Product will protect children in side-impact collisions

C2

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

MONTREAL - North American parents looking to protect their children from side-impact collisions will have a new option in August when the world's largest car-seat manufacturer begins to sell its patented new design.

Dorel Industries' (TSX:DII.B) said yesterday its Air Protect system reduces the likelihood of injuries with side air cushions that slow the movement of the head during a collision.

It mimics a Whoopee cushion by slowly losing air and absorbing the violent energy that can cause head trauma.

Developed over 18 months in conjunction with Kettering University's Crash Safety Centre, Air Protect will be available in the Safety 1st Complete Air car seat.

U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 300 children are killed annually in the United States from side-impact crashes, representing one third of all highway deaths among children under 13 years old.

In addition to having the highest fatality rates, side-impact collisions cause more severe injuries than any other type of collision, says Janet Brelin-Fornari, director of Kettering's Crash Safety Centre and a specialist in pediatric crash safety.

"Because there isn't much structure between you and what's impacting you, (side impact collisions are) one of the most severe impact modes," she said in an interview from Michigan.

Her group developed with Dorel a new method to test the real world impact of such accidents by simulating a car door moving inward toward the child, rather than just a fixed door.

"I can't think of anything else out there right now that would be a method for reducing the risk of head injury," said Brelin-Fornari, whose centre won't receive any financial benefit from the sale of Dorel's product.

Montreal-based Dorel hopes to sell hundreds of thousands of the Air Protect car seats, whose technology will eventually be added to other seat designs, including lower cost options.