In preparation for the mandatory use of child seats in vehicles from 2020, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and Autoliv Hirotako Safety today held a workshop today to demonstrate the institute’s readiness to carry out dynamic testing capabilities on child seats.
Malaysia has been a member of the United Nation’s World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP29) since April 4, 2006. Among the gazetted regulations is United Nations Regulation 44 (UN R44) – ‘uniform provisions concerning the approval of restraining devices for child occupants of power-driven vehicles (child restraint systems)’.
According to MIROS, its testing protocols meet the UN R44 regulation, and it has P-series dummies representing children aged six weeks (P0), nine months (P3/4), three years (P3), six years (P6) and 10 years (P10) old. The conditions for dynamic testing involves placing the dummy in a child seat, which is then subject to a sled test at 50 km/h, with different restraint types being tested.
Aside from the P-series range, MIROS also states it has the more advanced Q-series currently used in ASEAN NCAP evaluations. The more advanced Q-series is used for testing the newer UN R129 regulation, and more closely represent the actual effects of a crash on the body of real children.
Among the differences between UN R44 and UN R129 is the latter no longer categorises CRS by weight groups, children under the age of 15 months must in future be transported in rearward facing systems, and a dynamic test for side impact is now required.
The ‘Child Safety Technical Workshop’ presentation also covered topics such as the adoption rate of child seats in Malaysia, the implementation policy of child restraint systems (CRS), and the evaluation of child occupant protection in vehicles as performed by the New Car Assessment Programme for South East Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP).
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