Unlatching School Bus Seat Belt Buckles: Considerations for Young Passengers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Abulhassan Y ; Davis J ; Gallagher S ; Nageswaran S ; Schall M ; Sesek R
• Description:
  Automobile seat belts reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities resulting from a crash. As seat belts become more prevalent on large school buses, characterizing the capabilities of children to operate the unlatching mechanism of a seat belt is crucial to ensure the post-crash safety of young passengers. This study evaluated the strength capabilities of children and their abilities to unlatch a school bus seat belt when a school bus is in both the upright and rolled-over orientations. Push force exertions on a seat belt buckle push button were measured and compared to the seat belt assembly release force requirements specified in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 209. Results of the study suggested that children do not have the strength to exert the maximum force of 133 N to release a seat belt assembly as specified in FMVSS No. 209; however, most children could unlatch a typical school bus seat belt assembly in the upright and rolled-over orientations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Automobiles Ergonomics Occupational Health Safety Transportation
• Keywords:
  Accidents Author Keywords: Seat Belt Children Crashes Motor Vehicle Parts Motor Vehicles Rollover Safety Belts School Bus Surface Transportation Vehicle Safety

  More +
• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; California ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  118
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069542
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2024 Jul; 118:104283
• Contact Point Address:
  Shivaprasad Nageswaran, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, 3301, Shelby Center, Auburn University, AL, 36849, USA
• Email:
  szn0043@auburn.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:949f4b3c8984f8b0ca8b64550c6766fdecb6c0f23d19e4ca69b582fc20cf378747368dcbaaf470af8a4cd2d715eb140c34abebbc73d0fc824424807a11d853f6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207962/cdc_207962_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.93 MB ]