NHTSA Now Using Crash-Test Dummies in the Back Seat as it Revises Future 5-Star Safety Ratings
The Delaware auto accident attorneys of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman have helped many families get the help they need, when they or their loves ones have been injured in an auto accident. You are welcome contact us to meet with a member of our legal team in one of our offices, located in Seaford, Wilmington and Newark.
Conventional wisdom says that the back seat is the safest place to sit in a passenger vehicle. We put our children in the back seat because we instinctively believe that if the vehicle crashes into something head-on they will be shielded from the brunt of the impact. But the majority of the research into automobile safety has greatly improved the chances of front seat passengers surviving a crash and neglected back seat passengers. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that it is planning to revise its crash-test program that is used to determine 5-star ratings which manufacturers and dealers is to make their cars more appealing to consumers. The NHTSA is planning to use crash test dummies in the back seat during front-impact crash tests for the first time. The results of these tests will update the rating system for model year 2019 vehicles.
While the back seat may be the safest place for children to sit in a passenger vehicles, this is not necessarily so for adults. In a story on CBSnews.com, senior research scientist for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Jessica Jermakian said, “For adult occupants, we wouldn’t necessarily say it’s safer [in the rear] anymore.” The CBS story also mentions how automakers are focusing more of their investments in creating crash avoidance technologies such as lane detection warning systems and automatic braking rather than in enhancing a vehicle’s crash worthiness.
Interestingly, the incredible rise in the popularity of the ride-sharing economy piloted by Uber and Lyft, has increased the urgency surrounding making back seats safer due to the fact that so many adults are now riding in back seats.
The NHTSA’s five-star rating system began in 1978, but those ratings have only, up until now, focused on the two front seats. This means that safety for those passengers who travel in the back seat–our children for the most part–has not kept up with the amazing pace of emerging safety technologies. Back seat passengers do not benefit from the same level of protection that front seat passengers now enjoy. One of the challenges facing NHTSA, is to find a compromise between protecting front seat passengers with strong seats that will support them and protect them in the event of a crash, while at the same time keeping the back seat passengers safe from being injured by the front seat and even the body of the front seat passenger should their seat collapse backward. The Center for Automotive Safety reports that nearly 900 children were killed when they were sitting in the back seat in rear-end collision between 1990 and 2014.
One simple thing can be done immediately to improve the safety of back seat riders—always wear a seat belt.
If you have been injured in a car crash caused by the negligence of another driver, we are here to help. At the Delaware law offices of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, we are here to serve clients in Newark, Seaford, Wilmington and throughout Delaware. Please call us at 302.414.5553 or fill out our quick contact form to schedule a free consultation to discuss your injury case with an experienced auto accident attorney today.
Attorney Jeffrey S. Friedman joined Silverman, McDonald & Friedman in 2001. He graduated from Widener University School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and in several Federal Circuit courts. He areas of concentration include auto accident and workers’ compensation cases. Read more about Attorney Friedman here.