At BRITAX, our commitment to improving child safety through research, testing, design and community advocacy is unparalleled. We design our car seats to exceed the safety standards set by the federal government and continually enhance our products with new technologies that distribute crash forces away from your child during a crash. Some of those technologies include:
- SafeCell Tehcnology that features SafeCells designed to compress in a crash, significantly lowering the center of gravity and counteracting the forward rotation of the child seat which normally propels your child toward the front seat
- Energy-Absorbing, Versa-Tether that features a staged-release tether webbing to slow the forward movement, reducing crash forces reaching your child and a two-point attachment to minimize forward rotation while anchoring the top of the child seat
- Side Impact Cushion Technology which features energy-absorbing cushions on the exterior of the child seat to significantly reduce side impact crash energy by diverting crash forces away from your child and providing extra protection for the adjacent passenger
We also test our products both in our own crash-test facilities and through independent parties.
BRITAX has its own crash test simulators, in the U.S., Europe, and Australia, that can certify to strict global requirements. BRITAX uses a sled so versatile it can also be used to certify airline seats.
Regulatory Agency Standards
At BRITAX we are required to meet the following standards of regulatory agencies:
- FMVSS 213 (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for Child Restraint Systems)
- FMVSS 302 (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for Flammability of Interior Materials)
- ASTM F 833 (Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Carriages and Strollers)
- CMVSS 213 (Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards)
The flammability standard referenced above, FMVSS 302, is intended to prevent harm to occupants in the event of post-accident vehicle fires. BRITAX and its suppliers are currently compliant to all applicable federal and state standards regarding chemical compliance as well as more internal stringent standards. Our internal policy focuses on reducing and/or eliminating the presence of bromine and chlorine in all components. This is especially challenging for components that must meet the flame retardant requirements defined in regulatory standards, but is something to which BRITAX remains committed. We continuously audit product we receive from our suppliers on a regular basis to ensure compliance to both regulatory and internal standards.
BRITAX Child Safety, Inc. continually strives to provide the safest children's products, from both a dynamic performance standard, and in protecting child occupants and caregivers from exposure to any potentially harmful chemicals and substances contained in all of the components and finishes in its products.
Keep in mind that we do conduct tests that are not yet required by regulatory agencies, such as side impact testing, and welcome any changes to current federal standards that work toward furthering child safety.
Development Tools & Tests
Some of the development tools that we use and tests that we conduct at BRITAX include:
Virtual Simulation
Virtual Simulation involves digitally created car seat models and anthropomorphic testing devices (ATDs or child crash-test dummies). Computer crash-test programs simulate the dynamic behavior of physical systems involved in a collision and assess the injuries sustained by the occupant. Before these virtual tests can be conducted, engineers must create digital car seat models using anthropometric data, which help determine overall seat dimensions and harness slot heights and locations. The purpose of Virtual Simulation is to help engineers optimize design parameters before making physical models to test.
See an example of a Virtual Simulation below:
Dynamic Crash Tests (Frontal Impact)
As required by FMVSS 213, car seats must meet certain specifications when subjected to frontal impact sled tests simulating crashes at 30 mph. FMVSS 213 requires a standardized seat assembly, which is representative of a vehicle seat, and ATDs that represent children of various sizes. The test results help engineers to establish compliance with the performance requirements as per the FMVSS 213 regulation.
The performance of the prototype seats is evaluated using two criteria:
- Motion Limits
- Acceleration Limits
Data obtained during these tests include:
- Head and knee excursion
- Head and chest accelerations
These crash tests are taped with high speed cameras (1000 frames per second) in order for engineers to carefully observe the results in slow motion.
This picture was taken from a typical frontal crash test using BRITAX convertible car seat in a forward-facing position with 6-year old ATD (crash-test dummy).
Side Impact Testing
Currently, the US does not have federal regulatory standards for testing car seats for side-impact protection. In lieu of a federally regulated side impact testing standard, BRITAX has created a rigorous testing regime that simulates side impact crashes based on proven European test methods. BRITAX car seats are evaluated on how well they contain the head and minimize head, chest and pelvis acceleration.
More information about side impact protection can be found in our Side Impact Protection Revealed destination.
Vibration Testing
Vibration Testing evaluates vibrations being transferred to the occupant through the car seat. The goal is to create a car seat that is just as comfortable as a vehicle seat for adults and minimize the amount of vibrations that are transferred through the seat belt system.
This picture was taken during a typical vibration test on vibration test rig using a European BRITAX convertible car seat.
Pendulum Testing
Pendulum Testing is used to evaluate performance of individual components and as a quality inspection tool. The energy to which components are subjected during a pendulum test is correlated to the energy that the subject receives on a simulated crash sled test.
Component Testing
At BRITAX we realize the importance of each component of the seat and how they contribute to the protection that the seat provides for your child. In order to ensure that each component maintains its structural integrity throughout the life of your child seat we invest more than 150 hours testing individual components on each product. Tests conducted include:
- Static buckle and harness testing
- Micro slip testing
- Harness webbing strength testing
- Buckle durability cycling
- LATCH hook strength
- Environmental testing – testing components in extreme environmental conditions including heat, cold and varying humidity levels
Market Research
BRITAX employs caregivers throughout the US to test products in real-life situations. The majority of market research is completed during the design process. We also feel it is very important to continue post production market research in order to gauge how the product is received and learn more about the areas in which we can improve.