IMPACT OF USING PASSIVE SAFETY SYSTEMS ON CHILD TRAUMA DURING A FRONTAL COLLISION

: The aim of this paper is the assessment of child’s position during a frontal crash. As part of this research, numerical tests were performed using Madymo software, where five different positions taken by a child during car travel were assessed. The research has shown that the child's position during a frontal collision has an impact on the injury criteria. However, passive safety systems are able to effectively protect young passengers from serious injuries. The study showed that positions taken while sleeping, playing with toys, or operating electronic devices are at a slightly higher risk of head, chest and neck injuries compared to the correct model position. A greater likelihood of injury was noted for two positions where the seat belt did not work optimally (there were noted a slipping of the dummy from under the hip belt or slipping of the shoulder belt, which led to increased activity of the belt around the child's abdomen). Tests indicate that the child may behave naturally while driving, but limit positions should be avoided, which may contribute to abnormal operation of passive safety systems.