virsight hearing - Motor Vehicle Hazard Archive Project

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
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