User:Drumbeast209
| This is a Wikipedia user page. This is not an encyclopedia article or the talk page for an encyclopedia article. If you find this page on any site other than Wikipedia, you are viewing a mirror site. Be aware that the page may be outdated and that the user whom this page is about may have no personal affiliation with any site other than Wikipedia. The original page is located at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Drumbeast209. |
Five-Point Harness
A five-point harness is a form of seat belts that contains five straps bolted onto the car frame. It has been engineered for an increase of safety in the occurrence of an automobile accident. As a result, this form of seat belt has been mandated in the race car competition of NASCAR. [1] This was an invention made mandatory due to the constant change of direction found in the sport. Along with the design of the seat belt, helmet straps have been design to increase the safety of the driver. This invention's reliability has also been used to secure infants and young children in child safety seat.
Structure
The five-point harness is preferred as a safety mechanism for a high amount of safety compared to other designs of seat belts. [2]The five-point harness consists of five straps, two at the shoulders, two at the hips, and one at the crotch that all come to a buckle release mechanism.[3][4] This way of buckling up holds the driver's body tightly in the seat, which in turn protects the upper body from injury. The only downfall to this seat belt mechanism is the insecurity of the driver's head. [4]
Helmet
There have been different models of helmets designed to hold the drivers head in place. A helmet restraint is equipped in some five-point harness seats to prevent brain and neck injury. For example, in NASCAR, this protects the driver in case of a car crash or an immediate change of velocity where the driver has limited control of his momentum.[4] The apparatus consists of a strap that runs from both of the sides of the helmet to the vehicle; or a strap connected to the vehicle from both sides of the driver that runs across the front of the helmet, instead of two independent straps on each side attached to the helmet. [4]
Helmet Straps
To prevent the helmet straps from impairing the drivers vision, there is a design where the straps are held horizontal to prevent the straps from sagging. [5] There are also designs in which no apparatus is needed to keep straps out of the drivers sight. [4] Helmet straps are made up of shock absorbing material used while climbing or for security when working at high elevations. The straps include a woven nylon that requires up to 475lbs. of force to cause the straps to tear. [5]Straps that are stretchable allow the drivers brain to slow down to avoid brain damage from slamming into the skull but do not let the head move too far forward to cause neck injuries.
Child Care
The five-point harness is also used to buckle up children in forward and backward facing seats. It is designed with the same concept of tightly holding the passenger to the seat with the use of five different straps but in a miniature size. This form of seat harness for young children "should be a default standard" when children are present in a motor vehicle. [6] The reason there has been a number of injured young children and infants in survivable accidents is due to incorrect use of the Children Safety Seat(CSS).[3]
Citations
References
1. Flaura K. Winston; Dennis R. Durbin "Buckle Up! Is Not Enough.": Enhancing Protection of the Restrained Child JAMA. 1999;281(22):2070-2072. jama.ama-assn.org. Retrieved 25 January 2010
2. Lyman J. Roberts, II, Gallatin; Asif A. Lala, Nashville, both ol TN (US); Panasarn Aim Jirut, Chicago, IL (US),"Head Restraint System for Racecar Drivers." , 7 May 2002. Google.com/Patents. Retrieved 25 January 2010
3. Jackson Aslup, Andrew, Mooresville, NC(US), "Driver Head Restraint.",18 April 2002. Google.com/Pantents. Retrieved 26 January 2010
4. Wilson, Phil1 philip, "Fasten their seatbelts: legal restraint of children in car seats and road ambulances.", Paediatric Nursing; Sep2007, Vol. 19 Issue 7, p14-18, 5p. ebscohost.com. Retrieved 24 January 2010
5. Bonsor, Kevin, and Karim Nice. "How NASCAR Safety Works." 23 February 2001. HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
6. Speck, Shane. "How Child Car Seats Work." 04 July 2003. HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved 25 January 2010.