Danger inside your X

[sm4astan]

I was going to post this over in the thread on DVDs (http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=304136&page=2 in response to the following post (maybe in jest) but given some recent research I've done (and was surprised at) figured I'd share with all...

"Only thing that concerns me is what happens to the screens with any type of impact?.......do they become projectiles?"

you better submit this senario to Mythbusters!

This is not a myth. With my new X coming, and my youngest daughter (10 months) about to outgrow here infant car seat, I decided to start shopping for a new car seat for her and the X. After much research, I realized not only am I going to get a real high quality car seat for her, but how unsafe the current booster seat I have for my 4 year-old is. If you're interested a good report on booster seat safety, check out this link - http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39041303/ns/today-today_health/.

Then I saw the above response in the DVD thread about using iPads and other video devices in place of the headrest DVD system, and how to mount these units in the vehicle and thought of what I'd seen about boosters. A quick search on google turned up this report on projectiles in vehicles.

At 55 miles per hour, a 20-pound object hits with 1,000 pounds of force -- so powerful that a suitcase can literally seer the arm of a crash test dummy.

Granted an iPad doesn't weigh 20 pounds, but you can do the math. Here is a link to the article and a report on what happened to one man who was hit with a loose booster seat. Another reason I'm replacing the current booster we have with one with latch system. Enjoy and be safe -

http://kansascity.injuryboard.com/automobile-accidents/did-you-know-lose-items-in-your-car-can-become-deadly-projectiles-in-a-crash.aspx?googleid=283050 <<< Lots of info here..DON'T MISS THIS ONLINE REPORT!!!

p.s. While shopping for cargo boxes, I had one salesman mention boxes being great for skis and snow boards, saying having those loose in the vehicle can be very dangerous. I considered this a sales ploy but now realize he was right. Can't imagine skis flying through the cabin after a crash.

Granted, all this doesn't matter if you never get in a crash, but as I always tell my kids, they don't call them accidents for nothing.

[Edit] p.s.s. After watching the above reports, I now have come up with one good reason for having a cargo cover.

 

[Sgt1411]

I was going to post this over in the thread on DVDs (http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=304136&page=2 in response to the following post (maybe in jest) but given some recent research I've done (and was surprised at) figured I'd share with all...



This is not a myth. With my new X coming, and my youngest daughter (10 months) about to outgrow here infant car seat, I decided to start shopping for a new car seat for her and the X. After much research, I realized not only am I going to get a real high quality car seat for her, but how unsafe the current booster seat I have for my 4 year-old is. If you're interested a good report on booster seat safety, check out this link - http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39041303/ns/today-today_health/.

Then I saw the above response in the DVD thread about using iPads and other video devices in place of the headrest DVD system, and how to mount these units in the vehicle and thought of what I'd seen about boosters. A quick search on google turned up this report on projectiles in vehicles.



Granted an iPad doesn't weigh 20 pounds, but you can do the math. Here is a link to the article and a report on what happened to one man who was hit with a loose booster seat. Another reason I'm replacing the current booster we have with one with latch system. Enjoy and be safe -

http://kansascity.injuryboard.com/automobile-accidents/did-you-know-lose-items-in-your-car-can-become-deadly-projectiles-in-a-crash.aspx?googleid=283050 <<< Lots of info here..DON'T MISS THIS ONLINE REPORT!!!

p.s. While shopping for cargo boxes, I had one salesman mention boxes being great for skis and snow boards, saying having those loose in the vehicle can be very dangerous. I considered this a sales ploy but now realize he was right. Can't imagine skis flying through the cabin after a crash.

Granted, all this doesn't matter if you never get in a crash, but as I always tell my kids, they don't call them accidents for nothing.

[Edit] p.s.s. After watching the above reports, I now have come up with one good reason for having a cargo cover.

Thank you thats excellent info and supports my original point.

 

[paulfrank285]

I love my daughter so much and I don't want any bad thing happens to her, so I totally agree with your point of view.

We do, as parents, try to protect our kids as much as we can. However, nothing is accident proof. Be smart with common sense. Even with the highest quality of a carseat, make sure you replace them every couple years because they are made of plastic, and we always leave it in our car. With the extreme heat during summer and extreme cold in winter, plastic will crack.

Actually, I was not kidding, Mythbusters did a show regarding loose items becoming projectile in a car. I watched it long time ago, so I don't remember how they tested and the result.

All in all, be safe.

 

[jeeden]

I see the point, but there is also a limit to what you can do also. Did they show what happens when a jar of mayo comes out of the grocery bag in the back? What about everyone's cell phones? Toys? Strollers? There are a lot of projectiles rolling around the car in a car, both those that originate in the car and some from out of it. It is unrealistic to think you can lock it all down for every trip.

 

[Bill1234]

Good Info, but comparing a car seat to a DVD player is not realistic. First reason is the difference in the mass of each (Force = Mass x Acceleration) More mass, more force. Second has to do with how the force is distributed. The force to hold a car seat is distributed over very little area (anchor point or car seat). The DVD is most likely affixed to the rear of a head rest. The force is distributed over the entire DVD player. Same principle as to why it is safer to sit facing opposite the direction you are traveling

 

[Sgt1411]

All good points but I was just suggesting we all be careful as to what we try and build/modify in replacement for the overly expensive OEM DVD system.

I know from my Law Enforcement experience working with Ford, they will not entertain the idea of designing a Police computer built into the IP on the new Interceptors because of the crash testing required to get it approved for sale.

It's only a cautionary discussion, Im sure everyone will assess the risk and adjust accordingly.

 

[sm4astan]

The DVD conversation along with my car seat research both led me to this post.

I'm not saying that an iPad will act the same way as a booster, but depending on how it is hooked up it could.

Mayo (or what about just a can of something) coming from behind 3rd row seat in a high speed collision could be deadly. Yes. Can it be avoided? Probably (hence my comment about cargo cover). Is it worth taking all the precautions to avoid just that? Probably not. I've never in my 40 years been in a car crash (passenger or driver) so chances are pretty small it will happen. For that matter, if you never used a car seat for your kids you might never live to regret it.

But...you could. So my post was more educational in general and meant to make people think. I'd never thought of some of these things myself, so it was eye opening.

Be safe