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Christina M. Rudin-Brown
Ergonomics and Crash Avoidance Division
Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation Directorate
and
Andrea Scipione, Joe Armstrong,
Gerald Lai, Alice Salway, and Jason Kumagai
CAE Professional Services Canada
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March 2007
TP14702 E
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How to get the full report
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Abstract
Since 2002, Transport Canada has required that all new vehicles and child
restraint systems (CRS) be equipped with the Universal Anchorage System (UAS),
which includes lower anchorage, and top tether, attachments. Despite being
designed to make CRS installation in vehicles easier and with fewer
opportunities for misuse, there have been reports that the UAS is not as easy to
use, or as effective, as hoped (Arbogast and Jermakian, 2007; Decina, Lococo &
Doyle, 2006; Consumer Reports, 2003; Status Report, 2001). To date, however,
there have been no systematic or experimental studies evaluating the usability
of the UAS.
Based on research demonstrating that small children on school buses are not
protected from injury in the same manner as larger children (Legault, 2004),
Transport Canada will require, effective April 2007, that UAS anchorages be
installed on a proportion of seats in all school buses, allowing for the
installation of CRS. The present study, therefore, was designed to assess the
usability of the UAS in both cars and school buses. The main objectives of the
study were to provide guidance on potential UAS design improvements and to make
recommendations concerning labelling and instructions related to the UAS.
Users installed CRS in a car and a school bus using three different types of
lower anchorage connectors and top tethers. Surprisingly, many participants were
not familiar with the UAS, and believed that CRS should only be installed using
the seat belt. Over 40 per cent of participants did not know where the lower
anchorage connectors were located in the car. While installation performance
using the UAS was generally satisfactory (all CRS were installed correctly
between 70 and 92 per cent of the time), UAS design improvements for both the
CRS and the vehicles were identified. A supplementary, informal usability study
(Appendix C) done in the school bus identified a number of additional issues
relating to the use of CRS in these vehicles. The implementation of the proposed
design improvements by CRS and automotive manufacturers should increase the
overall usability of the UAS and increase its effectiveness in the event of
collisions.
How to get the full report:
The full report on the "Usability
Study of the Universal Anchorage System for Child Restraints in School Buses and
Passenger Vehicles" is available in
portable
document format (PDF - 675 Kb).
To view PDF documents you must use Adobe® Acrobat Reader. Visit the
Adobe site to download the latest, free version.
If you need an alternative format or for more information, please contact us by e-mail at
RoadSafetyWebMail@tc.gc.ca
or call toll free 1-800-333-0371 (Ottawa area (613) 998-8616).
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