Child Passenger Safety Glossary of Terms
This area is designed to provide consumers with a generalized view of important child passenger safety terms.
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- Gross Misuse
The most flagrant CR errors. Those that completely negate the intended effect of the child restraint. These types of misuse are visible from outside the vehicle.
- Haddon Matrix
An injury prevention model which provides a systematic way of looking at all the factors involved in the occurrence of an injury. Focuses on the preventable aspects of a crash.
- Harness Retainer Clip
A plastic (sometimes cloth) tie or clasp that holds the shoulder straps close together over the child's chest at armpit level. Pre-crash positioning device intended to keep harness straps in position on the shoulders.
- Head Excursion
The distance forward that the occupant's head travels during an impact. An element regulated by FMVSS 213.
- Incompatibility
The ways in which motor vehicle seats, safety belts, and other elements impede the correct use of child restraints and visa versa.
- Infant Only Restraints
A child restraint system designed for use only by a baby (usually weighing less than 17-22 pounds) in a rear facing or flat position.
- Integrated Child Seat
A child sized forward facing restraint of booster built into a vehicle seat. Some have a full harness and hold children over 20 pounds. Others are belt-positioning boosters for use with L/S belts.
- Lap Belt
A safety belt anchored at two points for use across a vehicle occupant's thighs/hips.
- Lap/Shoulder Belt
a safety belt that is anchored at three points and restrains the vehicle occupant at the hips and across the shoulder. Also referred to as a combination L/S belt.
- Latchplate
The part of the buckle mechanism that slides into the buckle. Usually the part that affects the length of the belt webbing.
- Lateral Collision/Impact
An impact into the side of a vehicle. Current occupant protection systems offer little protection in lateral impacts. Side air bag systems afford increased head and upper body protection in lateral crashes.
- Load limiters/Energy Management Loops
A production safety device added to shoulder belt as webbing stitched together or as a mechanical energy absorber in the shoulder belt anchorage itself. Designed to absorb crash energy reducing belt forces on the chest in conjunction with an air bag.
- Locking clip
A flat H-shaped metal item intended to clip belt webbing together at a free sliding latchplate in order to prevent the webbing from sliding through. A pre-crash positioning device only. Not to be used as a belt shortening clip.
- Locking latchplate
A latchplate that holds the lap belt snug after it has been adjusted.
Supplimental information provided by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For further information, go to http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/.
