7- and 5-Year-Old Sisters in Back Seat Killed in Accident How a Seat Belt Was a “Deadly Weapon” That Took Their Lives

Died “because” they were using seat belts?

At around 11:00 a.m. on August 18, a head-on collision occurred between a minicar (Suzuki Wagon R Smile, hereafter referred to as Wagon R) and a Nishitetsu bus on a national highway in Sagara-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The Wagon R veered out of the center lane, and the impact killed two girls, ages 7 and 5, who were riding in the back seat of the Wagon R. According to the local FBS Fukuoka broadcast and other media, the girls died as a result of a strong impact to the abdomen. The mother of the driver suffered a serious leg injury but was not killed, and the passengers on the bus were also uninjured. This fact made the sadness all the more profound.

The author has written many articles on accidents in which children are killed or seriously injured while riding in buses.

In one case, a child in a junior seat died from internal injuries caused by the belt cutting into his or her abdomen.

The baby was in a car seat, but the harness was too loose, and the baby rolled to the floor and died.

We have also written several articles about accidents such as the one in which a child seat was used but the baby died……, but not as many media outlets reported the accident as this one. What was widely reported this time was that two girls died in spite of the fact that they were using “seat belts,” which are a symbol of safety.

Why did they die “even though they were using seat belts”? It is because they died “while using seat belts. Seat belts are designed to be used safely when a person is at least 150 cm tall, and it is extremely dangerous to restrain a child under that height using only a belt. It is a safety equipment that can also be a deadly weapon, as in the case of this accident.

The full details of the accident have yet to be determined, but based on the facts that have emerged so far and the stories of those involved, it is extremely likely that “even though the girl was no taller than 150 cm, she was not wearing a junior seat and was wearing a seat belt.

What conditions would qualify a child as “properly buckled up?” The child must be at least 150 cm tall, and the shoulder belt (diagonal belt) should pass over the collarbone and the waist belt should pass over both hip bones. If the shoulder belt goes over your neck or the waist belt goes over your stomach, you are not ready for a seat belt. If the impact occurs in this condition, the shoulder belt can cut the carotid artery, and the waist belt can tighten the abdomen with such force that the internal organs are damaged, possibly resulting in death.

Children who are less than 150 cm tall must always use a junior seat or other device to raise their seating position. In addition, “death from internal organ damage caused by a waist belt falling on the abdomen” is not limited to children. In an accident that occurred in Saitama Prefecture in 2009, a police officer riding in the back seat of a police car also died from internal organ damage caused by a waist belt resting on his stomach.

Two “standards” for seat belt use that disparage children’s safety

In addition, when using a junior seat, a seat with a backrest and headrest is a must for children up to 125 cm in height, while a seat-only junior seat without a backrest can be used for children over 125 cm, but for more reliable safety, a junior seat with a backrest should be used up to 150 cm. And the junior seat must also be installed so that it passes over the collarbone and the waist belt passes over both hip bones.

However, for some reason, there are two standards for wearing seat belts in Japan today.

The police and JAF assume that “seat belts are designed to be used at a height of 140 cm,” and as a matter of law require “the use of a child seat that meets safety standards when carrying a child under the age of six,” and recommend the use of junior seats, etc. until the child reaches 140 cm after the age of six On the other hand, car manufacturers are required to use child seats that meet safety standards when carrying children under 6 years of age.

On the other hand, the manufacturers of cars do not set the standard for wearing seat belts at 140 cm in height.

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), an association of automobile manufacturers, uses a 150-cm-tall adult dummy (AF05) to verify crash safety. This is because international safety standards require seat belt use at 150 cm. Since seatbelt safety verification is not conducted for people under 150 cm in height, automobile manufacturers have been saying that seatbelts should be worn only after the height of 150 cm. This gap has led to “life-threatening misunderstandings.

In other words, it is no exaggeration to say that Japan is a country that produces many cars with world-class safety performance, but has neglected the safety of the children who ride in them.

JAF announces changes in standards after Fukuoka accident, what will the police do? ……

Why has JAF been saying that “seat belts are designed to be used at 140 cm in height” and “we recommend the use of junior seats for those under 140 cm” while car manufacturers have been experimenting to confirm safety based on a height of 150 cm or taller? When the author contacted JAF, he received the following response.

We used these keywords to raise awareness, taking into consideration the conditions of child safety seats and car seat belts at that time.

As a result of an experiment with a child dummy doll on a child seat or junior seat, the height considered safe was 138 cm. Furthermore, the minimum height for drivers to obtain a driver’s license is 135 cm. Based on this data, it is possible that they decided that seat belts can be used if the height is 140 cm or taller. In any case, there is no clear evidence.

On the other hand, what has the JAMA (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association), an organization organized by automobile manufacturers that has experimented with a safety standard of 150 cm or more in height, felt about the police and JAF’s use of 140 cm as a standard for wearing a seat belt? The author asked this question, but the response was , “JAMA is not in a position to offer an opinion, so we will refrain from giving an answer.

Furthermore, what caused a stir a few days after the accident that killed the two girls in Fukuoka was the announcement by JAF that it was reviewing the standard from 140 to 150 cm. Why did JAF decide to revise the standard? The answer to the author’s question is as follows.

We decided to revise the standard to “less than 150 cm” as a result of a review that began three years ago, because the standard (not the standard) differed among the organizations. The height is only a guideline to confirm that the child is wearing the seatbelt correctly, and the important thing is that the seatbelt is correctly fitted so that it does not go around the neck and goes through the hip bones.”

Note that most police still use “140cm” as the standard, which has not shown any movement and is highly dangerous, and some, such as the Kanagawa Prefectural Police, use “135cm. It is extremely frightening to allow a 135cm tall child to wear only a seat belt in the back seat without a junior seat. What will the police say if a new fatal accident occurs as a result of this?

JAF will start an educational campaign from the middle of next month in the direction of “seat belts should be worn after 150 cm. For a long time, the police and JAF have been using a height of 140 cm as the “standard height for seat belt use,” which has not been proven to be safe. The right way to use a junior seat.