The Traffic Accident Reconstruction Origin -ARnews-

Seat Belt, Reclining seat, and rear collision

Dick Smith (rsmtih@gulf.net)
Tue, 31 Dec 1996 20:57:43 -0500 (EST)

I've got a case of a rearender in which the right front passenger,
seatbelt fastened, seat reclined, came out of the belt, was ejected and
subsequently run over. Obviously seat belts are designed to keep occupants
from going forward, not backward. But is there a manufacturer's duty to warn such
occupants that use of a reclining seat could be hazardous to your health?

One other odd thing: the two-inch stitched loop of belt had come
unstitched. What standard prescribes the use of such a stitched loop?
I would guess that the loop gave way during the initial escape phase,
when the occupant's clothing grabbed the belt temporarily.
Dick Smith
rsmtih@gulf.net

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