasonable cost of goods and services 

provided by NTSB, with.these payments applied to the board's 

appropriation, (3) eliminate certain Federal Register notice requirements, 

and (4) allow the MISB to obtain information about accidents 

and aviation incidents involving public aircraft other than 

aircraft. of the armed forces. 

5. Estimated cost to the Federal Governnent: 

lrJfllorirrlioo lcirl: 

IITSB authsit lin 

nsdeniinenl ol emqsEt 

25.a 

ol 

27.0 

Total €ltin ted 25.8 

24.0 2t.0 

Lr3r Erbti[8 4ra.iation 

[h aditional eotlE iratiors 1.8 2?.0 

tdim.ld 

I.3 21.1 

lq H F... r hili|6 ol ddhlll i 

i?, 

1988 l9l9 t990 I99l 1992 1993 

The costs of this bill fall within bu&et function 400. 

Basis of estimate: It is assumed thal the full amounk authorized 

would be appropriated. The outlay estimate is based on the historical 

spending rates. 

In frscal year 1983, an appropriation of $1 million was provided 

for the emergency fund authorized by this bill. Since then, ffi5f,000 

has been obligated from the fund. This estimat€ assumes that 

$351,000 would be appropriated for fiscal year 1988 to bring the 

fund balance back to the full authorized amount of $l million. No 

outla;rs are .-eflected from this appropriation because CBO is 

unable to predict when conditions will arise requiring use of these 

funds. 

The Continuing Resolution for fiscal year 1988 appropriated 

$24.0 million for the NISB, while this bill authorizes $25.4 rnillion. 

This estimate reflects the net additional fundine authorized. 

Other provisions of the bill are not expected [o have a sigrrificant 

budgetary impact. 

6. Financing mechanism: This legislation authorizes funding to 

be provided in subsequent appropriation bills. This cost estimat€ 

shows the amount of bufuet authority that would be authorized to 

be appropriated. The estimated outlays, with the exception noted 

above, are those that would be generated if the Congress chooses to 

fully fund the authorized amounts. 

?. Estimated co€t to stst€ and local sovernments: As stated 

above, this bill would require state and locil governments to reimburse 

NTSB for goods and services supplied to them. This is not exp€ct€d 

to result in a signifrcant cost for these governments. 

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8. Estimate comparison: None. 

9. Previous CBO estimate: On March 13. 1987. CBO transmitted a 

cost estimate to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation for S. 623, the Independent Safety Board Act 

Amendments of 198?, On June 9. 198?. CBO transmitted a cost estimat€ 

to the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation 

for H.R. 11, as ordered reported by that committee. These bills 

differ as to the years funded and the amounts authorized, and 

CBO's cost estimates reflect these differences. 

9. Estimate prepared by: Marjorie Miller. 

10. Estimate approved by: C.G. Nuckols, (for James L. Blum, Assistant 

Director for Budget Analysis). 

Ixrr,nrroNanv lup.e.gr Srlrnnrrxt 

Pursuant to clause 2(lX4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of 

R€presentatives, the Committee makes the foliowing statement 

with regard to the inflationary impact of the reported bill: 

The NTSB makes recommendations on how to improve the safety 

of all transportation modes. lilany of these recommendations, if implemented, 

would result in fewer accidents and would thus reduce 

costs from personal injury and property damage. Therefore, by reauthorizing 

the NTSB, this bill should have an anti-inflationary 

rmpact. 

Srcrrox-nySnqrroN ANALysrs AND Drscussron 

Section 1. Short title 

This section provides that the short title of the bill is the "Ind+ 

pendent Safety Board Act Amendments of 1987".- 

Section 2. Authorization of appropriations 

The first subsection, subsection (a), authorizee funding for the 

National Transportation Safety Board for fiscal years 1988 and 

1989. The level of appropriations are lixed as follows: 

$25,400,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1988; 

$2?,000,000 for ihe hscal year ending September 30, 1989. 

Funding of the NTSB at this level should provide for 347 fulltime 

staff positions. 

The second subsection, subsection (b), authorizes an "Emergenry 

Fund" of $1,000.000. Ttre purpose of this fund is to provide the 

NTSB with an account from which funds may be obtained in order 

to pay necessary expetrs€s incurred in accident investigations. According.to 

the Board, it is needed "to cover extraordinary circumstances. 

The ernergency fund was created in fiscal year 1982, and since 

ther has been used only once (to assist in recovery of the Air India 

Boeing 74? that crashed off of the coast of lreland in 1985). The 

fund is intended to ensure that the lftsB has adequate resources 

available to it in years when there is an unusually high number of 

accidents, and general appropriations are not sufficient to cover 

the cost of investigations. The fund is to be replenished annually. 

In its April 7, 1987 letter, the Board discussed the fund as follows: 

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This emergency fund assures that there always will be 

suffrcient funds available to conduct thorough accident investigations 

and to identify and recommend needed safety 

improvements, particularly in years in which there are a 

large number of catastrophic accidents. However, the 

Safety Board will use this fund only when it determines 

that an accident investigation is required in the interest of 

public safety and there are no other funds available to perform 

the work. 

The Committee appreciat€s the Board's aasurances. 

t5 

&ction J. Elimination of certoin notite rcquirements 

This section, in subsection (a), eliminates the requirement that 

the NTSB publish notice in the Federal Register of the availability 

of accident investigation reports. 

Subsection O) eliminates the requirement that the NTSB publish 

notice in the l'ederal Register of the issuance and availability of 

safety recomrnendations, and responses thereto. 

The Board assures the Committee that elimination of these notices 

will not result in an appreciable loss of information to the 

public. Many other, more effeiiive means of information dissemination 

are being employed by the NTSB. On two prior occasions since 

19?4, the NTSB has curtailed the scope of its notice publication, 

and no public comments or objections were received. The NTSB has 

estimated that this will result in savings of approximately $25,000 

per year. In its letter, the Board explained why this provision 

would appear tn be sensible. The Board said: 

Escalating coets and the absence of evidence of any signifrcant 

use or value derived by the public from publication 

of these notices in the Federal Resister twice has 

caused the Board t reduce the scope of s:ucb notices over 

the years. Originally, the notice consisted of short summaries 

of accident report facts and findings and of recommendations 

and recommendation resDonse contents. Several 

years later, the notices were reduced to publishing the 

titles of the accident reDork. the verbatim recommendations 

only and a one sentetrce characterization of the responses 

received. More recently, the recommendation and 

response notice has been reduced to chart form with key 

words used to identify the content of the recommendation 

and responses. 

No public comments or objections have been received following 

each reduction. Further, Board staff receives relatively 

few inquiries or requests for further information 

about accident re1rcrts, recommendations or recommendation 

responses identified as having been prompted by Federal 

Register notices, although the Board receives a total 

of over 16,000 such inquiries each year. In summary, the 

Board believes that publication of this information in the 

Federal Register is one of the least effective techniques it 

uses to inform the public of iis activities and of significant 

transportation safety issues. 

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Among the techniques which the Board believes are successfully 

fulfilling the public notification purpose intended 

by the mandated Federal Register publication requirement 

are the following: 

1. Press releases are issued on all major accident reports 

and related safety recommendations. 

2. Paid subscriptions for receipt of all accident reports 

and safety recommendations are available through the National 

Technical Information Service. 

3. A free subscription to a quarLerly summary of significant 

Safety Board publications is available. 

4. Copies of individual safety recommendations iseued by 

the Boird and recommendaiion responses received are 

available on request from the Board's Public Inquiries Sectlon. 

The Board is now using these techniques ald would continue 

to relv on them instead of publication in the Federal 

Registcr. In addition, we would piace a notice in the Federal 

Reg:ister several times a year describing the availability 

of these methods for keeping informed of the issuance of 

Safety Board publications and how to ue€ them. 

&ction 4. Training schools 

Section 4 of the bill has been the subject of coneiderable discu+ 

sion b€tween the Board and the Committee. That exchange has 

helped to provide a better understsnding of the Board's purpose in 

seeking the provision which, as introduced, the Committee believed 

to be overly broad and in the nature cf a "blank check." 

In essence, the exchanqe showed that the Board was not i.ntending 

to establish multiplJschools throughout the U.S. Instead, the 

Board intended to continue to provide its formal technical training 

program at the Tranoportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma that 

is operated by the Department of Tlansportation. In a June 22, 

198? letter to the Committee, the Board explained the purpose. The 

letter follows: 

NltroNar, Tn c.xsponrlrroN Serrrv Bolno, 

Washington, DC, June 22, 1987. 

Hon. Joxl D. DrNcnr,r. 

Hon. THoMes A. Luxnx, 

Committee on Energy and Commerce, 

House of Represeniitioes, Washington, DC. 

Dnen Cnlrnuen Drrcnr,r, lNo LuxrN: The National Tranaportation 

Saiety Board (MISB) is in receipt of a copy of your June 5, 

198? letter to Secretary Dole resardinq regarding Section 5 of H.R. 11 which 

deals with the Board's accident investieation school. scl 

The Safety Board has conducted a fdrmal technicel training prosram 

gTam in ln accident investisation investigation technioues techniques and methodology for its 

own employees and Ld others since the establishment of the NISB in 

196? (and a similar school was conducted bv the Civil Aeronautics 

Board which performed the aviation acciderit investisation activity 

prior to NTSB's establishmentl. The only period dur'ing which thi 

Bafety Board did not have a formal technical training program was 

from 1982 to 198,1. It was rieceasary to discontinue the program 

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durine this period for lack of funtls following the massive budget 

cut sustained by the Board in FY 1982 during which employment 

fell below 300 aird a major reduction-in-force was required. 

Similarlv, the Board ionducted its school in cooperation with the 

FAA at Olilahoma City in the 1960s and 19?0. In 19?1 it estab- 

Iished its own small tiaining facility in conjunction with a field 

office it maintained at Dulles International Airport, in order to 

better integrate on-thejob investigative training with its classroom 

training aid to clearly separate NTSB's non-iegulatory qpproach 

to investigative training fiom the DOI's enforcement and regulatory 

train-ing perspectiie. Upon reestablishing its school in 1984, 

while maintiiriingits sepa.aG curriculum, the Board decided to re 

locat€ the schoolln Oklahoma City in order to take advantage of 

the already existing excellent training facilities and support services 

of the -DOT's Tiansportation Safety Institute (TSI). 

It should also be pointed out that the Safety Board's "sc!ool" has 

never consisted of more than one full-time training specialist (with 

Dart-time administrative supDort). kcturers are drawn fmm the 

iloard's own technical speciiiist staff and from industry technical 

oersonnel - on an as-needed basis. 

Althoush this prosram is signifrcantly more advanced than the 

courses o-ffered bi the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pro 

gram, cost savingl sre realized by both agencies through sharing 

instructorr and educational facilities. TSI'g safety programs in 

other transportation modea offer further opportunities for shared 

reaourcea. 

Beyond the basic vocabulary of aircraft accident investigation, 

thed iB little commonality in ihe content of the NISB aviation accident 

investigation couree and the FAA courge in accident investigation. 

As in a comparison of the rolee played by each.pare-nt 

6gency, the program lhares a common puipose in enhancing the 

safety of the fiylng public, but achieves thal purpose through dif' 

ferent and codple-m-entarv means. The fundamental basis of the 

FAA course iB rkuhtory;- the students are taught to Iind answer€ 

to the queetions oT adeqriacy in the creation, enforcement and comoliance-with 

Federal Aviation Regulations. The fundamental basis 

itf the NTSB progxam is to deter;ine all causal and contributory 

factors in an icciident, and to make recommendations to regulatory 

authorities, manufacturers and op€rators to rectify problems discovered. 

T?re I'I'ISB has prirnacy in the investigation of an aircraft 

accident and may draw upon tlhe resources of- any or all-of these 

entities. In the sime manrier, the NISB school begins with the aseistance 

of the FAA and goes on to teach leaderthip and manage 

ment of the inveetigation, requiring a broader and deeper under' 

standing of the are-as of lxp*irtise,-capabilitiee and limitations of 

each Dartv to the NISB invegtieation. 

Th6 cor.irses taught by the NTSS at TSI go beyond aviation acc! 

dents to include virtually all modes of transportation. Current 

courses include highway and rail accident investigation, cros+ 

modal trainine in human p€rformance snd cross-modal training in 

hres and expl6sions. With the latitude permittcd in H.R ll-and S. 

623, additio;al cost savings and enhanc-ed training will result from 

sharing TSI's capabilities in hazardous materials, -piE:fine safety, 

urban "mass traniit and security. For example' the NTSB could not 

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justify maintenance of a bomb range to demonstrate the effects of 

various types of hazardous materials on aircraft, truck or marine 

structures; TSI has access to two explosive ranges. Dedicated displays 

of wreckage sit€s that provide valuable hands-on training experience 

have been made possible at TSI through the combined efforts 

of several agencies. Within the year, these wreckage layouts 

will be housed in a large metal building, providing even great€r 

training opportunities. This is made possible by effectively pooling 

the training nesources of federal agencies. 

Tasking other agencies with the requirement to train NTSB personnel 

would overburden their training programs, requiring them 

to hire additional personnel and acquire expertise in fields outside 

their responsibilities. No single program at TSI could fulfill our 

needs, and the management of a piecemeal training program would 

be inefficient. By establishing a viable NTSB program at TSI, both 

agencies benefit, at no additional co6t to the student and minimal 

co6t to the government. 

If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact 

ua. 

Respectfully yours, 

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Jnr Bunnrtr, Cheirman 

The Board operates under a reimbursable agreement with the 

Federal Aviation Administration. However, in an October 22, 1986 

memorandum an FAA lawyer raised some questions about this 

agreement. He said: 

Crediting of NTSB Appropri.ation-The second area of 

concern is the language in paragraph V.b. which authorizes 

the FAA to credit to the NTSB operations appropriation 

thoee tuitions collected by TSI for training conducted 

by NTE|B. Ttre crediting of tuitions is apparently conditioned 

on the exist€nce of specific Iegislative authority permitting 

NTSB to credit its appropriation in this manner. 

Based on the information that I have received from your 

office, it appears that such enabling legislation hag not 

been signed into law. In the abeence of the specific legislative 

authority, it appears that the frnal Agreerrent should 

not contain the language of paragraph V.b. The FAA 

should not agree to crediting NTSB's appropriation in the 

absence of epecifrc legal authority to do so. I should point 

out that the FAA credits its appropriation under the authority 

of Section 313(d) of the Federal Aviation Act of 

1958 (49 U.S.C. Section 1354(d)), which explicitly permita 

such crediting. Crediting NTSB's appropriation is not le 

gally supportable without similar legislative authority. 

The Committee amendment clarifies section 4 of ILR. 11 and provides 

the authority needed by the Board to address this problem. It 

authorizes the Board to continue to use the DOI's. training school 

in Oklahoma on a reimbursable basis. It directs the Secretary of 

DOT to make the school available to the Board and to other safety 

entities that are governmental or nongovernmental. However, such 

use by non-Federal personnel must be covered by a fee suffrcient to 

cover applicable costs. The fee would go directly to the DOT and it 

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shall be treated as an offset against the annual training ag"reement 

entered into b€tween the Board and the DOT. The fee will be reviewed 

and adjusted periodically. Use of the fee is subject to 

annual appropriation requirements. 

The Committee believes this revised section will meet the needs 

of the Board fully, while eliminating features that we considered 

objectionable. The Committee emphasizes, however, that we expect 

the Board and the DOT to provide training in all safety fielde, not 

JUr|t avratron. 

Allowing the Board to directly recover part of the costs of conducting 

classes will enable the Board to hold classes more frequently, 

to better serve its own needs, since the costs of operating the 

program will be divided among a larger, paying student base. The 

Chairman of the NTSB testified that the tuition fees would total 

approximately $75,000 annually, which would be about onethird of 

the direct costs necesaarv to run the school. 

&ction 5. Payment for ioods and seruices 

The Board is authorized to recover the reasonable coetg of eoods 

and services furnished to State, locol, and foreign govennients, 

with such recovery to be credited to the Board's appropriation. 

On many prior occasions, the Board has provided its accident investigation 

expertrse to other governments, both in the United 

States, and abioad. The moet co;mon example of this is the wid+ 

epread use of the NtSB's laboratory to examine data from cockpit 

voice recorders, and flight data recorders. In commenting on this 

provision, the Board eaid: 

The Board always has been willing to furnish those services 

without charge to the foreign government, but we do 

incur cost6 in providing such aasistance. Since the net 

effect of providine thes€ servic€s is a diminution of the 

Board's regources.- the Board believes that it should have 

the authority to recoup these co€ts at least in those cases 

where the organizations offer to pay for these senrices. 

Each yearlhe Board voluntarili investigates a number 

of accidents involving aircraft that are owned or used exclusively 

by federal, stat€ or local governments (public uee 

aircrafti. IJnlike accidents concern-ing civil aircr-aft which 

the Board must investigate, the Board is not required to 

investigate accidents involving public use aircraft. However, 

upon request the Board will assist if at all possible. The . 

benefits of our participation are high quality investigations 

by an objective organization with unique ekills for identifying 

problems and recommending corrective action. 

Further, in many inetancea the public use aircraft involved 

in tirese accidents have ciyilian counterparts which 

may be susceptible to the same failures. Thus, an emerging 

safety problem for civil sector aircraft may be more 

readily identified through the Board's participation in 

such investigations. 

In view of continued tightening of the Board's resources, 

we may have to abandon these types of activities. The authority 

to provide such serviees at a reasonable cost and 

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the ability to apply the funils received to current apprc 

priations would enable the Board, minimally, to continue 

to offer these valuable services. 

This section provides the NTSB with the abilitv to recover the 

exp€nses which it incurs in conducting accident iirvestigations on 

behalf of these entities. 

The Committee exp€cts the Board to keep the Committees, including 

the Committee on Appropriations, aware of the extent of 

such revenues and their uses each year. 

Section 6. Reporting of accidents and, irrci.dents inuoluing certain 

public aircraft 

This section allows the Board to establish requirements for the 

reporting of accidents and incidents involving pubiic aircraft, excluding 

aircraft of the armed forces. Since many types of aircraft 

are owned and operated in both the public and private sector, valuable 

information regarding public aircraft safety may be acquired 

from establishing performance histories for public aircraft. 

CHANGBs rN Exrsnxc Llw Mlnr sv rHn Brr,r- ls Rnponrno 

In compliance with claus€ 3 of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as followB (existing law proposed to be omit 

ted is enclo€ed in black brackets, ne\r. matter is printed in italic, 

existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman): 

IrnepnxluNr SAFETy BoAnD Acr oF 1974 

GENERAL PROVIAIONg 

Src. 804. (a) Durrne or Bolno.-The Board ehall- 

(2) report in writing on the facts, conditione, and circumstances 

of each accident investigated pursuant to paragraph (1) 

of this subsection and csus€ suCh reports to be made available 

to the public at reasonable cost fan-d to cause notice of the is 

euance and availability of such reports to be published in the 

Federal Registerl; 

f(6) establish by regulation requirements binding on persons 

reporting accidents aud aviation incidents subject to the 

Board's investigatory jurisdiction under this subsection;I 

(0 establish bv rceulation reouircments bind.inz on Deraons rcprting 

(A) "cit*i* and aiiation incidcnts -subjict to the 

Bmrd.'s inuestigalory jurbd.ittion under this subection; and (B) 

accidents and aviation incidents inuoluing public aircmft other 

than aircmft of the Armed, Forces; 

(b) Powens or Bolnns.{l) * * ' 

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(6) The Board is authorized to (A) use, on a reimburtable basis or 

otherwise, when appropriate, available services, equipment, personnel, 

and facilities of the Department of Transportation and of other 

civilian or military agencies and instrumentalities of the Federal 

Government; (B) confer with employees and use available services, 

records, and facilities of State, municipal, or local governments and 

agencies; (C) employ experts and consultants in accordance with 

section 3109 of title 5, United States Code; (D) appoint one or more 

advisory committtes composd of qualified private citizens or offrcials 

of Federal, State or local governments as it deems ne@saary 

or appropriate, in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act (5 U.S.C. App, I); (E) accept voluntary and uncompensated services 

notwithstanding any other provision of law; (F) accept gifts or 

donations of money or property (real, personal, mixed, tangible, or 

intangible; [andJ (G) enter into contracts with public or private 

nonprofrt entities for the conduct of studies related to any of its 

functionsf .!,' and (H) require payment or other appropriate corcidemtion 

from Federal agencies, and State, local, and forcign gouernmznts 

for the reasonable cost of goods and seruices supplicd by the 

Boord and to apply the funds received to tlv Board's appropriataons. 

(10) The Board may at any time utilize on a reimbursablz bosis 

the seruices of the Tlansportation Safet, Inatitute of the Department 

of Trarxportation kstablbhed for the purpose of deueloping cources 

and conducting training in safety and. security for all mod.es of 

transprtationl or an! su.ccessor organization, The Secretary shall 

continue to mahe auailable such Itutitutc or succe.ssor organization 

(A) to the Brnrd for safet, t aininq of employees of the Boord in the 

prformance of all of their authorized functiora and (B) to such 

other safety personnel of Fedcral, Interstste, State, Iocal, and foreign 

governnunts and non-gotnrnmental orgonizations as the B

22 

NEEPONSE TO BOAND RE@MMN{ITATTONII 

Spc. 30?. (a) Whenever the Board submits a recommendation re' 

sardins transportation safetv to the Secretary, he shall respond to 

6ach sich recbmmendation iormally and in *riting not later than 

90 days after receipt thereoi The response to the Bbard by the Secretarv 

- shall include this intention to- 

(1) initiate and conduct procedures for adopting such recommendation 

in full, pursua:rt to a proposed timetable, a copy of 

which shall be included; 

(2) initiate and conduct procedures for adopting such recommendation 

in part, pursuant to a proposed timetable, q co-py 9f 

whish shall be- inchjded. Such response shall set forth in detail 

the reasons for the refusal to proceed as to the remainder of 

such recommendation; or 

(3) refuse to intiate or conduct procedures for adopting such 

recommendation. Such response ihall set forth in detail the 

reasons for such refusal. 

fThe Board shall cause notice of the issuance of each such recomfrendation 

and of each receipt of a response thereto to be published 

in the Federal Register, and shall make copies thereof available tp 

the public at reasonable cost.I 

The' Board shall make copies-of each such recommendation and re' 

sponse thereto auailable to the public at reasonoble cost. 

UTHORIZATION OF APPROPNIATIONS 

Snc. 309. 1o) There are authorized to be appropriated for the purposes 

of this Act not to exceed $12,000,000 for the fiscal year 

inding June 30, 19?5; and $12,000,000 for the fiscal year ending 

June "30, 19?6, such sums to remain available until expended' 

There are authorized to be appropriated for the purpos-e of this Act 

not to exceed $3,800,000 for the transition quarter endrng lieptember 

30, 19?6, $15,200,000 for the fiscal yeai ending September 30, 

19??, and $16,400,000.for the frscal year -ending September 30' 1978, 

such sums to remain available uniil expended. There are authorized 

to he appropriated for the purposes of this Act not t-o-exceed 

$16,420,000 fi,r ihe fiscal year-e.tding September 30, 19?,9, and 

$1?;650;000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1980, such 

sums to remain available intil expeniied. There are authorized to 

be applopriated for the purposes of this Act not to exceed 

$18,540,00b for the fiscai year ending September 30' 1981' 

$19,925,000 for the fiscal yeir ending September 30, 1982, and 

$22;100;000 for the fiscal lear ending Seftember 30. 1-983, such 

sums to remain available rintil expended. There are authorized to 

be appropriated for the purposes of this Act not t-o- exceed 

$22,600,00b for the fiscaf y-ear ending September 30, 1984' 

$24;500,000 for the fiscal year ending Slptember 30, 19-85, and 

$26;100;000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1986. such 

sums to remain available until expended. There are a,uthot'tzed to 

be approprioted for the purposis af th$ Act not to- exceed, 

$J5,1bb,000 for the l'iscal'year ending September J0 1983 and 

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$27,000,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1989, such sums 

to remain auailable until ernended.. 

- lbt An emergency fund of'$1,000,000 is uuthorized for expenditure 

b1 the Board to be auqilable for net essary "rperues, not'olherwise 

prouided, for, of the Board for accident iiuestisatiorx. There rc authorized, 

to be appropriated such sums as may be nercssary to establish 

the emergency fund under the preceding sentence and tct replenish 

the funds annualllt. Such sums are authorized to remain auailable 

until expended. 

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186 

b.lt., .rd th. !ctlo.. b.ing t.k.. by th. .uto!.k.!. .nd NBISA 

!or.rd co.t.ctlon, lf n..d.d. 

Fln.lly, r ,ust .rpresE disday .bout the lrct of any rlal 

ti.et,br. f;r.ctron r.a.(din9 the propo6!I of. ruI€ conc.r.lng 

re.r 6e.t bctt6- a 9r€!t dG.1 6f tiDe h.E P.ca.d sinc€ Lht3 ia.u. 

uas IrrsL !.i66d.nd lovelent.t NHTsA.ppe.rE, aL l.ast, Lo b. 1n 

"turLl.-lrke" 

l..hion. I requesL d Labl. in chronoloqjcal o.d€r or 

aIL actions re9.rdtn9 Lhrs issv. srnce r.nu.ry l9a7.nd a date 

cerL.ln for r ricclsron by NHTSA on vhether. .ul. viII be ProPosGd 

.nd 1f propo..d, a date vh.o thlt f,llt oc.ur. I.rnnot t!!gin. 

th.t tt vtl1 tat€ nuch 60r€ tlD. to .n.lyz. th. 

"coe.nta 

r al.o not. you! co.!.nt that'21 Dl 27 laDufacturers elll 

provtd. thos. .ys!... in virtullly.lI ot th.lr v.hlcl€3 by rod.l 

t€.! 1990,' P1.r!e td.ntify the th.ee fi(oB that vill not 16et 

ihat date.nd.xpl.in rhen they 'ilI do 6o. P1..3. also id.ntlay 

th. flrrs of lh. oth.( 24 rhat urll not Provld. tho.. ayal.tE in 

all nodel6 by thrl drLE rnd indrcat. vh.n lh.y vrll provld. then 

for all nodeI6, Ftn!Ily, pl..3..rPIrin th..rt.nL to whrcn Lh.r. 

sy6t.rs for alI 2? vlll be unlforr fron fir! to firn and indicit. 

rh.t, if nny, vllue o(.dv.ntag.. .ute tould h.!. ov.r tnls 

volunt6ry .ftorc. to ry l.oel.d9., th. dot..tlc firms, at 1..6t, 

have not.rpressed oppolition to. .Dle, .ltholgh they tay be 

conc€rn€d.bout Ie.d t1... I do nol ravor rules for the sar. of 

.u1e6, p.rticularly if volunt.ty conpliance reallY torks, but t.! 

oot, in thi6 c.se, convinced th!t a voluntary Pro9.a6, althoush 

Iaudable, viII b. satis!actory- rf you think it vill surfice, you 

ne€d to expl.ln in great detail hor.nd thy it vill suafi.e. r .! 

Eoclo.u!.. 

r requ.Et 6 r.!Iy ri 

cha i rnan 

SubconDi ttee on 

Ovttrl9ht and rnvestig.lior3 

cc: Th. nonollbl. rhorr. J. B!11.y, tllllng rlnority rl.d.r 

slbcoultt.. on ov.r.ight .nd rnv..tlg.tion6 

Th. ono(abI. Tholas A. LDten, Chair!.n 

Subconfri tt.e on Transport.tion, lou.isi? 

.nd saz.rdous lrite rial s 

The sono.able Bob whittaker, R.nling ltinority reib.( 

subcotrni ttee on Transportrtion, Tou.istr, 

aod Hazardous nrt€ rial s 

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It rddltton, the ttudy fo0id that corilctly rorn l.p/shoolder t€'t b'lt! 

- 

oto"ioe-ooii iriticiron ii bDth. prlgn.nt roril rnd her unborn cnlld 'nd should 

il;;;i";il 5iii-,i"'"t i pornt rip-inlv belt. Th. l.p/thoulder b€lt dlffuses 

i""il forcii over r trrser arpa of the mther's bodv.nd.inimires the possibilitJ 

of nrternal or feiai inJurY. 

A caaeful ex. in.tion of the c.se veilcle ta3 carried out in €rch crrlh 

l*"iti""ii"".-J"c-""1rnq lts 'vrt.l strtlttlcs' .nd colle.tlng lnfor tlon rbout 

the r.3i.ilnt svstelt.v.ii.ble to e.ch occuDant. lh..Yants of th' r'cld€nl Y€r€ 

cerefullv recon;tru.ted .nd the necess.ry reasu.e.ents tada to €sttaata the 

collision :everity. The aqe, rergnt. helght, rnd saattng locatlon or arcn 

occlpant ,as detpitnin.d. Th. cr.sh inY€s!lgation.lso det€nnlnad rllathar tne 

avallable 5elt b.lt rar used, rhether i! vrs used correctlv. tn€ proD.Di€ sourcc 

of each injury, ind the s.v.rity for €ach injury sust.jned. 

The investlortions reve.led ctses of lr9/shoulder b€lt nlsuse rhlch

. 

189 

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Ita Safaty 8o$\d arld lt t!9!aita tha pr,3.g. of stata n.nd.tort l4/ttoulder 

b.lt us. l.rs. Thlrty-ona 3tatas.nd th€ olttrlct of Colu*j. h.v€ €ntct€d toie 

tlp. of..nd.tor, c.ri b.lt lrc l.|. Llv€3 h.va bren i.Y.d r,. direct result of 

tii: leglrlrtton, ilnce os. rrt.s h.va r€port.dly tncr.a3ad subst.ntjrlly ln 

ravaral rtrtes Ylth 1av3, 

A! | result of this Saflty Study, the NTSB nide four r.cocndrtlons to tlHlSA: 

--rrvlre puhltcatlons to Glinin.te su99a5t1lns to drjYars .nd 9a.€ntstrrn3po.tlig;hlldrrn 

th.t th€, nlsrout. r chlld'3 l.p/should€r b€lt or rllor 

chlldnn to rhrm I s..t belt: 

--r.qulr. th.t rjndorihrd€-equiPp.d l.r/.hould.r b€lts b! telt.d rltl tha . 

.rrl.a5t iFunt of sl.ck thrt crn be lntroducGd, or h.v€ lh€3. b.lt3.q||lpFd xlth 

I Dr.-tlnsionlr.i p.rt of the b€lt syst€n, to €nsur€ thrt sl.ck Prastnt in the 

.hoold.r portion of tha b.lt rlll bc t.t€n up durlng the cr.!n; 

--ltrtt the.ngl. of lncllnrtlon.llor.ble 1n r.cllnlng r..ts in p.ssenger 

v.hicl.s to no gr.ater thin the r.xirrt 9l! thrt c.n t.falJ .nd-.ff.ctivelv be 

usrd, rhile th. v€hicle i! rn ilotion, Ytth I lrplshoulder s.rt D€lti 

--.xplore the potslbllity of requlrlng .n rdJust.bl€ up9€r rnchorag€ polnt for 

th. rhould.r portlon of lrp,/shoulder belts in nerl' ..nufrcturad .uto.lobi1e5. 

Tha Srf.tJ 8o.rd's conpl.t. prlnted rpport rlll bc rvrllrbl. in .pprorlmtely 

on. mnth. CoDiei of thl3 reDort, nhich should b. id.ntlfl.d .s P8_88_917002, nay 

bc purci.s.d by nail fron th. llrtion.l Technic.l lnformation servlc€, 5285 Port 

Royrl Rord, Springfi.ld, Yirginl. Z2l6l- 

Pr..r Cont.ct: Al.n Pol lock 

(202) 382-6606 

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Honor.ble John 0. Dlna.ll 

Ch.lmen, Subco-ttta; o|| Oral!lgit 

.nd Investlg.ttons 

Comitt€e on Enargy Ind Coanrca 

lioure of n6pre3entrtlvas 

Yashi.gton, 0.C. 20515 

oerr llr Ch.1nr.n: 

r90 

llrtlonal Trrntgoiiltlon S.taiy Eoard 

w-nhrbn, o.C, 2i,iaa 

Atltl 12, 1988 

APR ll.t$ff 1: 

Thrnk you for your letter of Deceib€r 21, 1987, trinsmit m a cooy of 

tha G€n.r.l Accountrng 0fflc€ {cAo) report, 'A R€vter of th€ ilTs-g Repori on 

Re.r Se.t L.p Belt Iff.ctivenesr,' .nd inviting the 8o.rd,s co-€nt. 

In oor vier, the GAo r.s corr€ct in its finding thrt th. cont.overly 

pr.ovol.d by tl|. Eorrd'r lep belt report !ro3e fror ou; conclustors .bout tb€ 

vrlldltJ of estl||t€r on r€ar sert lap belts, trora o.rttcqlarly our findlna 

th.t non. of th. rv.1l.ble d.t.b.ses (includjng our om) 1s .deq_urte for thja 

turDose, 

Ironlcrlly, thl3 irhola controvarilrl lattar .rose becausa, dltrryad by 

rrt re rene learning about th€ sEriou5 tlrzfda of l.D belts. |r rcr€ aiqar to 

!e.bla to lnclude In tie report re.ssur.n... Urrt, oier.ll. trp bett5 9;ovtde 

porltlva ban flt3. Thu!, Borrd st.ff sp.nt.3u!,trn .l portion of jts tj||a 

ad .ffort .r.rl n I n9 3trdles on se.t beit €ff€cHv.ness. rivlerrno the n.ture 

of the v.rlous datrbrset uted ir these studt.s. rnd con!tderino tie rtrenqths 

and l|eaknesses of ther for tia purposa of es aatina aear _seat lat 5!lt 

.ffectiveness. te rer! r.ll .r.re !h.t 'no drt.b.se ii oerfEct.' rs the cAo 

report notes, and th.t the'Dos!ible in.ccur.cie5 or limit..tjons in the d.t.. 

nust 'be evaluated to deter loe hor likely it ts that the/ would significantlJ 

rffect' concluslons rbout rerr s€.t l.p balt €ff€ctrvenesl. lt ris-ind€ed oui 

evalu.tion of this thrt led us lo conclude, reqr€tfJ ly, !h.! rhe d.t.bare!, 

9ossible inaacurrcies or ll|rltations rere sufficienttJ 9re.t to render tha! 

In.pproprl.ti for the purpo!e of shoring rhat rear sert tap belts .r., 

overall, eff.ctlv. (or lneffecti!€). 0ur detailed re.sons for rerching th.t 

concluslon -- a conilusion the 8o.;d conttouas to hold -- have b€€n set iorth, 

.s you knd, ln th. lap belt report lt5€lf, the Sorrd's r.soonse to B.J. 

C.rpbell'i p.p.r,.nd th! sev€r.l pl.c.r of corre3pond.nce botre€n yorrself 

.nd the 8orrd. 

le .re pl€.sed th.t the GAo reDort hes dir|'r further .tt.ntion to ti. 

frct thrt there .re very rerl shortaorings in the maJor .ccjd€nt d.ttb.s€s, 

and it ls good th.t the li.tlon.l Highr.y Tr.ffic S.f€ty Adolnistr.tio. (I{HTSA) 

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Honorable John 0. Di no.l I 

Page 2 

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is trJlng to i$rove thc accuracy of .ccjd€nt d.t. r.port{ng. li.ny 

ras.irclrer! hrv€ r.rned that th. acc[racy of belt use reporting is lilaly to 

b. rorsening.s .n unfortunate side eff.ct of nandatory belt use 1rri. (Ken 

Ca6pbell't stateipnts rn th€ G.Ao .eport, pages ll aZ refer to this phenomnon, 

le are also ple.sed, .s you.r€, rith the gr.tlfying rcsponse of the 

industry itself to our re(omandatlons. For exaipl€, ford llotor Conprny staff 

recently brlefed 8o.rd staff on th€ st.tus of pl.o! for Drovidinq re.r s€at 

l.p/shoulder b€lts (both rer and retrofits), Ner grcFtion.l materi.ls frofi 

6eneral llotors give proninent cover.g€ to the ner .v.ll.biljt] of th€se 

systems in th.t conp.ny's vehicles. Chrysler recently ftiled to its o €rs of 

r€cord a descrlption of its rear se.t should€r belt retroflt progran 

'ilghly 

and 

recc'drended'!h.t its o*ners have ther inst.lled. f€ a;e still 

hopeful thrt tb€ IIHTSA ultin.t€ly rill move forr.ri to provjde a unjfoar 

standari for reir seat laolshould€r belt lnstallrtions. 

Cert.1nly, yorr strong support for the p.ss.ge of st.te s..t b.lt use 

l.rs h.s pl.y€d an inoort.ht rol€ In the success thus frr of th.t.ffort. 

Ind€ed, one of tie raasons the Soard i3iued its lap belt report earlt on ras 

to encour.ge r pronpt tr.nsitjon fro. lrp b€lts to l.p/shoulder b€lts, slnc. 

people .re lncre.singly buckling up. Perh.ps orr deepest frurtr.tton h.s be.n 

th.t mch of tne highr.y safety 'coinrnity,' 

tncludtng th. titiISA, f.lted to 

derl ilti the nain th.ust of th€ report -- tha need ta Fv. to laDlshoulder 

belts -.- .nd focur€d.l ost entirely on its dlsagreeiret|t 

rith our drt.b.s! 

lh. 8!.rd contjnues to endors€ thc i portrnce of nend.tory belt us! t.r3, 

and loots fofirrd to ev.n greatea loss reductlons as nor! vehlcles ara 

equlPpad rith the superlor lrplshoulder belt th.oiighoot. 

le rppteci.te the contln!ing int.rest you h.v€ shol{n ii ttese rmportant 

stf€ty irsu€s, and look fo rrd to rorling closel) drth )ou and others ro 

llDrove transportation s.fety in rany arces. 

Respectful 

rM 

ly yours, 

cc: Gen€rrl lccouotlng offlc! 

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s.c..t.ry of th. Ior.rror 

loth.nd c str..r., N. r{. 

r..rhtdglon, D. c. 20240 

D..( nt. s.c r.l..y: 

l92 

tt.s. f,nrr of Rqnffiilno 

Eraffi.€i.n$drrrlffa 

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Iufrm,DCl'tt 

aprll 29, 1980 

t .r rrth.< .Etolnd.d b' your r.ply of Aprtl 6, 198! to ry 

1.tt.r of r.bru.ry 12, r988 aon.!rn,ni irr. 'nirrar t.nd publlc- 

..l.ty b!..dt propor.l to ..quire p..sons drrvrnq eithin th. 

N.llon.l P..t sy.r.! to u!. ..!r b.Irs, I r..IIi r.il ro... hor 

thc D.p.rrr..t crn d.a.nd thr N.tio..I p.rr servic.,. .lao.t. vhlch 

.i!l.d th. publlc to b.II.vrn9 th.t.Irrin.rron of thl...f.ty 

p(ov16ron s6s b...d on ov..vh.l!rn9'public":o .nLs. c!.r.ly, it 

I lully.qr.. th.t ir l5'.nr1..ty rpproprr.t. ao!.9...y 

Pollcyi.k... to roliclt.nd con.id.. th. iie,s" o! Ir...p]oy.... 

I Prr.ur. that er. dor. b.for. th. NpS proposed rh..ntlr. 

r.gut.tio!, .or during t6;.E61ic proccls. rnaecd, r rcquest 

lPur.u.nt to Rul.. x !n

II;.":""ot' 

Donrrd "6iLl 

rtlh b.rt Y1.h... 

r98 

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ufiu$r#+*{g*nx 

lllt'S'*."."*'!-*,#i{l*ll"i'.*''i*":i:ttr,i:t: 

t r,qu"t ' ('Pl)' to !h' 'bov' i'tt'tt 'lthin !0 drl'' 

sub'otrl!t" 

on 

ov'!'t9-h; rtrd rnv"tI9rtloD' 

"i,'";*r,,t*Bii?.i+?'lti"i"li!til3.l:l:"" "'-' 

th. rono..br.'h:r::-l:.lll'ill."lilliil 

iiii.ii.t.tt'o, rou'i"' 

"*fi:::?:.i: ;i:i:; 

:$":::j.l'.".'.'.i'1,::ili?tlii'li"iil?'lllorttv'i'rD" 

:$.:Sili::'.:'l'.::i,i?lit!;"inilllit'"c on rpDro'i'*onr

194 

th. tonor.bl. Don.ld t. ro

It 

?Sio dilg|rE 

ti'filc a.lrt 

Adr*tlrllEl 

The llonorable Uillie Letnan 

Cht{nnan, Sukodnittee on the 

oepartmnt of Ti.nsPortati on 

.nd Rel ated ^ge|Etet 

Comittee on Appropri.tions 

House of Repr€sentatl Yes 

I.shi mton, D.C. 20515-09t 7 

oear l1r. Chai rran: 

, 

r96 

APR 

13 |sB 

The Confererre Regort to accd+lrv H.J. nrt. 395 (H.R. neP. -lq:!98) 

directs the Nrtional Hiqlury Tr.fflc Srfety Adrln{strltlon {lllll5a, to 

conduct a cdrDrehen3ive evrlualion of tha effectiYeness of stlt' otol -- 

;ehicle intDeition Droqr.ms ln (l ) rtducing higlllJ.J accldett3 that ne ll 

ln iniurles and deaths, and l2) limiting the nunber of dafectlve 0r unslre 

iotor-yeh{cle9 on the hign/rys. tn .ddltion' th€ House Report rcqrested 

thrt !€ 9.?pafe a itudy plan describing study Ethodology lnd ip€cllylng 

a detailed studJ tinet.5le. [nclosed is a copy of'he stuqy pl'n on--!ne 

affectlven€ss of Strte periodic nrotor vehicle inspection pFogr'|||s lPnrr'' 

lt|. eyaluation t|i]l b€ conducted by. tark force of senlor level llHTSl 

i;;tist. "na engineers, all of vhoi h.ve extenslve fdmi]l"lty flth tir' 

blclgiound issues surrounding P'|WI. 

To assur€ the Sroadest inpu!, rr rill publish a Federal Elgl$SI notlce lo 

30licit lnfonnation fron State, local, public ind priYate agencles' 

affectea irdustries and consuqer organiratlon!, the auto obile lngurlnce 

lndustry. and erpertS in the fields of hlghvay 5afetv ''ese'.rch' Yenlcle 

rrfetv Derfonnance, lnspeclion equipmnt and tecnnlques' Pmrr 

;drinisiration,.nd enfortemnt. The notice,.ill also provl0e for puDrrc 

harr'lngs for the solicit.tlon of infodnati0n. 

For addltlonal input, the tlik forte rill conduct a serie3 of iite Yl9lt3 

tg revler on-goinb progr.ns, .nd xill pr€Prre the fin'l r€port' 0ut3ide 

ilopo"t *ttt 6e pfovraia bv . consult.nt ior d.t' analysls, 'i requirtd' 

^ffi 

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th. Eport is schedul.d for cql.tlon by Blrch 1989. I b.lJ.Y. orrt 

rtudy progr.m is both r€aio||.bla ad prrctlcal, rnd that lt 3hould 

grt.tly lTrov. o|rr knorledlE ln thls flcld. 

lc htyc alto proyldad Chal an Stennli r copy of our study Plan. 

E|r I gttrta 

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U, S. Olprrtint of Tr.nigort tlon 

latlonll Hg ry lr.fflc Satrty ,ll'l trl str.tl on 

Tltlc: A Plrn for ttr Studv of ttl ElfcctttetE!3 of Strt. lotor V.ltlclt 

ln3pectlon Prograts 

SUl|{aRY: In r.3ponse to dirlction provl dld by Cong|".!! ln tlt Cor|fa|.a|ra 

I-.Dort to rccdp.ny n,J. R.3' 395 itl.R. R.p 100-498, ttt lrtlon.l Hlglrly 

triffic S.fety Adlinlttrrtion ()lflTSA) Yill .or|d|et rn cv.lu.tlon of tlE 

atf.ctl venei5 of Stat! notor veHcle iafaty lnlp€ctlon progrrls ln: 

lred|ri ng hi ghray craslts tlrt rriult I n l nt url aS ald 

daaths, and 

lifiitin9 tlr nunbar of ungafe.otor vrhlclet on tlt 

ti g lrry s. 

ItE ev.luation rlll b€ condtrcted by a ilHTS t.!k force. Tltii t.3l forcc 

riII rtyier.lI rElev.nt 'llterrture, study arliting Pci1odlc ltotor 

Y.nicle lnspection (PilVl) Progr|'i, analyre IXTSA'5 crrih datl bttet for 

avi dence of.ff.c!lveness of tllie progttis,.nd saal publlc 

D.rticioltion thrcuqh DUblic ltarlnqs.nd. F.deral Regl3tar llotlca. 

ittTsa *ill .rt€cirliy incourrgc p.rtict p.ti oFE-3i.iE-dfToc.l rotor 

v!hicl€.9enciar, other public at$ pri v.t. o|.gttrl zatloni, !ftacted 

induitrier tnd consuner organization3, tlE autonobi le In3urunc€ ! ndultry' 

and expe.ts io iuch fields.5 high.ay 3aflty niearch, valdcla iaf.ty 

Darfonnanae, i nrD.ctlon equip*nt and tachqlas, tqyl Drlgrr 

iitil nJ 3trati on, ail tiions 1ns9actlo||i, atld anfoftenent. TIE trtt forca 

rlll alio coid(t a 3aries of rlte vltlt3 to surYey on_going PIIYI 

9lo9rr S. 

Tha evalultlofl *lll b€ cmplated and ttE rcport tregared by l'Lrc h 1989. 

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U(leto 0: C|tr"€ttly, trftV orlcntGd twt groorr| |r. coid|Gt d It tl 

S6f.;ina th! Dlttrlct ot Colur6l.. Th.s. progr..! rff.ct $qn 68 rll!lon, 

o. roughly 381, of al'l r€9l3tar.d vehlcla3 ln dll! counttt ar ot DccarSar 31, 

1985. 0f tba non-ln3prctloo St ta3, s6r (b Drovlda tor 

'3Dot' 

lnaDactlon, 

or othar rrrlatlons ot lnspectlon afflatlng caitaln c'lr!3!i of vlhlcla3, ruch 

aa lchool b{tat. 

Thlre arc rlgnlflcrnt dlff.rencas aabnE tha Strtlt that do havr t|l|VI. lh6a 

dlfff.ncas lnclude $lch vehlcla cdDonants ar! lnrDcct d. tha lnttectlon 

procrdurri tltrt rrc arip'l oyed, tha supa|'yfrlon of t5a procatt, and thc 

anfoFc?tEnt rctivltlas, So|E Strtas hrve boti tlfat)' IflVt progr|li |'ld 

a?l!3lon ir3p€ctlon progrrFs. 0thar Stata3 hlva Jort ona of ttrc progrt. 

In those Stltes rlth PWI, rtl cl.s5e! of v.hlcl.r reqlst.r.d ln tJ|. Strt! 

are 3ubJect to lnspectlon. Hoyever. undar tha llotor Carrl.r gfaty lct of 

1984, FltfA ir'ln th! process of deve]otlng ! rula for D.rlodlc Ftor yrhlclc 

lnrFtctlon for coirercial rctor vel.iclai. 8.G!uj. thts rtll cianlr tt! 

ttatu3 of truck lnspactions, |re ylll focli only on thosa vthlclar rltli a eYyP 

of l.5r thln'10,000 I bs, 

Sfnc€ the e.tly 1970'!, ieveral att pts hava bacn F.(h to datadlna the 

aftactlvanat! .nd coit-banatltt of Pl{ prograB. ln tddltlo||, lttaipts hava 

haan l|ad€ to develop lrprovad rrthods for {n3tactln! vahlcl! tub3ystaia a3 

prrt of the Pl,Jl proc€is. lha r.s!lts of th!!a affort3 daionstrrt. rlxad 

3UCCa!3. 

Flrst, lt har blan shot{n th.t lt 13 artrsr.ljr dlfflcult to rllatt thr artent 

to rilch P|fyl ratults ln a brttar ',l.lntrlnad vahlcla flaat. Thl! k 30 

baceuse such an asle3lrEnt fiJ3t b€ [Ed€ ln(hpcndlnt of tha PlryI Droclss, 3uch 

a9 !n ert.nslva randoo vehlcla lnap.ctlon prcgratt|. Ercaur. of aaapla sl'e 

considerrtlons, and th€ir attandlnt co3t .ll!p'llcatlon!, stndl!s addr.3alng 

ttls lssuc bavr not bee. dona for sevcral J,aars. For that. rtrt rcaton3. lt 

ulll not b. poillble to.ddr.i3 thli l!3u!.rpcrlmntt'lly ln thla rtudy 

althcr. Hor.y!r, all prevlous rorl rill ba revlded lnd lt rlll forr th! 

ba3l3 for the dlicus3loni ln thli !rea, 

The 3rfaty bcn€fit5 resulting fron! PllYl progr.Fs hrve baen dlff.lcult to 

astrbllsh because of thc llnlt.d.rbunt of lnfom.tion.v.ll.ble conclinlnE 

the role that vehfcla defecti play in h{ghr.y cr.shp9. Ndever, d!t! s.t9 

have lfiprov€d lnd nore lnforratlon rlght non b€ obt.inahla than xa! poislhl! 

In .arlier efforts. 

Flnally, tha irsuas Involyad In {nsDactlng vchlcl. syltrB r.ith tha goal ot 

prcdlctlng railcla raf€ty iystril frllures ara Oult€ rall-undarstood and tha 

lFpllcatlont that thasa lisue! havc on tna Plryl proclt!.r. docuftnttd. lha 

problat l! thlt axlst{ng lnrpectlon tlchnleua3 do not provl& Irtplctorr rlt} 

the ablllty to rale naanlngful pred.jctlont of sygteF frllurcs. Ilsrlrg thc 

couB. of tha 3t!dy, thasa li9ua9 rill ba Rex.Flned, and nli drtt rlll bc 

obtalncd rtrara 3uah data tre .v.ll.blr. 

ln rddltlon t! th..ff!ctlv.n€3! .nd cBt-b.n.flts ir3u.3 cltld rborc, the 

po3llbllltJ ot cotblnlng Pi|lI vlth .itlttlons Inrp.ctlons rlll rlto b. 

corrldarart. lnforo.tlon ralaylnt to tili lr!0. rlll b. tollcltad durlog tli! 

Dubllc haarlnqr. ln the Fedcral Lqlrtar lotlcc. .nd durlna tha !lt! vltlt!. 

ir. rtll .t30 ;.auast th.-!T-E-orE-E'1. 

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L rlll rlto tollclt tlt vl!r3 of appro0.l rtc Sntc rd lcrl' F|bllc ad 

Ddwta tc|rltt. tffcctad I ndustrlai and contDa. orglr{lltlontr aid l'. 

iotor vctriclt lo3utaEa liduitty. Lterl al obtaltEd dut'l it PuDtlc 

hrrtnot. ftu ttt.trrants of csrEnt P YI 9rcgrt5, fr! tlt llta urt' 

frs c;a3h dtta analJ3as, aid ft'o. v.rloo3 otltr tourclt rlll fort tb 

b.313 for tlt dlrcut3iona and conclutloni ln th llnal report' 

It 13 tlt oUtectlve of thls 3tudy to ardt|. tlt Yarious li3u.3 

corEaiil ng tlt rff.ctl v?ie3t of Sttte.otor valtlcla tafaty lnipcctlon 

prpq"ros in ll tllng ttE nunbcr of d.factlva or unlafa rotor Y.hlcle3 ot 

tb hgtrlys and rtduclng hlglr.y craaltt tl|t E$rlt ln ldury.nd 

d.aths. 

YORK PLM: 

To...t ttt obJ.ctlyri of tlt Cor|gtltslon l raq||ait, [lTS vlll coPltt. 

ttE t.3ts d.tcrlbld b.lor. Tb rott dll b. .ccaDll3tld bJ . t 3l tottc 

nad! up of 5a|riot lav€l NHTSA a ltit3 atld aigl naait. all ot rho. hlva 

extangl rr ldflltrity yith motor tahlcl! safaty lod otltr ll5ua9 

iurrluidi n9 PtlYI. As such, llP t.il foftr FlPn!3aitt a.o3t hlghly _ _ 

qu.lified 3ouica of tachnical axpa.tlta to acatpllth thlS effort Tlrl3 

i.3k force rill b€ supported by ll t.d (und.r 110,000) outrldc 

consultlnt tuDgort. 

E!I---Lll!!l!re-E9!l! 

Ora. ttE p.st tro dacades a si gnl f'l crit uount of lffort tri golt l|no 

tlr aisliir€nt of tlt affectlY.nG33 and coat/benefl !3 of nltl. l|.ny 

repo.ts dealing rlth F'liyl have been Publl3ltd by Y.rlout tr.sa.rt h 

oroanlz.tloni 3uah a5 tlE Tr.n3gort.tion Rata..ch lnitlt!t!, unl versl ty 

of-lil cli grn, Slata3 aid otlrrs. llrc h of thls to.l Y.t ipontor€d by 

l|lTSAi th/s, it li E.dlly .Y.{ lrbl! for r.viet by tlt t.ll forc.' 

Spaclrl enptrii3rlll be 9l*ed on Eports rag.rdlng tll affactivtiess of 

PIiVI ln ll itlng tlE nunbcr of dafactl Ya or unsafa vlhlclai on tlE 

ro.dr.ys.rd itl-rlduclng ni glray crailEi..tulting ln ldur'y and daath3. 

lJa rllt aggcciallJ tark out raportt of State erperia|E. tlrlch docl'| nt 

tlFir reasoni for axpaidlng or rld|Elng tltir PIIYI s.flty progrua3. le_ 

rill rlSo 3e€k Eports reg.rdi ng tfE lff.cti vencsi of Pl'lYl inipactlons tn 

d€tecting cooponents th.t rrc |iccianlcally unsafe. 

Sldlrr ruvlari by ttr Stata3 of t.r Jarsry, .nd Vlrglna, tlt Coptroller 

6?i!r.t of t|! lrd t.d Strt.3, .nd lilTS h|Ye bcrn cotd€trd ln ttE 9lit 

rnd t|lrr lri not bcan a tlgntficant anount of nrt srk contil butad lllEc 

tlr la3t l..vl art t!.e dott, It lt, lbravar, iTort nt to ravl tl t ttt 

'litaratur! 

to attuft oursalva3 that r! lrt tr llrr tlth tlt lott cllrl..nt 

affo.ti and to thn lse that dlta rr tlt golnt of dr9lrtut.t for tb otltr 

taaks ln t|l study. 

TA9( 21 0.t. ln.lysl t 

l{TS h.i nulEr.oua crarh data rltt tht rlll ba ui€d !n t l 3tudy to 

davalog a batter udlalrtaniti ng of tlE 9olrlbla rc'lrllonltip babaan PiVl 

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progr.rn3 and higirry crlsher irara yc.ilcla dafacts nay hava plttld I xJor 

rola, Th! io3t notrbla set ls tha FARS s.t nhich has b..n u3ad ln aanJ 

slnilrr analy3es ln tbe p.st. Yhll€ this set l3 exccl'!rnt bacau3c lt 

includ.s all fatll crashes, lt lg llnited becaur! lt ls qulta laall - about 

4C,0m crarha! .ach ye.r. 

Another lource of lrfomntlon tirt hri rec.ntly bacoiE rvr'l'labl! to ti€ 

ag.ncy ls State crash d.t! flles. lh€s. fllei contaln..ny tinps tha nurocr 

of crrihe3 .s does FARS !nd, ts s!ch, offer the pot€ntlrl to p€rforfi an.ly3a3 

th.t rere prevlous]y not possfble. l€ currently hava drt! sets for the pa3t 

ten year3 for'18 Strte3, l€ ylll rati6. thes€ sets to dctlm,lre rhlcl' .rc 

the.ost rpprcprl.t. for thls typ€ gf anllysis lnd thln proceld to try to 

e5t!b'llsh llnts betreen th€ existanca of Plfvl progrtG and tie fraquency of 

crtshes involyin! malfunctloning brales, rorn olt t{ras, drfactly€ st sprnilon 

ot 3teering systeDit or broken glass. 

TASX 3: A5se3spent of Current PIIYI Progra s 

Prior to the tubllc herrlngi, flHTSA technlall staff rlll ..t! a rrrllt of 

slte yisits to Ptryl St,tes to deterrin€ tha act!!'l pr.ctlc.r ln th! 

inrp€ction f.cilities, to docuflrnt the hl3tory of lnspection results, to 

revlay rirt enforcercnt pr.ctfces lre follo|.d to enslre th.t defective 

velricles.re.epaired, to review the crlterla for tralnlng rnd ccrtlfic.tiot 

of lnspectQrs.nd c€rtific.tion of Iripection strtloni, to.tla an Inltial 

issesrtnent of the flaalblllty of cortblnjng s.fety and ail3slon ln3pection 

proq.ns, anC to erFlore the fersltllity of us! by Strtes of grlvtt€ 

organ{zttlons to conduct rotor vehlcle tafaty lnspection progrlFs. A! patt 

of tiele assessrEnts, re rlll visit sever!'l Strtas drich efipl oy r.ndofi spot 

inspections to batt?r understnnd the.dvrntloes,nd disrdv.nt.qes lnh6p;1 16 

thri forr or insleatlof sJster,s iell. In iacit'on to Drovicino valurble 

lnfom.tion rbout rctu!l Strte pr.ctices, these site vlslts rill also provlde 

ertrenElJ valulble bactground ii'forll€tion for tle public he.ring!. 

TASI( 4: Federrl Reqlster lot{ce 

A Fcdcral negister lotlce rill be pul'lished rn.ouncing the Publlc Xe.rlnos 

and raquasting corFents on the s.nr lssues raised in T.sLs 1,2,3.nd 5, Tha 

FeCer.l negister Notice xill frovide.rother rEans for getting the bro.dest 

posSIDle 9articipntio".ron the public and privtte sectors. 

TASK 5: Publ lc He.rinqs 

Trc publlc haar'lngs vlll be lield t soliclt Info'itrtlon froc Statt3r Dubllc 

saf.ty, ttd rotor v€iicle agencies, other puhlic .nd prlv.te orglnfz.tlon!, 

affected lndustrles and consun'er organiurtions, the autorbblle lnsurance 

fndu'try, and erperts in such fields.s highrly gafety iese.rch, vehlcl€ 

gafety p€rforrunce, lnsDcction eqlig|Ent .nd technique5, PFJI progrtn 

adnlnlrtration, j3slons lnspection, and anforceFi€rt. The Inforr.tlon 

901lcltrd drring these herrings rlll covar th€ full r.nge of tlptca tncludlng 

cvl(hnca of PItVI effectivenes3 

'ln llfiitlng the nunber of unrafa vahlcles on 

the rnadrlys, evldence cf effectlvaness {n reducing (hfact relatad crushc!, 

aith.tai of th. felilbility of corbinlng srfrty enC en'lsslons lnir€ctlon!, 

anforcaEnt lssu€s, and trai'llng rnd cartiffcatJon l3sue3, 

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TlSx 6: Fl nal Re9oit 

201 

iii'.iiiiii'.t I t3-€r'o.ts, -o'' I Tii"Bl:::: lilffill"ll,"ll'.**'' 

UDon c@letl on of tlr .!ov. t.slt-||?Sl rl It Dt!D|r' ' dr'ft-r9ort ot 

co|Ecfni ng P{Vl. This drlft r"Porc r 

iioi it.t io s.el puDlic cdn€nt. Tlt Eport Yil'l cont'in: 

--lL..rat 

"" surn!.y ittluding liport.nt findlngs of t|t tn'lvses' 

iurveys, puDllc reetl n9! rnd conclullons' 

! statemnt of tlE obJectlve3 r'd ttvl er of b'ctground "terl'l' 

a Drief iulrlry of tlt litarrture rtvie!' 

a discuislon of tL rarolti obtained fr$ th' dtt' '['lttlt' 

! dlrcusrion ot tha.aterirls obtai n€d frqll tlE slte villtil 

a lnrn.ry of tlt lnfoiiation gtined fio tt' Dublic t'rr{ tEs 'iit fro 

t,E F.dertl &gllfgl loti ce' 

a oresentttion of .11 datr deri Yed duti ng t|t rtudy tlrt b'!r on tlt 

Ptil issues undet consideratjon, 'nd 

a dis.ussion of tlE finding3 and comluslons, tlong Yith tlu 

rpproprl ate r€comendrti ons. 

l final r€port vill ll€n be 9rcprr€d. 

SCHE0ULE: A tent.tlvc lclrdula for t|t rtudy t'ils ii s lb'r 's FiguE l' 

I988 

Anal 

no-ot 

Ei- 

Apr 

xay 

Jun 

Jul 

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Dac 

1989 

ftn-- 

Fcb 

llar 

Fi glre I 

scrPdule --- - of - study T.stl 

T.3k I fasr-i rasr i Task 4 t'31 5- l'tl 5 

iii-q"''"' oiii-riar su'"ei i,'.ent.ISg,:-9f Pubric Proj 

x 

I I 

x xx 

I 

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nea|.t.9s 

I 

x x 

x xtx 

(dr.ft reeott publiettd in tlt 4!3Ig- 

Rrgi ster for gubl i c cFentl 

( fi n.] Eport) 

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GAO F#ffiur- 

nauc$ CoDEDtty,.!d 

Botuutc D"Elor|6i Dtrldoi 

LzA?35 

Nov.mber lS, 1087 

Th€ Honorable John Un$n 

Chellru. Sub,{nn I r on qv.niSht sd lnv.lti8.tloM 

Cdmitte on En€rS/ md Comer€ 

flo@ of R€prentltiv6 

De.r Mr. Chril1Ml 

w2 .a 

Thb Epolt it in 6DoR to y@ au6Et 27, 10(16, requat that re review the stody of Eu 

at l3p beL eff.ctirlr..s isued by the N.tior.l Tnrtslo.tltion Safety BGd (mB} This 

!.Dott o..rtrh€ rtE nEthodolog/ u*d by the B@rd sd Dsys paroculd atte.tion to tne 

Bo3rd ! criticbB of odE ted.h tn.t shoes l.D b.lb b be eff€tiae prctetjon for r{ 

A! iEsued with you oftle, ud6s you publicly al]t|oue it3 @ntenB dlier, w€ pl.. io 

turtlcr

kecutiveSummary 

203 

Purpose taD b€lrs for lw rat Dtdmbile D.s..n8ie€ hv. ldE b..!t Dromd€d 

ar ar effedjre lifsvina .l€vie, tlotwer, e Jdy 1986 ldrdy by the 

Natronat TrqB@rr4tid Satety BoaRl (rt-rs) c}.lLnt d thi! wid€ty h.ld 

beliet The *udy, P€rfom&c€ of t3p BelB in 26 Fronrlt C@he, 

un@veled a nunber of cag in which D.*n8eB werc ir\iurcd bdu.€ 

they *or l.p belts. Given LhB ryjd€ne ard the Boqd ! b€liet ihat 

€xisting

nl 

€vidqe of pcible h€rn it obssved ir trwy of rhe ecidenLs ir irv6tj. 

8$ed and tlE pDbl€rc with the avaiLbl€ rlat3, it rs udble !o ey 

wrplher or .ot pai€r8e6 h the F& $at shdld be adv&d to wee lap 

b.ltr. The Board lKmehded ttur sll new c6 tE equipp.d with l.p/ 

lhoulde. belt! ed thlr older cs be Efined with th€m. 

The cnd6 of tlE B.sd'e srudy ctaim rha! |]N l6ked only at very 

ever aeid€nt3 in shich nrlr inr syst ru @ nuch t6! eff€cttve, srd 

did not l(r@ d cas in which lap b€ltr m8ht Drcvide prctArtoh. WIrh 

or€ €xepnon, |im qmirEd only frontal dide.rl, but lrcnarr of all 

tat l didentl @ notrfrcnt€b A nore Epllgtltive gsDle, lhey 

believ€, euld have show tnlt Lhe net eatet of rr s.t l.p bettl is to 

sve lir6sd edua tle nmbcrdd *v.ntyoi rr{urie. 

R€sults in Brief cô dc not dtpute llm s audhS thsa lsp belB, in $ne rets€, ce 

cdse deuth o. *rjru i4iury io rcir !.ar coral3 wsu8 th€fr. as 

tlp Bdrd not€, thb infomlttd hs b.d ldDm ro rhe eciden! 

@..ch @mMity fo. I|uy y€a, cô.8rg wirh llN thar theE 

mry b€ i@or.ci6 in rL darr lE&heF have u*d to aaty2 .es 

.€.t rsD b€lt €ffective€$, bu! aô belkve that befoe .qErting all of 

Principal Findings 

th..e snalysB &d rh€ widaly h€ld b€lief thar laD bel6 p.or€ct rcrr se.t 

Dqlsei{4i h'IsB mut do a|ort tn n limply poinr to che exilten t of linitrti@ 

in the dat b8s. 

TIE Boed hs rcr shdn |h.t rh€ vdios dat'be3 e e flawed tley 

oMot be uled to .nillu t@ *at l.p b€h efetivhB. ,{ number of 

'@nt studie €mploting diff*nt methodologie sd different dar!. 

bErs, while fhdina that Fd *at llp belt3 e bss effR'lile in rh€ 

tlTe. of cidmt3 inv€ngated by \"rsB, @no h fhding that red e.t 

lap belts prote.t w@6 more oft h lha they hsft rh€h. 

The Board's Report llp 20 cls Nr'8 €ret|.d abmndlate thar a FrfdD&a DroDkrn 

aist3 vith reu *.t bD belcs in *vere ftun4l as5he.. r.rs b€lieva 

that .he conventiotul $ isdom thaL hol& t!.t rca e.t lap bettr are 

eff61rve in .educing deaft ed trUurj *verity is bs!€d on highly D[eb, 

rltL &ra. M6l hi8hway sfery re&ch us data ongna[ing in poiice 

&cidat eDo.tJ wlrich, .@rding to \NB @ ridd€d *jch ina..ur&ies. 

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205 

The aodd .0(6 thlt da!.be thlt do not rcly d polie .4{i&it 

Eports also @ i.sdequaB be{ae they @ntain clstively fd cg in 

whrh lap b€lt d dcup.rtJ wee inlolv€d N"rsB d€ nol claim to hav€ 

shown that laD bel6 @, on bd&e, ineff(tive, but tnat inen overdl 

eff{bvenG cMot be subtdtiated by dal}zing the existing 

Criticism of the R€port Alhough teeh.rs do not dtptrt€ the vrsB indillg thet l.p b.ltl 

$utit@ cfi due de.th or *ri@s ulury, c.iti6 of the Fpq! clrh 

thr! thc Boe.l dmir€d a biasd gmple of &cidentr, which naaL lrp 

belB app€s t4 be 16 effective tltu lhey vould hlve boen hld it stu& 

ied a mre r!?idl oll€clion of Eldenr3. S€verd relt dud!6 employing 

diffeEnr darabss ud diffemi daltt|car techntqud dl @rclude 

rhat )aD belts r€due rh€ rilk or d€rd sd *riN !\iury to re& st 

(cuDdts The sludi€r.le sugadr !h.t the prctq'tton gJforded by 

Ed $at lap b€lb B 8I!!t r i. nonfrorrrl .(ident3 sd.t iowr inpact 

sFeds. This is @B6tdt wiih |N s ihdinS that hp b.lB d la 

ed.ctiv€ m frcnr.l, huh imDat didenrJ. 

GAO'S Anal!€is 

N"rsB 

hs identilied a number of posible limitatioG in tlt dar. E d by 

t..ffi. sJety resdcleB to FsIy4 *3l belt eft

Becommendations 

206 

Sm.e d€ purre o( cm r r€view wd t $rli'. snd cemenr d h"rsB i 

repon. cô E ruldra no recomendarim. 

Agenqr Colunents cô briefed NIla 3l3ff on rhe Bults of the rtviry dd t&k inro s.fuL 

ihei. omrnents and s886cioru wh€E apprcpnat€. Horcver, c o did 

not obt4tn offBial E8ency @M€nt3 on rhis repo.r. 

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1

Contents 

wl 

Drecutive SurrLrnaxy '. 

Chapter I 

Introduction 

Chapt€r 2 

The NISB Study of 

the Performance of 

Lap Belts 

Chapter 3 

Reactions to the NTSB 

Report 

Chapter 4 

NTSB Response to the 

Critics 

Chapt€r 5 

GAO Observations and 

Conclusions 

NftlB ad lt3 M!6ion 

C,ene.i. of the NtsB Ilp Eelt Study 

The Role of the NaLional ttiglrty lYaftic Ssf€ty 

Ob.ie

Figures 

N 

Tabl. 3 ?: Eff€riven6 of rrp !d trp/ Shoulder Bells 

in ReducinS Se.iou l.juti.. 

FS'P InvesriSanor R€port3 

A@rdlu t PoUe dd 

Table 3 3, Fatslity Reducooh llmlth EinpLo}T€nt ol 

Rte Se3! L€p Belts-Double Ptir c.mpeisn 

Trble 3.4: Effetivens E6tin ts of n€& Seat lip Belts 

Usrn8 Double Pdr Companon of 1982+6 

P.Nylv@a A..id€nr D.ta 

T.ble 3.5 1985 MichiSu Aeid.nts-Ra seai 

Oeupmts lnjury Seventy by B€lt U* 

Tlble 3.6: Oberyed B€tt Us oa Red Seat OccuFnt6 by 

/\8e ir Mrchrgo-s€l(ied Monihs 

Ttble 3.7: PolieR€ponad R€d Seat Occupdt B.lt Ud€ ltr 

l9E6 Michuu A€i&nts by A6e dd Quart€. 

Tsble .1. l: B.lt gffetiv.ie.s in RSEP 

Ftgure l.2r bp/Sr'oukb Belt! 

!'iE!E 3.I : vehicle Oefodtltlon (TAD) R.ttutF in Norih 

Cmlim C.ah6 sd 26 NTSB C.ahB 

FiSiure 3 ?: IbJurr Conpe]s@ ot 6.069 Ndth 

csolini@ ad r39 OcflF.ts in the 26 NISB 

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209 

rls Abbrcviaied l.j{ry S.rle 

Depanme.r ol TltBponriion 

Failurc An.4.is As*rar6 

Fatar Accideri Repo.iLng Syst€m 

mss Federal Motor vehicle sJcry stdd.ds 

Cerral Amuntil8Ollie 

Itr€hway Satety R*d.h C€nter ar lhe UniwBiiy of Nonh 

x lco sdle oflnjund (I( = tilled; A,a,c = lev€l of it\ju.iq 0 - 

un,qju.€d) 

National Aaidqt Sopli!8 Systen 

Na.ional Center tor Si.ti3iicd AnalysE 

Na.ional Crah S€v€.ity Study 

nrrs^ Naoonal H{hway T.arric Safely Adnmjstr.tlon 

Natrond ftanspo.t4trDn Satety Aodd 

R6trunr Stsiens Elaluation ProSr.m 

T.aJli. A.cid€nl DmaSe kale 

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Introduction 

NTSB and Its Mission 

211 

In July 1986 the Niridd Tjlaponadd Safety B@rd (r,.rJB) Eleed a 

r€pon, Th€ Perfoma€ of tap Belt5 in 26 Frontal Crdh6, shich q!* 

doned lheoverall eil€criven* oa rear *ai lat bek-s tn penger c6 

{d vG Lap bel6 a.c sinele straps thal e€ broughl erc rhe pellis 

aid c usuarly fDund n rhc rcar *at of p6

Fhw !,r uc/eErdr B.ht 

2t2 

mB Spne rrlr j-' dH not un

Genesis of the NTSB 

r.qp Belt ftudy 

213 

ed t th. vehicl€ within . fer deys b€foE lhe ryidqe is dbturb€d by 

N8hway Mintt@e cIEs o. notor vehicle Epo. snoF6. The hi8hway 

accident invFijgator nal6 a naber ol mesurmdts to .dculate the 

force ud dretron oi rmpad od the evenis th,r o.tuned i$jde th€ 

vehr.le In additon tu exmninA the phrsrc.l evidenc at lhe *ne, the 

invGtigator intewiews qi!1es6, vehicle @oputi Doh€, ud emer- 

8e.cy medical persnrel. The inv6tuato. also nvi.*s medi.al infomation 

on th@ i4iurcd when ir i3 sv.iiable u3in8 all tlE infomat'on 

avatlabte, th. inv6ti6ao. adnDr5 b t8Ntruct ihe dident ed 

detefrine why ihe Kjd€nr durEd dd ho* rhe GcupdLs rere 

h the taU of 1984, rh€ Bqrd 6ppmved a plrn to invsd$t€ the ftan 

perfort]ae of *.r- belB in . sple of apprcFoately 200 qFridenri, 

lnitiaUy. the Board wE inie.6t4d in evsluetin8 the perfofrae of 3ll 

tttaof s.t bel|s dd did not int ndt oent..t on lapt€lt3. Ti€ 

Board vat€d inlomation on the Erl woild Frfo'lr$c€ of *ar b.lr3 

becaur€ it ss conched thit rean. chen86 in allonobile d€i8., sch 

a do*BizinS, miSht b. empomiiinS st bel! efie.iiven*. In .dditio, 

tlE Board qa qerned 3!o!r the l&l or dynuic t4.un8 or sear 

b"lt systds. The B@rd believed Uat nol.nougn 9E rnoen .bout how 

o!@t belt systec perfomed in .eal *trld sccidentr. 

After about a quarter of tne app.oxinately 200 investiSatjom hrd 

begun, ias3 invstigatoE notrced that n *veral tronial ae'cl€nts, E& 

*at, lap-belted ecupets we.e erio6ly rlued, ud that lhe it\jun6 to 

the abdohinal .e8ron sustBined by th@ $ean^8 the lap belts we.e 

caDed by Lhe b€lts then*1v6. Aft€. leming about ths unexD€.ied 

phenDrunon. N"r$ de.ided b rcfos its efrori dd cDnentnte on th€ 

perfolmn€ ot lap belts. in Lhe lrp belt rcp.n, NTrR @ndud€d not only 

rMt cDnditio$ could exisr ude. which lap belts suld b€ hamful bDt 

de r.hat the dar. ued bt lhe National HrShway Tratric saf€t,! Admjnie 

tralion (l\'l'tr!i{) ud othe. re@he6 are mt suafrciendy reiiable t! 

show thar lap belts e etfHtiv€ Tne Bdrd 'emcnded that r.'8R 

inidat! a Dlemaki.8 lmediately b.€quire lap lshoulder bells in .he 

rcu dtbodd (side) Mts of penSer vehicld (S& ch 2 ) 

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+i

The Role of the 

National Highway 

Ttaffic Safety 

Administration 

2rr 

NmsA is q aaehcy widrn the u s. rte!.rtnen. of Tt?roponelid i!o.l 

GpoEible for mprcvjng the safety p€.fomee of mbr v.hi.l6 

hrdcGe. .8€nci6 crcated tn 1966 *tre tt?Ef..red in 196? 14 Lhe 

N*ly ceaied Depar|meni of TrNpottation The FedeEl_Aid HiShway 

A(t of 19?O 6tablished NHrs^ as a FDst€ sdmiri3ltatid wrthin mr' 

To carry o!! its GDoEibilitis, NHT s.r promulgabs &d en-fors regula_ 

oons, inclu

Objectives. Scope. and 

Methodology 

215 

In AuSu$ l9a6 the Chaims of rhe sub.omide on oveBighr dd 

Inv6liSatroE, {ow CoMilte on Elergy dd Come@. requBt d 

thar cô damine rhe b6is for the Board s 6n laioB dd .smmendatiore 

reSarding l4 belt dd the bais for lhe qiticisms of th€ reF.n 

by other leoche6 we met with the chane s rcprenlairve dd 

ageed to fro our sludy on ho* h'IsE *teted accidents for its smpl€ 

8hd i hethe. it had demorot.ated ch3t NBR ud orhe. a.crdenl dat3b.s 

cdnor br used to €valuat tbe benefits of lap belts in reducint che 

rbk of dearh ud *rios iqjury in moto. vehicle aadents. we ale 

qrled it rculd not be f4ibi€ for E to uMena]{e e independdl analysis 

ol l8D belt effetivere. Ictead, we d8reed t exmine the N1S3 

study dd the salys€s perfomed b! orhe6. In addition, k a8red ro 

Evi€w the available lileralure ad to inteNiew i-IsB persnnel, in.lndi.g 

steff who wo.ked on rhe lap belt rcDorr. 

ln addir)m ro |{N staJf , ft ntenised hi6h{a! safety red.h$s al 

[rrrs^. includng th@ at N{rs{ we inlarvia€d we.a] memb€B or lh€ 

hjgh{ay safery re*e.h .omuniiy who hav€ erked in the arca or 

m!.aint syscm effeciivenes, including B.J Cmpb€ll ol th€ Highwat 

S.feLy fte*dch C€nter at the Lnive6ity of Nonh Carclina in ChaPel 

Hill: Fmk Contey ot the liew York Stale [Fpanm€nt Df Motor vehicld 

in A)bmy, New Yo.kt ad I{en Campbell of ihe Tr4port4tjon Re*a.ch 

IEiuute at the Universty of MichUe. we also inteflie*€d individrals 

frcm PhysiciMs fo. Automodve $feiy, ihe O€nt r for Aulo Sarery the 

AFerico A$@iation fo. AutoFoove Medicine, a d tepreentati!4 Df 

boih rDrei8n dd

2L6 

* *lo--"0 rt'" ."."" ," d', mddc. with thetall) acptFd 8orh' 

wpd.{us*d rL rul6 or rur revPq qth 

*,[-a,u"e.,-a".d. 

'"1-J,rr'"'ir 

-a,r.,."w5 de u@rpoBr6 e apprcpnaF In 

ffijane srt' rt'p r"q*st of theChetu&sotrF *.didnolobtar 

offi.ial rg4Y coMents on ine rePon' 

ctrDt"r 2 pre*îs ihe d€lals ol thP s3 rpon 'h'pLat 3 mnare 

;;d.nt'qu6 or the NrsB rcr'n- dd *verat renr nFmpa b 

L"i"Lole r.t. *t*ou"*$ or lap beltt chap@t 4 | epons NlsB s 

L-n*r' tlo" **nt "ttorl.e (napFr 6 s(|rmMF 'u 

oi c"n"tu,oroo 

oe Mss *Po' 

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277 

Chaptlr 2 

The I{IISB Study of the Performance of 

Lap Belts 

NTSB Study 

Methodolos/ 

In lh€ @R of N study of the Frf.hqe ol both r.rx' lsp .rd t.D/ 

ltbulder *at belLs, NrsB inv6tuato6 enduts€d sverar .Eyr rrl 

wNch a p€Mn sering a Lp belt 96 eriously iruured by rln ddxr 

The Bodd rut@used its study to conqiEr4 oh the lap beu i$ue and 

ftud rhat n lronal aeid€nts liD belts @uld b€ deftimenral insread ot 

b.neficial. When rhe Bo.!d sght to d€t€mrne whethe.lap belrs w€rc 

b.neticial in oth€r t'-p€ of did€nts, dd thus beneficial ove.all, rt on- 

.lud.d that th€ availible dat e iMdequate to nake such a d€t€minadon 

n'Tsa dcided that it @uld not advi* Fople to eed lap belG when 

ndinS ir ttE ree *ats of pasnger caE. od it romend€d that ree 

*a! (xnputs n ve the s.re prot€.tion as fmnr s€3t Gup{ts-lap/ 

'the NlsB eion sisis ol r*o !drs. The fiBr ts the Eoed's u8lylis ot 

26acidenls in ehi.h ar lesr one vehrlc @opdi w6 *€dnn8 r llp 

belt. Oth€r Gcup&ts may have ben mbelr€d o. wemne a lap/shoulder 

belt. The sond parl ades on tj]e &rard s cntique of rh. lar8e &ciden! 

dat b'g ttur oiher rear.heN have u$d to support Lhe Dcitio 

thlt l.p b€ltl proiide Fenable piotalon t rca. ear p6*n8€B who 

wilh rc8dd io th€ @ll

S''nthe6is of the zti 

Cases NTSB Exanined 

218 

6trmile.adiE ftum the reSional offid.. How€ver, b€arE€ sofie reootl3 

h.d diflioltrG obtaininS ca*, the Sro8raDhic limiB were e&8ndcd 

h .ddtlon to tlE side saltsi! brcl.lFoud tn l MIs inv6tigrtoE 

u$dly brinB to . 3tudy, the hiShsry ..d.brt ihv.stiSab6 who w€rc 

t. b. irvolved ir th€ set b€lt study .tra.bd a l-wek tBiNrS @uL ao 

le@ now to detdmie whe Fr o. not peopte lnvrfiad in rmtD. vehicl€ 

s..idenls were etu..lly *mn8 ea! belts To v€nfy bell u!€, ch. inE 

rigabE s€.e t.ained t i@k lor evid€@ such a lddjnS md*s d the 

rin8, holding r}le be)ts or on the belt! th€lelve that would 'ndjcn 

rlrtlp. they ha

tfila.E.ro.i.H6I."d 

219 

aptoyed belts RF @,in8 . pmblem Ttrdrv_sir lePb€lted (Kr' 

pst3 sultliled *ireu3 to fat l idai6 in oNh€s where othe. €a!_ 

pdt3. jhcludin8 the in 1l|€ mote tlhtt8ble frtnt sat. Pet l* 

*riNly r4juRd or not ir\iured 3t au. 

hd ;aM 'r.k'l-.d rs r.ddr. s..i",. s.s cdd.rl r.tr'ul F.r.l 

S s - 5 7 . ? ' 1 1 ? 2 ( 4 ) 

I 

U \ ' 

Lrp/.tus htr 

The iiu.tes sultrin d s s Eult of th€ lsp belts eere oft4n .!MB th. 

h6t dmgdN typ€ or i^jun6: the t th€ head, spire, ed abdome. 

The dstribut$n of rhe L1ims 3ustained in ine 26 cr.6h€ is shown in 

tsbl€ 2 r. Of th€ 60 rENm w€aring l8p belk in the o8h6, onlt L 

w6 uNdu.e

Limitations of Er.isting 

Databases 

Omitt€d and Misclassified 

Data in Police Accident 

Reports 

m 

Tie 26 cs* !h.t i'rsc €rumed led ir to qu€stion ahethe. l.p belb e 

ar eIa€tive ount tufluE against d€arh o. rljury. €leci.lly in f|s 

t3t collbions l+cau* the 26 ces examined w€rc not a statisticany llP 

re.ent tive sople of all &cidenls in which E& $.t laP belis nrghl 

Fsle a ditre.€ne the Bsrd luned to pnor ealy*s of ihe natmnal 

sdidenl daiab.g to dswer rhe qu6tDn of th€ ove.all effe.tilene$ of 

e& *a! l.D b.lt5 Aft€r i! reviryed a numb€r of goteme.r .eports 

.nd srudi6 by hiSh*3y slery r*uch€6. rhe ao&d @ncluded th.t 

very few studie had specifically addressd lh. €fiedvetrs of laP 

b.lrs, dd whar studr6 h.d b€en d6e een bed on hiSNv unreliibL 

NrIs^ od otheF had p@iously 6timlt d tlBt lap belts we.€ $ nuch 

.i 60 pe.€nt eafe.live m preventing d.e$ ot *rious iNury for weeF 

ol ree *at tap b€lts.' sns,{ beLiev6 that this p€rentag€ wa stet in. 

sse fD lap/should€r b€lts. NB be)iev6 that $e €stimat6 @ 

Iteatly exaS€rer.ted Pohtin8 out liat the rc...rch cldminS Lh.t rcd 

*st lap b.lts de very efletive 6 bs.d on irfomatid otinanv 

rE@rded in polie accident Epo.rs, Nma belie!6 thal lhe reports 

oft n omn or ll@tNify impondl infomation, @ntah npRrF 

rE6urs or aalden! ed it\iury ev€ntv, and sufier from other draw_ 

backs rhar limi! *ve.ely their efulne$ in evaluati!8 rear *ar lap iElt 

.ffRitveres Nrsu E Ep€oally cntic.l oa lh. lege nanonal dabbas.s 

\Tss Doinl! on! in its srudy lhat rh€ Drinatv 3ouc of dident infomidon 

usd by xllrs od othcG ir ihe rlFrt! frll€d @t by the polce a! 

tt ei

lnprecise Measures of 

Crash S€verity 

z2r 

Hfr*-o-..*- 

f,lpther or.ot belr! *re rcm. We exmined lh€ @iddc r?F).t fo@ 

lBed by lhe individusl sttts Md fosd that etu do not 4en mclude. 

Dla4€ to rord belt.e. Ih tlte css b€lt-e inforalron apFs in 

@mpute.iu d dtta fil.s only if tne olfier included it in de nealive of 

th€ accident. ln addton, aeid€nt rcFrtirS tom differ fron sttte to 

$!r. .4mon8 stats s!

lftplecise Measurcs of 

Idury Seventy 

E2 

invesugsto. crn cdcllate delta v TnB is . mo.e renn€d €.trnste of dt€ 

deijdsnes6 of . fiash thd tnst made by the lolie .t tlE !ft 

Itrss nois Lh.t a eftlad,on exil|3 b€trq Etrairt us€ ud Gid4t 

serity rhat Rds to be Mllolled fo. in ualyzinS Glrdnt st*en 

effe[ivens. Rert evidene su88Bt3 tha! Btnir€d .lrivers .re 16! 

Itl€ly to be involved in colbsim, 6peci..[y ..rLorr! on€ ]t hc b€n 

6tina!€d that mt.ained drive6 har€ 3 6? Frwt gMte. lil@Uhood 

ol bein8 involved in @Ui5io6 of sufficient leverity t ldl] th.h the do 

Brnined dnve6. E3timies of eat bel! eff.

Limitations of NHTSA 

Databases 

NTSB's Conclusrons 

ftrmh.'drr.'.ir-. 

m 

Mss i5 hill ycitiol of the datsbsg us€d by Nffi dt19?_79 

Nation i C..!h S.venty Siudy (Ncss) itr su(j]:g., rhe Nation l aei_ 

dent SepLinS Syst€n (H.{-ss)i a.d ihe Fa$l Acciddr RePrtinS Sy3t m 

iE{s) Acording to mB the d.t! @ntlir€d in Ncss de &t€d ed 

lehDlete. F-hile the data in :.'s d htSely iftlevet 3nd include t@ 

lry

zlA 

ftffii-",--,..--, 

4. Det.rmift tll€ f€Bibrlitv ol ihFpoint l4/.lurlder belrs for every 

$atirA pcicron (i.€., indudnS front dd Rlr c.ntzr sts) dd if f4i' 

bl€, rcqtriE llBuf.4turcE to illtdl ihem in dl 'w v€hicl6. 

GAO Observ ations ite do not dlsDute the ifiB ntdhS lh.t, in a (aber of diddt!' oc.updt3 

reeing lap belrs @re sridlly or fst ly injuftd bv the d€vicl6 

that vere suplo*d to pnn4cl ttee liot !.t, this Frobld, a the 

Bo3rd iBelf poinrs our, h6 been ldom for muv vem. The Bosrd did 

not ned Lhe evidene ol th€ 26 accidents it studie

ftNE3d'rt-ifu..... 

ru 

4. D€rermine the fdlibiliiy of thrGpoinr lap/shoulde. D.lt€ fo .v€ry 

eadnS p@itjon ( '.e., includha font ed red ent2r ed.) rnd, if f4g!ble. 

muire meuf.4rurs3 to l$td t}len in all new vehicl!'. 

GAO Observations we do nor dbput! ttE lrEa fldint th!r, in a number of 0.ci&nBr eo- 

D{rt! rclrilU bp b.lt3 ftn erioaly or frt3lly i{iured by ltte devis 

thlr s€t€ erpp6.d to potet thetn. However, this probhm, a5 the 

Edrd it €lt pointt dq ha teen knom fd many yec. The Board did 

nc{ rE€d ttp did€E ol r}. 26 e.$d€ils it ltudied t4 m*. dE l:e 

t}{t lap b.l6 off.r les protettd th{ Lp/shouLter belb ,nd ih8t h 

s(re ttpps oa r.d.lenB lsp b.l6 ar kl|l @ eriNly i\iulE tle peer. 

l{rsB eys m jts study that th. 26 s.q

':h.oF r 

225 

Reactiors to the NTSB RePort 

0r'erall Concerns of 

the Critics 

iiii"'.t ^.r ,r'. r"st'.av $tetv res h oMudrv cnbri2rd ih' 

;;'epon on tap uetr peaome* ThFt belrPvP th' ^-r$ *3a8€Et4d 

,i* "ir'"-'""e. - ,h" a"."bs nscd n s@ristical ddvs ot *ar 

r*h.l{{teI)6. whne sekst 5N' rcllBdolo8a3l em6 t 16 (ls 

i"rrv.i" r" too*., ,r,.v tt"Ie;e dd a Pubhc!'iq rls fndis" rhe 

nmrO nav nare uOemnca the Dublic s rcnjrdene in *al b'll ev*ro 

"tt,er'*ay 

keralty 

seterv lffite^ rrentlv @mphtFd *veralsrud' 

[ii,. i*-i",i''"i t'r'" qi,*r,on or r.p bert €fr

$ffiffi* 

.$?, 

r-.dc. b r|rr*rlri.r 

i% 

ffi 

*i?;'"#:Tm 

Highway Safe;i 

fi€searchem 

ffi 

ffi$tl*-f-t**iffi*i,":ffi 

q.o/r.cee',L'*t!fttjb

Critique of the NTSB 26 

C&s€s 

b.6.berdilFt 

2n 

campbell not6 tha! rlthoulh M{!B tdElte! lsp/3ndtd.f b.txt l' .n 

improvement @er l.t bell., i! bag it3 .eotmendatjm d hu.h of .he 

;e evidence n disisd wh€n the stme 4jderc. ws sppli€d to lap 

beltr. Camp&ll arXrrd ihst lJ exiliing deta md r6drch e adequt€ to 

deNGtrst4 the effetiv€nB! of lap/shoulde. belts' th€v N .dequate 

for lar b€lts s weu. CmptEU b€ltev€ ihat th€rc b ample evidence in 

de liid.ture to

ft5 !-r: r.l,.r. D.t mr-..r Oro) 

ir*{. h|!nc.it c.r.lDra2a 

m 

ksdNB&Fr i j 

Clmtt U mperes the fftqu€n f dj.rlibution ofr.dd.nt s.riay i. 

tn 26 n"r$ cBn6 with that ot tE North C&irlinr (':.dE rEtirS dl. 

mB c@ *letion qitena He fh& rhsr tJre Nasa eil4i! .n Ery 

3lw.d loFael the hjgh end of tlp ..iidelri eleriiy dj"itittim. A s3, 

tirticrl tat shows ttui tlE od& .E rlore ftd 10,000 b r .g.itrs dDwin8 

! dmple with such an erddr€ distributjd of Gi(bhc ..rstv. 

Thb &gt€33 th4 &e l\r!a !mDl4 i! Lnu.D@r.dve ol tlE dtltribE 

ti6 of 4ident *veriiy aomd in dE popul.don of @idst! nRritrt 

tlE aosld s ltated s€ledion qiterta (!€. fu- 3.r ) 

'*[hl 

-b"cde*.d.r 

In*,-dq 

&rE rJ c5F... tL Eetu d.-€-r L+€a! h c'.ar riry rdEb, 16 

c.npD.I .lso @npa6 il* i4u.r diltribuiid in tn. 26 M$ i,g ?ith 

the Noftn Cmlin. erle.ire Th€ kal6 enpLoyed to 8!u8€ ulury 

senry 8le differ l\'rs u!.s the Abbreqated laju.y ScsL of i4jury 

senty in which . nurneriol ra1r8 of I 6rcu8h 6 is ssligrEd to euh 

iAju.y @rved b.s€d on ils ihreat 10 $€ ncdn s Uf€ Thus, d rls 1 

i\jurt vould in.lude supern.Lal abrNrcs, while & â 6 r'ould nvoll€ 

j 

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Evidence of LaP Belt 

Effectiveness From North 

Carolina Data 

r...d-..&Ml|r.... 

m 

souBl rc.d rruui6, se@rd or tlud

tE@ 3.2: r.i!t cdF.rLd ol Lca 

l|.r$ c$ri.r.n. .'n 139 ocar'l. h 

bfuot|.|fl.rFr 

230 

(rr 7), the.e .ppee b be no siSdtcor diff*@ betwen {-eari.8 

l.p beltl dd wedinS rc b€lt at all 

- .Fl 

,tHt 

ffi-.-,"* 

11rc6.@o@q 

-*"""*-, 

Crhpbell b.liev6 that Lh@ who rcloned acodenrs to |he NB sludy 

prob.blt ch@ t rcporr ornt very seriN aeidst5 *here be)t d D€.eG 

eete rnju.ed He b{liev6 that c&s where lap belts e€re b€n€fu8l 

reE inadlenendy $ened out, ed 6 a resulr. lhe Board wG lef! 

wilh ihe inprsjon tnat lap b€lrJ *€re oi quebonabl€ b€neril Bu!. 

&o.ding t4 Cdpbell, eve! !h@ wemnS lap/shoulder b€lts fa.€d little 

b€tt€r thM ch@ wedin8 no belt at all in $€ 26 a.cidents exahin€d by 

^1sB For exMplej .bout 16 pere.t of lap/shoulder-belted ftcupats 

reivcd idun6 nted ^s 44, phile only I pe.enc ol unetroned 

@cupels .@ived such erioE irturi6. simildly, rcu8hly the rme 

plolonron of lar/shoulder-b€lt€d lnd un6trained oNpdts Fere 

uinju.€d o. .e.ery€d @ly ninor (ars I I ir!uri6. A more .eDrs?ntative 

ffipl€, CMpb.ll b€lieva, would have sho*n tha! both lap ed l.p/ 

shoulder.belled p.snSeB fared b€tt€r, md that alrhough lsp belts 

e.ar'E-DL!BElrtu 

T 

,i 311: 

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ercrim6 cN!!€ inhry, t!€y mo.€ often h€19 rcduce i{urv nd it{urv 

Cmpbell abo !.inB out that tie ^'rsB report fm*s on ca% wh.re a 

liFbelted Dem. fared woM thd d unbelLd Gupdt in the sMe 

vehicte A8u uu|g Non! Celina d.ta, CamDb€ll |n€s to democtnt 

tha. su.h wrcng wet oulc$m6 u€ tD b€ expected €ven w'th lap/ 

stroulder b.l!s but thdthey& no! prcdommst€ Th. No.lh Carolina 

data shos that €.upMtl weding lap or lap/sh@lder belrs de idued 

m@ *nouly the unbelid ons in .he sme whicl€ I t t 14 percent 

of ih€ uhe Bur ir\iurt6 14 belled (mpuis ,.e tes *vere in d ev€n 

SEater proportid of dF d*. Fo. 3 14 a.cidents In wNch on€ t4@n 

in lhe re& *at of . vehicle 9s wean^8 a lap b€lt ad the other sa 

sb€lted, he fin{rs that in I r 5 pe.cnl of lhe cas, ihe laFbelt€{t pemn 

ws mor eriNly iniured, but in r 9 De.ceni of .h€ cag. the laPbelted 

Fls farFd betttr' lh.ddrtron .n alera€. 'n Lne lss *heF lap 

b.l!4d o

...fu.*lvr.1... 

a2 

Failure Analysis Ar €ndh..rin8 coNultjnS fm, Feilure Aldysb A!dod!4s (rdl, .lso 

revierrd lh€ ||rsB study ad issu€d a EDon ciaiol of th. Bo&d s d.ta 

@l€did ploc€du6 sd the way the data @E prt .nt d." rd intervisped 

nr$ fi€ld staff &d wahin8ron officiab, udert@l a detailed 

airtysi! of the full tu.d of the a.cidents in \E3 s s4ple dd con 

tlat d *rs8 s dala with orher d.rabas. FA beli€ve tnat liN s c4 

s.ridst3 _e a sioEly bi&s.d lel6tion which is 6Fp.€*nt3ti!e of 

dy poDubdon of mot r vehicl€ ..iidents in th€ Unikd StaFs F4 

furd! tllat Mrs, violated its oh !€l€ciion citeae in cil4ins cas for 

invBtigation, .*ived a b'aed d[tlibution of cas w)th $m€ .egnB 

reporimg only very *ve.€ rcdents, ed *lfttiwely iSnor€d peltinent 

jnfomalion.n the.ccidents ir inl6tie8ted that *a readily available. 

D.tabe en$i6 o$ $e addent3 in ihe \"rsu smlie r$rradid !h€ 

Bo6rd's aenton that pouce mi..slortirS ma!6 it impcsbl€ lo delernnrE 

belt eifectvffi tnrdrgh *tthdcd dslysis of ldge accident 

F.] not6 thar }.Tsa ,naltzed inforutjon frcm 30 c€e vehrcl€. In 30 

a.ldents (rhe 26 with hlbelted ocap&t3 ud 4 orhs rh" 8.ed lrler 

sdded for ompeatfue purF36), but omit8 Eults lrom 26 other [nmce) 

vehiclA involv€d in th€!. &aidents beoe they railed t met 

one or more ot th€ *lection 6iteria. But, .drdnS to Pd^. N"rsB dtd rcl 

oNsr4ntly adhere to itr el.r-tion c.tttria. For exmple, a r 96? Pontia. 

E included $ a ce lehicle ddpite the wrsB s stated crit€rion .hat 

vehi.l6 wer€ supD6€d t be FxalST4 models.In ddiuon, althouSh 

N'rsB claimed rhar irs inr€rr3.tion tEf,.n i! ihe fall ol 1984, *vsd ci.e 

.ccidents €srred ir the lat€ sp.ing &d s|jrMe. ot 1984. 

Fd fMd Lh.t the dbtriburion ol edenr reporrl,rg by the l"tsB 

regional ofi|rr w$ highly skryed wilh adveE oruequdB ror the 

replentrrivens of tlE NISD sanple ThE regioN Epo.t€d only fsLl 

ui(ienB whne the otl6 epo.ted lrc y nonla(lr oE. A sttlbti.d 

rst showed lhrt the od& of Lhis distribucoh o@niru by ch8re &e 

l* rhu I m 200. TIE impli€tion il thtt diff€Ma ,i.ld offis interpreiel 

the et€:tion cri(4!s difterentF .(d gre reP)ned o y Ni 

.tents wherc emdft wa bUed. rd rci6 that fEld olfi€ eporting 

only ral3r a.idenLr Mtrlbutcd . dilpDFrliMt sh@ of laPb.lt4d 

hrIAr{q.cr onadI Ifutu N|h@ dft NEI!!5E44 

"rrrd b. Frr@ d la b. s ttffE'EFry-(P& 

E 

1 

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...r'-.b&NBLFr 

AB 

r.^ i! sls cttic.l of tlE itty l.rs us€d the dtt! it olledld For .nF 

Dl", rr^^ ,tuty.b of tlE fuu l&rd of the 30 m denb rereeled Od 30 

sefteRtof tlE sbelt€d o.apstr r @lr,..$ venrla *.F tolled This 

i'rpenencr, F.i,r ob!erv€6, rcprenB dE rcBt rNrd of ev 8Mp of 

@Dartr u ttle $tnpte rciddt!, lnsB dc noc wen reporr ul|' sev€re 

outc;m€ in rhe M.4 v€hicl€s srd tocu... iBttd on low porlv laF 

beli€d @cuper! far€d in ce v€hicl€ 

Finany, €Itho4h n"rsB b€li€E thrt Fuce hi*poriihg of b€lt e .id 

idury *venty enouly lihir tlt @fuhs of lidstjcsl aalvli! of 

l&{e datsb* r. meere belt effetivens. rt never exelnd ae 

datab@ siri6 of its a.aideft 'sple t test it5 hlloth6rs Fd (m_ 

rsred ss mv6ligator r€porB of belt ur€ with b.lt @ repon d for 

ih* 30 acident3 in rhe F E dat b@. Ao$ tDtie od NrsB irvetga_ 

to6 @rded reiirlnt u5. try 132 mDrnts rd ddv'js of th. c'ord 

relealed tlst in only 6 cas (3 8 Dere.r) *a tr'ere dbagem€nt 

ber,wen the polie ud Mrs inv6liSstor coding of belt us Momve' 

r* noler th.t lhe diffefenB @ bddced 6 to Lhe diJetron o' the 

odrnc e.ror Md rruury l€vel e th{ rc tt$ M b. infened $ iln rea.rd 

ro qj,.y r"porune. pol,o , d i'l!s inverr8tio6 .o

Dr. l€onard Evans, 

General lllotors Res€arch 

l,abs 

Nationsl Hi8hway Treffic 

Safety Administration 

E.{baf,rsrFr 

234 

Dr. ten.rd Evs, Srenior Staff R*arc} Scientist Caeral Mot B 

Rearch LaboBlones. @tly evaluared .6ilut sysr.m 8€n€raxy, 

and .€& *aa l.r belb in paftiold I Ue led a st tistical pMedure he 

reentl) develored called th€ d@ble rair onp8rison meihod (This prc 

c€dure is dscnbed in app. I.) BecN* it exdhs or y ratahes md 

nonfarainres jn the saN vehicle, Ev@ app.o&h redx€ rhe problen 

ca!*d by th€ .elatioNhip b€t{en b€lr ue dd accidenr eventy 

EvrE ws Frns data ior 197S4 to sss€5s rear sat beh effetivene$ 

on reducinS lai.liti6. B€cau* the infom.rion contained in sAlrs des 

not dEiinguish by t]T€ of.6r.aint sysrem employ€d, Evm must 

L

i-.d. 3r, FEUdt El.fi"!o" or 

Evidence From the 

Restraint SYstems 

Evaluation Program 

sf.*".o**. 

, 

a5 

lffi;::i";;#;;;;;y 

ar"v (se tlbre 3 r) 

llH:":#ji+$"4 

#t 

:ffi #{ffindtr":ii#3l'tr1rffi 

ffi 

ePllD*lt L,r'r ttrt.jd

La|. aa ltt ctn@.. ot !.r rd bpt 

&dld.r 4.ft. b n.d{rinl s.d!r 

r.ir.. ^*dniq b Por6 .id Rs€P 

h6.blllBr'r 

m 

r6craj.t us, including exdining ihe belt !y!t4t fo! .vidence of lo.dirui 

interyie*in8 polift, witn€s6, ard ocruprnt!; .hd studying d@p.nt 

iiury pattec uke n.rs8 inv6ti8ar..st tlre t6Df lhvgriSaton 

mede a @ful dete@narion of b.l! use. 

The nsEp dat! were exmjred by rsc teNheB. Aft r Mtlouing t6 

@ntomding f&toB such $ d4h ev€.ity, * siz, impa.t te.tion, 

sd qsD4t a8e, sslts d€t R.ircd r\$ bo{h la$ sd lap,rshoulde! 

belrs were €ff

Evidence From the 

National Crash Severity 

Study and the National 

Accident Sampling System 

rrlbbeNs&F.. 

AI 

over ihe pst dftsde S€co(d, Ble ineesiiSatid orlt fruls. pasq, 

geE, !o the lapbelted pash{eN in tne d.ra were in the frcnt !€.t 

.atle. thu the ed rar wirh .pgad to rh€ exr€nt ot *ar b.lt E mje 

reDonin8 by rhe rElie. r8rs,^ b€liev6 rhar tlw timitarioc nilht 

rllcr lhesraof rh..ftd.v bur no, whp.hp l i\ Mi- 

Following nsp, Mns^ D€ga the N.ridrrl Clsh Se!€!fty S\rdy, whlcl 

exmined l2,OO0 io@w.t accidents be.wen l97? lnd 1979. Alchdgh 

rr ws not tixu*d on rEstrajnr system effetiverE6, Ncss .Nit€d belr 

u* lrom thr $u.ci tolice a.cidenr repor6, ocop6nr interuiens, 

dd mvet'gator deteminaoon. Analysi5 oa rhe datr sho*ed rhar frcnr 

s€at bett effRtivens Admar6 were sNisient wi$ !$p nhdiM 

Thap were rew red*d laFbeth cas6 m l,he \(:s nre. bur one;xm. 

Mtion of the data found that tap belts were equ.rly effdjve, betw! 

60 hd 60 percent, for fm.r .rd !w e mulslJ. 

The Ndtionat Aciddr Sepling Sysren $@eded Ncss in t 979. Thi. b 

a broarl $mple or Flie accidenr epor$ d€rgn€d ro p.odue a 3rsti!Ucally 

r€pr@ntative $mtle ol $e nalion s rccid"nLs. Whil€ boih Ncs 

ad f;a\\ u*d rnvstrgaror derenination of beli w, neither emptoyed 

the prcr@ls of 6Ep od borh relied @.e heelily on rhe poti.e amid€nt 

.epo.t! Sn ll sdple sta fo. slsific @pularion sub8hlr6, su.h a 

rr\JuEd re& sar rtupanls €aring lap belts, also linir the applicrtDn 

of statisti.al d.lysis ro Nc$ ed NAs6 dsra to erinEre ef(

Dr. Ch4rles Kahane's 

Analysis of Fatal Accident 

Reporting Syslem and 

Pennsylvania State 

Accident Data 

r";bo*|{ti.r.Fr 

N 

Dr. Chsl6 K&h.ft of Nl|B @ntly e.timst4d the fat3lilv_8nd ir{ury_ 

reducinS erfstiveffi ol lap b.ltr aot Elr *at pasngeB I'n8 data 

rmn ih€ r975J6 Fatal Accid€nt &etoni.g svstem dd 1982_86 lthh 

s\tv.n a rjuL, dGdcn6 bkc Evm, hahoP U*d rhP double Dair sm_ 

Dd$n ndhod F raly- tnp d.t! (s r'pp I XcnMesatulvsisof the 

res d.!a differed trom Elds in rhar I(rnae ucd only dnveF 6 a 

mnrrol Stuup l(ahd€ s malysb als ditfered f6m Evc in ihal he 

included rS86 rAns cas, children bet*€en th€ 396 of 6 ud I6 mcup{ts 

in ihe @rier rcar *at, ud pasnges in v@ ud lid! trucks 

Fdrs coniaitu nedly 500 reconls of falallv i.Jured rcd eat, lstrbelt€d 

o

ld. r.a t.!.nt R.d.|o. rrq4h 

l!9|o'[ rn or e.r ad r.p &rb- 

.&.6t|.tll|rr,... 

a9 

F4funldrd!t&..bi9'o6Ftaoc'slg7 

A64lif,n{$d.|*h'oBJ..tnoc.J 

t *"*-*. -.""* ** ,,*, *". *!e6, both r.6rren

Lhr. 3.a: llrctv.d.. E.rbn t ol 

t..r 5..r L.D E r! u.rt tlolta P., 

CmD.ite ol lglll5 thr.yltt|n. 

Evidence Flom Canadian 

Erp€rience 

r..br*Ifl8.rryr 

240 

A,-k s5 5€ 8 

Kdft de llnrt thrt hp tdts e t|r@ elfEtive in reducing \jurv in 

tu.trfit5l $rn ,roiit t cruh.4 *ept d th€ miror hju.v level 

Kah4 belFB tlts lsD b.lt! e nad d efi€cite in t' i:l 'rrch6 

b@e evd u@st sjtEd E|! sr eopets have a lower i4iur' ck 

thq EtEined dnveF. lloFw6, ch€ b..t *at offe6 no such advdt!8e 

in nonfrontd $6hB Th6. e the rj'''p6 ol s.oddts n whch 

ta est lap lplt3 may do th€ n$st !pod, {d th€s€ t]?€ of ecidnl4 

wNch a@ut td onehalf of ,I flt3l aid€nts were not irclude

Evidenc€ Ftom New York 

Sta[e 

ul 

$mpL. They are s!€cidly *rsitlve !o the prcbl€n ol bb! d|te lo 

@lie rnisreponinS of belL u* Thev pertomed a ersilrvitv &dy3i3 

;rt ihowed thal ii Fbe overeDon rdtraini u* bv suniv6 by l0 

D..enr. a 20 pe.ent diff€Mft in the €afebven$ BtimaL @ld 

6ult They be[ev€ that su.h e level of ruE oning is entirelv pdsible' 

Dahola\ Md Xzlrw\l.r LFhev.lhat the \tsstudv rq trm.lv ud rhd 

red *ar c rupdt DmtFt.on foradulc ha d-n la'8Plt otPrhFcd 

The\ balie\e lhat theC{rdr$dara rrPt ednsed 'lP&ll rnd'ra@ otl 

tno "-'ne the *e-"8..e of rcd lap b.lB Y rll€!x in 'unnPr Fduc' 

inp the n;frber of ()@Pdts Lilled or irluftd @uallv in moior veNcl€ 

cr6h6 However, they el3o believe tlut the ^'r$ (8 studns 3how tnat 

l$Jr\s ihDrovMts in the d€sign ol ree slt oalget 9rotection Nre 

Fruk Conley ot tlE New York Depanmen. of Moro' veh'cl6 examitud 

New lort St4t€ s polic*.eportert ac.ident dti? | He mad€ a stnitlhtfo'_ 

wud conpsisn ;f th€ iiurt md lat litv ex!€.ienc6 of bel&d ud 

unbeltld ()ND6nts, whi.b rev€aLd thar popl€ fued bett€' if thev 

wer€ dlraind. sin.e t982 Ne* Iork S!a!. hs r€quir€d that childrcn 

und€r 5 yec be proleied bv e €t.aint, ud ha rcquired other ()m- 

Ddts exepl tor Ed *at Eopots r0 veaF dd older' to bu'he ut 

;he 198.4. The shre ais. rcquiE !h.l all l(ldent5 involving noE 

rh 

$600 In dMcce be reporred !o rh. Dtr Eron of Moiot v'hrfl6 

Ths trtu\ isioE r;ult rn a lertf d.r!b4 *rth a f.irlv latlP number of 

(rc in which Htrsined indivjduats @ rr\ju.ed. 

How€lcr lherc # sne oblpue prcbleN wrlh rhP d.6 ForexMple 

tlP polrcFreton-ed Gt.ainl us€8e b 8o.r Deran! dd this peGnt'lF is 

ûirr nO"iU,- ttt"r t""otded bv beh e oteNe6 u* bv *tting 

pGirion;ais eve nore qu6lioB .bou! !tu doracv of Flic tep{rts' 

In New ]o.k alnct lO pere ol td *3t ps*ngeF w're rmrc& a 

edinS lap/snoude. b.ht, s wR 22 Ftaat or pasnaeF tidtg in 

th€ middl. front *at Tlr.re Ftert g€ ato nor @n6!ond al all wth 

rhe av.ilabilit! oa such syr!4 for lhe &a(rn! plfiiioc ThGe num_ 

beE, reprRniing lhd;fib ot €!.t, 3u886a thal problems of ntr 

Do.ting dd miB&ding 4 cotMdplr4 Tt6e probl€ru r&* qu..@c 

'trdfu.PEsvdR^J@D 

;T;ii..:-n;;ft;;d;- bsidhFAl'fu so{'dtut'dtEF i 

m/!D*l.L'ka6|e 

I 

a 

4 I 

i 

: 

t 

'.i 

N ,., 

: 

j 

'! 

I 

:d'1 

j 

,| 

i 

=i 

ii

IdOb&NEr.Fr 

|uz 

a!qr! tlE a4.u.&y of the d.t3 4d, by implicsdon, che validitv ol &alv- 

Evidence Ftom ltichtSan Xen CepbelL of th€ TrrruDonrtion nltesrch lrstjtltt of th€ UdveFitv 

of Michigs anelyad policreport4d cidenl dat! lmn th€ stab or 

Michigd to detsnine the elretilele$ of lap b€lis tor P:r €at du_ 

Durs. Mich4e h6 iad a nudalorv w l.w sinLt 1985 Th. 

u&alyrd

T.d.3,t:..a+i.t .idrs a.r 

Ocat |( ,.n ux h r*t rgrg, 

..dd.db'^..d,rr|!i|' 

GAO Observations 

r-fub*lEr.Fr 

2/,3l 

110a rr3* 43 rt 

$5 r B4 r 065 r.136 

Xen Capb€ll@rcludes thal Do6tn nd.lory ue las dat ftm roli€ 

@tddl rc@rt! c,mot b€ ued t! d€tamire *at belt efiNtiveness 

wirhout takug . tire erie 3pprorch, i..., .rMiNnS lhe chdge in 

i\jury etpenere over trre aJ&r smoothing for orhe. t.ends. He rold u 

th8, he hG ch6en nor to do thn, but iBt4d he plar$ ro go back dd 

ex2rnihe expenene Drior b tne psaA€ of the medato.y u* law Thls 

eDrk L! still in progls 

FiruIy, (s CmDbell tbld us that he is moE snaident in polie &cideni 

eport dara rhd i5 rhe $. He believB rha! if ni

dNEl.F. 

244 

Nc,nh CsolrE s. BaclsiltitrS Cmrb€$'! Nrrr! C|ldD .g tLt 

mer the Nrs !.rortrn8 rit€na into f.t [i!6 rd td|fat liti6 stil 

raelds r dilaribotion ligufL@rlv dilielcnt arorn !{r{a t 

The eiiddre tr!fr ..versl studi6, €mpLoyin8 ditf.E t m€lhodl lnd 

data, indtc.r4s tlEt llp b.lB @ les, .ff.(tiv€ ln fmnkr, hilh_inD..t 

c.ahFrhe tyF of dslh thd h'Is hv.d$t d-but e .ff

The Board's Defense 

of Its Methodology 

NTSB Views of Other 

Dat bas€s 

216 

iGB oaticids h.ve Eponded ro .he .ntic of the lap belt study. Th€y 

hav€ defen&d their app@ch ro rh€ querion sd hav€ reject d the 

hotio. that.ney exmined ody very s€.ious didenls N"r$ staff have 

reite.ated th€ir .onceru abour the qualiry and ueaulne$ of lolie aei, 

dent repo.t baed data od b.li4e thar rhe l@nr srudies suffe r frcn 

m6t of rhe s.N probl€G s earlie. uatys. Fina]ly, rhey b€lieve that 

lh€y had 3 horal obli8arion ro publish rheir {indinEs ud dNbt rhar 

thei. study played ey pan in de outcone of r.h€ *a! tptt r€Deal .efe.- 

Boord officiars naint in, t! !.td d6rly in *rrb n?oii, $a ul. n!v.r 

rntanded r.o ud, :n l&t, did mr perfom . stalbtically .eurbte.n lysis 

of rh€ eff(tiven* of re& e.r lap b€li5 od fxnhe., ths! d|ey t cluded 

lh€ appropnah caveats in rheir s.udy. Th€y Ekrowledle rhtt st3ri*r 

c,l reliability *ould hav€ .equir€d a nuch IdB€. trd @.€ fuuy repF 

ent tive sanpl€. [osev.r. Board rENm€t r Wahingion sd i! .he 

field ruJect thenotion rhat rh.y e\aminedonl! lery *no6 am@n6. 

They glhi oui &ai chc areraer detia V m rhe snrdied.ccdenl3 qs 2? 

mph, b€low the Mrr$ c.Eh resr srddard for stety belt efferilen* of 

30 mth They point out thar NtsR crssh t.3rs e, in tad, perfomed s, 

Th€ Doard s sraff atlo rE€t ru^ s sleli.rbn that cit ria oahs th|n 

tn@ stared qer€ ued fo. reFnin8 ,ccid€n6. Wnib !"r$ did no! Eti!. 

Pd s srEciric qiticbtu oI its gaple, the Bo&d cl.iN thar norhjrU tr 

'ts notrfi.ation cnr€na rsk.d rh@ reponjnS &cidenrr to r€pon dv 

rh@ in tr hi.h r\jurics ecured or in which a beltard peMn ws trUur€

xls.+cb&db 

?A6 

sar ltelt o* .aqratlly They beliele it is $lfsi

Problems With Federal 

Databases 

NTSB Response co 

Analyses Using State Dala 

m.r4'Nu|e(te 

2t7 

found (asin shich lhr lapbclt@uscd $rious ituury, bur found m 

cus of lrplshoulder brlt.rnduced inJuries 

Th€ B.ard s srata b€liev€ that fte F |.j dar1, u*d br borh Evhs ud 

Xahue, are uueprable fo. Btinating ear *at lap b€lt era{dvenG 

. The outconrs of @pants m fatal cr6h6 csrcr predid ourcone ih 

. Tht rca. *a1 Gcupani numbeB sre erlremelr smau 

. tiks data are h€.€ly tDlrcjeponed a€d€nt data and arc nor rciiable 

in a numberof cru.ial FsD

The Belt Use Reporting 

Issue 

The Board's Justification 

for Publishing the Report 

2r8 

['rsu officjals rrin! to rhe srudi6 using sta|e accident rtat3 bv FEnk 

Co.ley ed Ken Cmptsll s fu.ther prmf oa Lhe futil v oa Lrving lo 

work wilh Dlie.eDon€d a.(id.nt data Thev clain tn. obvious nFrepomng 

of the lype oasyst€m employ€d rhar app€a.ed h the New York 

sd MrchiSan da!. malr6 it imF.sslble topla.e d,r onfiden.€ n analv' 

sislsingsuch poli.e acciden( r.pon b&td dala \Ats starral$.rt€ pno. 

leech, inclutinS that p€.fom€d by B.J. Cdpb€ll&

GAO Observations 

Nr8ar4buc6 

A9 

With resp

lv'',bbc&&oi.r. 

zffi 

ffi#lffiLlfiHffiffiffi#l*,n 

$ffi 

#jfr l'i,#',,,lr#li,,'trfi itr*#[*:li: 

ffi#^ffitlfliF.#f#it#' 

'" _ " 

@irc mbe 

poirrng qDurd redu.p hceffFrrr 

rF r'@h 

;;,il,11#,.#Hq,,i"x:,:.*:;:dil_yil 

fi 

%--" 

ffii,rJl*:Hffi##Fffi"H,?:ii'[[ixTi].s& 

.'/|.1D..[r4r*Erdr-.

26r 

ChapFr 6 

GAO Observatiors and Conclusions 

On lh€ b8sb of @r revi4 of the ^15B Epon, otlcr srudis dd .!rlys, 

sd intdie* with individuals expen jn kaffic safery rcedh. w€ 

have developed obsewatioN and on lu$oc on the Lwo o6!c ouesnoN 

Do*d to us by the Chaimd: how NmB develoFd rhe d.t! on rhe 26 

ces m its smple dd whetner its rejection of the databrc unde.ly'r8 

statislical aalys of red *at lap belt efletiven* ws justiai€d 

GAO Observations on 

t}Ie 26 Cases 

The IlsB smple or 26 accidents s a nor a reprentarive sample of 

GAO Obsersations on 

the Usability of the 

Databases 

hiShvBy accidenE, but a siatsircally .ep@htalive smpte 6 nor nec6 

sry L show that a p.oblem exisb. Nrsu usually rales a (e sru

252 ,$ Y,. 

r e do not b.lise thai Ftss's con4€rc lbout tlE drts provide 3 sufr! 

ciat bsis for dimjsing .ith?r th. Eults of otlE reach in thls atlr 

or the dat bas thel@lvF No dstsbe is perfed Th€ qu6don s 

aq.ncy Lhar In@nds !o e drk m@l add.b b *he!ne- rhP dak de 

{,fficFntlv a@rale !o neld vrrd tndrngt aSourth" th'nJ b"in8 da' 

lvad P;ible jnecureiE or limita.io$ in lhe data should b€ e!3]u' 

;2d b deEmne ho{ li}.ly i. is |hat iheY w$ld li8nif'cotLv ,fect 

dv co..lusions ba*d on th€ dab NHls^ inv6tig.a4d th€ flaws tn ltE 

data n !* to md'% eat b.li effdivens tnd Mcluded that the 

pDbl€re were .ot suffri€nt !o rnvaltdai. tlre data for IR$'h' NnB 

dirl no ealwis of it3 oM !o denoNrrst that r\HTs{ s rindmgs ahut lne 

eb ity or &€ data weE ino]€t 

Therefore. * ind lnat while M5! hs hiAlilht d ere impon ft lnit3ctore 

in eldely u*d @idenr daubss, i! h$ rct shown tha! the 

dal3bes .a ot be Dkd to shos lhat lap belts' on balece prct€t rc'i 

*at lEsgcels rn aulomobrleaatha The pre*to Fof inaaracE ur 

,r'" aro r" n_nt " "urr'"'"nr *a!on fot drmsrng rhP frndhgs o, all th€ 

learch thal h4 Ed that d.t 

firally, Nrss s otronn! ot th. p.in.iD6l databM r*mh"E uled to 

mal% the r.fol'r|.m ot dtfterenr tvT.s ut

289 

Dessiption of the Double Pairs 

C,omparison Procedure 

The merhod fdlls on too l)spels, a sDbirr" i)@pst and d 

''othe. 

@cupsnL The p.obablliti6 of a fatality to lhe subiect ltnp6rl 

bder two cddirio$ for exmple, r€stEin€d and unrdtrarn€d-aE 

ompared. The orher' o.tupant esntalll seNes a no.malizinS. o. 

ex!.6ure estinali!8, role The pr€du.e us !*oscls of iaLal..ahet 

Th. fi*t *r scists ol cr€h6 involvinS (aG contairi.nS a subjel du' 

pu! of rnte.6r (such {s r.est.un€d nSht res penSer) and an 

"oth€r" 

d@pol (such s3 u unresrrained dnver), al iest on€ of whom 

is kill€d F.on Lhe nmb€6 ol subje.t {d othe. @cupant rat3lio6. a 

$bjecvothe. fatality ratlo is calcrl.€d (such d rhe 6t.dned nSht 

red palsnger to Nestraned d.ive. fatlritv .atb). r'rcn a *cond *t 

of crss}G involving cm where the subjer EcupMl dd the other ftcu- 

Fur elrmsl.ained, uolJls latarrty .ato is.alolat d lslch 6 tfe 

m.est.aired rl8h! Ed t4 umt.ained dnve. .atiol. DYrding the fiFr 

f.talhy ratjo by the s@nd ).el(ls Lhe p.obabilitv $at a Eddned nght 

E& p4enSer is lilled conpared with rhe corespondi4 probabiliit 

lhai & un6rr*i.ed not rcaryer6en8e. L. killed This.atD rs the 

efletivenes of the 6tr$nt systm defined 6 lhe feciion (or p€..en0 

reduction in farabtie that woutd drue to a @re^tly unEt.aned 

Dopulation if the population r€rc to chsge io miversal ar.ant u5€, 

dl other I&ioF .enaini!8 unche8ed 

f 

$l 

4 

$ 

! 

,! 

I 

i 

I !! 

4 

: 

: 

.;, 

i 

i ]

M4jor Contributors to This Report 

Resources, 

Community, and 

Economic 

Development Division 

He.b€n R Mclure. AsyEiate Oirecror 

JayEtt2 Hrke., Group Di.eror 

F.dcis P. Mulvey, Evaluro.ln{h.X. 

Pah.ia lech. Ayalu.lo. 

Mrch&l K.lse, Sp€cirl Asistat !o the Conprroler C€i€rd 

I I' 

,4 

i 

i 

t 

'l

th! nonor.bl. c.rdl3. corlins 

255 

f,.F. fuw d Rqrtrch.! 

.futrn@!dr.!|rB.l|r't 

{fr 

f:rcr!!IdCnar. 

TtuqaoL DiS ,r,t 

JUr I ., ftn 

Subcoa!ttee on Gove rDoent AcCivitl.. 

lnd TransPortrtlon 

U. S. Eouae of represerlrtive. 

r.3hin9ton, D. c. 20 515 

tot. ?, 1988 

Sinee rritlng to yo! a f€v dtyi r9o.bout your ProPoB.d 6..t 

b.lt iDvestio.tloo. our Subcondltt.e rG..ived the €n.lo5.d l.tter 

trod the staIe of .bra6I!,s Departrert or |{otor vehicles, the 

lette. helps to confir! the c!utions r.rPressed to you in hy rirst 

l.tter. The Nebraska letter states: 

rt uas -Ev-ThE--n6tere- 

unfortunate ihat our s.f€tv belt la{ ras 

rescrnde 

in th. NoL e ns;l , -F66-!-en-a 

l 

TIiTm-, rr vds decided br only 1,133 vot.s. 1!3 

lo' oDDosLLion involved the frePdon of 

;Fal:; antil-?. !, JurT-- qh r sar qlent3-.--ThETi6M 

retropolltaffipF itid 5ET-t usc, vhlle the rlrar 

populntio. rended to support the opposttton posrtion. 

A 5tudv

he Honorable clrdl!B colltt. 

?.ffi 

t.lso ob6e.ve that th. June 6, t98? edition or l$!39!jJ9 - 

iter. indlct!e6 rpage 581 that the Iota SuPrene court has _69teeo to 

cffi-ider ! consLitutionai chlllenge to Lhe st.re'6 

irr" iiii"t. ind,cates rhat Lhe challenger uho 'has been convicced 

of two' s€aL bel_ vLoI6r,ons heads a statewide drivE to overturn 

ir,. ra.,' rt'" c!ganiz.tion is "Freedon First in loYa " This 

articl€ ,llus-rdles once .9ain shy r af, 'xtretrFly concprn€d from 

the sLandooinr c! DUDLIc s.f.tv thr( rhp !eaL 

is"'" u. i"" .atatlsr tt'at h€l;s th.s. !esci

TATE 

257 

OF 

DEPAIIIIENr OF MOTON VEIfICLDS 

J6. 2, t9tt 

th. Hncable tohn D. DjnE.ll 

U5. Hoos. oi R.pr*errariv.t 

slb

..-a - 

P.F 2 

Thc Hono.abl. John D, Dint ll 

?.8 

On. !... ol caution ilFuld b. ctBi.br.d. TIE t t ty b.lr E. hv3 v;c 

p.ohot.d and adopt.d $in8 ihe arEum.ntt ot th.lil.svjng b.n.fii how.ver, usi.8 

'!at. vallic tatality couts a a m.ar. o, !cc.$ d tlilue of salety beit use 

l.er ir m..ainal at be51. In fact, Nebrek!'3 t.atlic fat.lity co61 increated during 

lhr Frlod the lav {6 in efl€ct whiL. ar rh. 3am. rine th. injuy rare in passnger 

v.hicl.t d.clied dramaticallt. Too much .mphasis is pl.@d on th. lit.€vinE 

i5rE and not enough on the iniury..drclion. Unril usag. raict...ch 7096 or more 

ir i5 .s!ma!.d that siSnilicanr r.ductio$ in l.hrid.r in pa.$nt r v.hjcler will 

Ercl6.d to ynu infdm.tion sd rcvi.e, is a @ll.ction oI EsPaF. 

.rdcl.e rea6rdira th. salcty b.lt law rep.al .ttort- lI you h.!. uy l(th.r 

EBli'*'l:; 

tEB 2 ? r98b 

259 

UNTVERSAL FIdCLF'N. BT* 

\ 

Poll shows support \ 

of seat belt law up 

61 0z6 would keeo it i{ vote held today 

N.larlr'r on1m6n l s.|l t n 

Lr E ,r|niiS $J9Fr! .c$nli,rt lo a 

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ol N.h.r*.,B 

@.r!d rodd wt. ro t .r U. bw 'I . 

rlndw lcn.dd.d l' liorttr$.. 

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lnt rould vot rtrb3|rltLr, 

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ot tt 6 Grrrltta 8.8 qu6 

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Seat-Belt law 

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dtd e. ti.t 

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statets eeat-belt law 

!rru xnF 

or.Jq*Ar.lc. 

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ocT 2 7 1985 

265 

UNIVERSAL P.EcriFq sue 

Safety vs. free choice 

focus of seat belt issue 

It i.icy Hido t 

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l{.ialo hL.r! q! hrq r cnrc. Not. a ro I 

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Fasten Yor.r Seat Belt\\:T1:I- 

TalyTuns Cliffiunger 

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UNIVERSA! 

P'dcnd!'oBu'& 

- Editorial 

268 

'Ottinion 

--- 

Seat-belt law 

defeated, not 

seat-belt use 

Ot| E issue of vhethrr Nebraske should ke.D 3 man- 

Ostory sercb€ll las. 267.136 voted a8alnlt and 255,94 vole 

for Thrt is pr.lly close lo an even split 

w.'d lil. tllil. It *ould m€an mor. r€.d.rs l'|d fctrt' 

obituri.s L.e or m l.v, buckling up stiu mek.s !.ff.. 

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Elcction regulb cerdflod D4.8t, 1on*."o1 

State seat-belt law 

officially repealed 

rsl.dllllw|tlL.ltlrrlb. 

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Aldtr Ery ]|C. Job. 

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Subcorni ttee on Gov€r.!.nt 

Activi lies and fransport.tion 

u.s- House of RepreEentat!veE 

na6hi.9ton, D- c. 20 515 

Dear C a rdt s6: 

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tl.s. Am!! of n4rurmsrib.! 

t*!dt'rt or €ttt*k tL ,lDlrfistl, 

,fr 

cdtcnI-Id€etr 

fi!fl$tr EC ttt 

Jun! 2?, 198! 

r appreci.t. gr..tly y@r Jonc 0, l9a6 r.ply to Dv t'tl"s in 

thich vol indi.ate_a "uiu;lrtY'of 

"intet.st6 r'l'tive to 6ett 

beIL s;i.ry, rncludlnq the neea tor state i.nd.torv seat b'lt u" 

l!r5." r;rso.ppl.uA your asreenent that iL is 

iitPort.nt not to 

dl6courage person; fro!_usin9 rear seat safetY belts that do tot 

Include Ehoulder belts.' 

at the saie tire r vas dtstu!bed to learn frotr the enclosed 

.rLicle .bouL you. subco!!lttee he.rrnqs that on. of the urrnesse6 

ras a lasv€r r;Dr€s€nt.tive or an Instltu(. iounded ontv rh!s vear 

by '!ttor;eys 1;voIve

3l;"";"'"o.. 

c!.

n6 

oUESTION 1: Pl€aa€ alescribe in deiall !h. p€tirion proc€ss and what lo]e 

lf any the prlv.t. sector playa.in the proc$s. 

llI9BB: Th€ defec! petition plocess is de8cribed 1n detatl tn the 

€nctosed coPy of'Control Plan for the Processing of Def€cr petittons.. 

Since our publication of the controt plan, re have made a few minor 

changes in tbe Hay re process p€tirions. Th€ plan is curr€ntly being 

levised !o reflect these ninor changes in lhe process. rh€ regula!ions 

for carrying out the pelition process are sp€cified under 49 cFR Parls 

552 and 557 and in NITSA ord€r 800-2, 

'Proc€dures 

for Processing 

Pe!itions,' dated Novenber 20, 1978, 

In summary, lh€ defecl petition proc€5s involves tbe fotloring: 

1. liben a petj.tion is received, it is revtered and assigned to a 

staff engineer o! analyst ro g.ther and analyze inforMtion fror 

!11 possible source3, this u3ually includes an inforEeion 

re9ue6 t to the manufactur€r. 

2. UPon asEignn€nt of a petition, tb€ p.lition aDalyst: 

o Reriees the p€tiLion for content. In sone clse6, the 

p€titicfiet nust be conEacted for clarificatlon of the requested 

investlg!tlon, for nore infornation on the inciden!s ci!ed in 

the pelition, o! for clarification of technical points llEde in 

lbe pelition. Freguently. thos€ cited in the petition as 

having €xperienced the conseguenc€s of th€ alleged defect nust 

b€ contacted for nole information. 

o lccesses the co'nputerized dat. base for sinilar conplaints, dnd 

fot an!'service bulletins o! !ecall notificatlons pertatnlng to 

the subJ€ct veb i cl e. 

o tnalyzes the naterhl leceiv.d frorn the data b!se. thia 

lnc1ude6 revi€r of all corpl.lnlE, rhich fleqoently lnvolv€s 

contacling lhe coEplainant, and analysis of th€ felevanc! ro 

lhe all.eg€d tlefect of service bultetins issued by the 

manufaclurer and the prec€denc€ of p!ior r€caLls. 

o If nece€aary, conducts an analysis of .epofts of the atra 

probleo in sirailar, peer vehiclea. 

o Pr.p!r.s an lnfolnation request (IR) to tn. Bubrect v.*tlcl. 

rnrnufaclure!. The nanuf.cEure! is t€que6ted to provide ! 

resporue eithin 30 working d.ys of receipt of lhe lR but 

fr€guentl,y exten€ions are requested due to Cranslation problaia 

and the nagnitud€ and/or ccnplexi!y of rhe infornEtion de6ired. 

o If testing ot vehicleE or cotrponenrs is necessary, pr€pares 

taEt r€guirements and objecttves, prepare6 ckrcunent8 nec€Ea.ry 

to inpl€l|ent lhe ees!s, ronilors lhe t€Bts, and analyc$ tbe 

rcsul tlng da ta, 

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Eecelvea and analyzs tlre manulaclurer ra response !o the IR 

and, if necessary, nakes furLher inquiry to the nanufaclure., 

Fr€gu€ntly, those identified by the manufacturer as baving 

experienced th€ consequences of th€ atteged defect are 

contacted fo. nore inforn'ation. 

Fo! p€titions based on atleged acaident overlnvolviicnt ln 

which fe'r, if any, complainLs have been leceived by the rqency 

or the nanufacturer, statistical data on crash involve'nent, .ndl 

that oi p€er vehicles, erill be requested fron the agency's da!! 

center and analyzed. 

o occasionally, the perl !iode. rill s.rbnit additionar 

inforrE!ion, This is normally r€viered and i.ncluded in lhe 

anaLysis, unless it is received at the v€ry end of the 

process, Ever ther, i.! is revi€eed Lo see if rhe P€tition 

procEasing should be delayed to consider the nee informalion, 

o A.alyzes all infornEtion received and d€v€loped. Prepares a 

report aDd !ecomnenalati ons. 

o Preparea a response to lhe p€Litioner. 

If a petition is granred, an investigarion ls lnltlat€d. It a 

petition is d€nied, a Pederal Ftegister notice of $e denial is 

ahe agency normally nak$ a delernination and nolifies the 

petitiqler within 120 daya o! receiving the petiiion. llo{everr 

this i€ not alEys possible if testing is ne€ded or if there ar€ 

delays in th€ rece!pr of infornElion froft the manufac!'rrer. 

Ihlays are also encounteled if coiprainants rnust be contacred o! 

if exlensive analysis of crash statistics is necessary. 

5. The T€chnicat Rete!€nce Division of the agency nakes available and 

supplies ro mettt,ers ot the public upon request alI publicly 

available documents conc€rninq lh€ D.tition, 

the privaLe sector nay participate in the proces6 by providing substanlive 

infornation conce!ning the stb ject of a p€titim and can reviee the 

publicly available inforratlon during the agency considera!ion of a 

petition, If rhe information is plovided eithin the first 60.lays aft.r 

the aqency bas received a petition, the agency rill nornally conside! lt, 

Tb€ agency does not release any business confi.l€ntial information or lny 

of its own tesL !€sults and analyses, if testing vas conducted, to the 

private seclor durj,ng the proc€€s, The agencl, considers Lhe p€cition 

processing as lh€ first step in a lae enforcement accion. coEistent nith 

the connoD practic€ for lar eoiorcan€nt rctions, tb€ aqency iloes not 

!evea1 the .esutts of its investigarion rhile j.n progress. Afcer 

conFleeion of Che petiCion, any test results p€ltainiDq !o the p€tition 

are avail&Ic Eo the g.neral publrc. 

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@EltIotl 2: Slnce th€ relaase of the rltldral lransportatlqt Sbfety 

Board's 1986 report, ho!' many ocher Stales have foltoued or may soon 

folrow Neb!aska.s €xampLe in rescinding alI or part of rheir mandatory 

sear bel h laws ? 

aNsvlER: w€ believc tha(e $ra a noticelble loss of nonen brrn for llfaty 

belt use and belt lass follo\ding the lelease of tbe NTSB report on 

lear-seat lap bel!s in August 1986. Belt lars in both Massachusetts and 

Neb!aska \re.e repealed by voter referenda in Novenber 1986, tihile no 

other slate has since repealed 1!s safety law, we note that r€peal bills 

have been intlodrc€d in haDy states, ritb varying deg.ees of action. In 

llisconsin, for exanple, lhe legislalure approved a proposal to accelerate 

the schedu]€d 

'sunset'of 

the safety belt las; that provision was 

llne-i!€rn vetoed by Lbe @vernor. In additlon, teo Stales eill hold 

voter referenda on the issue this Novedbe!: !4ontana, on whether to 

a€p€a] the belt 1ar already in effect, aDd Oreqon, on pbether lhe belt 

lax ahould be allored to 90 into effect. It should aLso be nored that 

safety belt bi]ls ril.l conlinire to be considered in nany of the 18 states 

currently lacking such lawsr and that nany of the other 32 Stares 'rill 

continLre to considet various proposals to an€nd, sLrengthen or weak€n 

their safeLy belt Iaws. 

Those ongaing Iegislativ€ and public reviers rnay r€ll be influ€nc?d by 

publ.iclty abou! lhe p€rformance of safety belt syst€nls, including 

rear-seat lap belts. In thal regard, ere are conc€rned that stories such 

as the recent ABC-TV '20l/20r 

leport on rear-seat lap bel.ts (July 22, 

1988) lllay raise pubtic dor.rbls about the effectiveness of safety belts 

generally, and Lhus as to the value of safety belt usage and of safeLr 

belt use laes. The content ot the'2A/20'proslam appeared to be based 

largely on the NTSB's 1985 report, and focused on cas€s rtere lap belts 

had induced injury, rather on the overrhelminq najor!cy of cases where 

Lap bel!s prevented or reduced injuries. althouqh 

'?0/20' 

did counsel 

vis{€rs to eear lap belts? it nonetheless suggesled Lhat they are 

inferior to rap/shoulder belts; and the reporL's !itle ('cutting colne.s, 

costing lives') may have left viewe!s rith an unfavorable inplession of 

aafeLy bel ts generally. 

oUESTION 3: las NlltsA rfrre of the concern about lrp-only !e!r aeat 

belts prlor !o lhe r€cent publicily 8ltrroundlng lhe Garret! case? 

a!$l|ER: The agency has alr€ys been asare that safely countelri€asurer, 

unde! certaiD crash conditions, can occasionally cause occupanc injury, 

but lhat fact does 19! negaLe Ehe overall effecti!$ess of thcse safety 

features.. I. lhis regard, NHISA has 1on9 re@gnized that Iap belts can 

induce injury in sone clashes. of course, this is even true of 

lap-shourder belts, But focusing solely on belt-ind'rced injuries 

susiained by res!!ained occupaDts j.s hiqhly nisteading; those sane 

occupants, if unrestrained, nighl relt have beeo injured or ktlted (thru 

ejectlon, for exanple). So eeen rhere a belted passenger is injured, one 

3hou1d not auConatically assume that belt Dse tJas necessatily 

dellir.enCal. Itor€ove!, the evidence is clear that. on balance, 1ap-b€lt 

usage prevenLs or nitigates fa! more inju!ies than it causes. 

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the lssue of tho c!a3h protection plovided by reer-eeat Iag belts nas 

highlighted in Ngu6t 1986 l{hen the National Transportarion Safety Board 

reteased its repolt. that report questioned rhether rear-seaL tap beLts 

{ere effecliv€. In lesponse to the reporc and the discussion it 

stinulaled, NHISA and other safety researchers revtered nunerous analyses 

oo the erfectiveness of lap betts, erhich confirmed the value of rhose 

aysteN. In Febflrary I98?, $e Society of Aulonstive hgineers sponsored 

a stmlposiufr on rear-seat occupan! crash protecti,rn, The findinss of th€ 

reEearchers chat parcicipated in the sympcsium overwhelmingly supporLed 

tbe coDclusion that, over tire spectrun of crashes, rear-seaC tap belts 

.t€ eEfectrve in redcing the risk of occupst inlury or deaLh, 

QUESTIoN {: Of the rear selt passenge! fatalitieE rhat have occurr€d 

over th€ la.st s€veral years, hor many have been atlribuled !o lap-on]y 

safety belts and hor nany to the passenger erearing no restraint devic?? 

ANSTWER: notor vehicle crash experi€nce indicates lhat a rear seat 

occupant eho vrears a lap belt has a significantly snatler risk of dealh 

or injury than an occlpaDt Lho is unlestrained. rn iLs srudy of lap belt 

effecliveness, NHlsa has found that rear seat Lap beIcs, rhen worn, are 

approxlmaLely 32 per cant €ffective in reducing Lh€ risk of fatality. 

tithout a deLailed invesligarim of each fatality, it i6 no! possibl€ to 

&cermin€ the exact cause of death for pelsons sho !ea! Iap belrs ani 

thcse sbo do not, sa.ever, *e believe the diff€rence in farality 

experience speals for itself: a lap-belted occupanL is safer than an 

unrestrained occutEDt, 

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virsight hearing - Motor Vehicle Hazard Archive Project

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