virsight hearing - Motor Vehicle Hazard Archive Project

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