Press release
Source: Dorel Industries
FOXBORO, MA and MONTREAL, QC, - Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc., a division of Dorel Industries (TSX: DII.B, DII.A), and the nation's largest juvenile products manufacturer, today announced the launch of Air Protect(TM), the most innovative and groundbreaking safety feature ever offered in a car seat. Developed in conjunction with Kettering University's renowned Crash Safety Center, Air Protect(TM) is designed to protect children in side impact collisions, putting a state-of-the-art layer of air protection where it's needed most, around the child's head.
Side impact crashes have dramatically increased over the past two decades and are today the deadliest kind of crashes for children. The vast majority of these fatalities are due to head trauma, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
How Air Protect(TM) Works
Through the precise release of air, Air Protect(TM) compresses and shields children from side impact intrusion and immediately reduces crash forces where the child is most vulnerable - the head. Air Protect(TM) does this by extending ride-down, the amount of time it takes to slow a child's movement in a crash. By extending ride-down time, Air Protect(TM) creates a slower, softer landing.
The Dorel/Kettering Method
Air Protect(TM) was developed as a result of a revolutionary testing method. The Dorel/Kettering Method uses an intruding door technique, instead of a fixed door, to simulate a side impact crash with far more accuracy. In a side impact crash, a car door moves inward, toward the child. "Dorel continues to be the leader in the car seat category and with this unique testing approach has created a new level of side impact protection for children, the likes of which have never been seen before," commented Dave Taylor, President of Dorel Juvenile Group US. "This new testing method is so significant that we have shared our findings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, supporting NHTSA's efforts to provide more comprehensive regulation for side impact crash testing."
Over the past two years, Dorel's team of industry-leading car seat engineers have collaborated with researchers at Kettering University to study side impact crashes. Founded by General Motors in 1919, Kettering University has been at the center of many of the auto industry's safety innovations for decades. "The Dorel/Kettering Method and Air Protect(TM) are truly break-through advancements for child passenger safety," said Janet Brelin-Fornari, Ph.D., and Director of Kettering's Crash Safety Center. Specializing in pediatric crash safety, Brelin-Fornari oversees the crash safety curriculum at Kettering. "The technology is so revolutionary that we will be rolling it out globally - incorporating it in Dorel car seats in Europe and Australia, in addition to North America," said Hani Basile, Global Dorel Juvenile Group President and Chief Executive Officer.
Road safety is especially important this summer as millions of families plan to travel to vacation destinations by car. According to the Automobile Association of America (AAA), an estimated 27 million Americans will travel by car this summer, many with children in the back seat.
photo:Les Industries Dorel
Source: Dorel Industries
FOXBORO, MA and MONTREAL, QC, - Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc., a division of Dorel Industries (TSX: DII.B, DII.A), and the nation's largest juvenile products manufacturer, today announced the launch of Air Protect(TM), the most innovative and groundbreaking safety feature ever offered in a car seat. Developed in conjunction with Kettering University's renowned Crash Safety Center, Air Protect(TM) is designed to protect children in side impact collisions, putting a state-of-the-art layer of air protection where it's needed most, around the child's head.
Side impact crashes have dramatically increased over the past two decades and are today the deadliest kind of crashes for children. The vast majority of these fatalities are due to head trauma, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
How Air Protect(TM) Works
Through the precise release of air, Air Protect(TM) compresses and shields children from side impact intrusion and immediately reduces crash forces where the child is most vulnerable - the head. Air Protect(TM) does this by extending ride-down, the amount of time it takes to slow a child's movement in a crash. By extending ride-down time, Air Protect(TM) creates a slower, softer landing.
The Dorel/Kettering Method
Air Protect(TM) was developed as a result of a revolutionary testing method. The Dorel/Kettering Method uses an intruding door technique, instead of a fixed door, to simulate a side impact crash with far more accuracy. In a side impact crash, a car door moves inward, toward the child. "Dorel continues to be the leader in the car seat category and with this unique testing approach has created a new level of side impact protection for children, the likes of which have never been seen before," commented Dave Taylor, President of Dorel Juvenile Group US. "This new testing method is so significant that we have shared our findings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, supporting NHTSA's efforts to provide more comprehensive regulation for side impact crash testing."
Over the past two years, Dorel's team of industry-leading car seat engineers have collaborated with researchers at Kettering University to study side impact crashes. Founded by General Motors in 1919, Kettering University has been at the center of many of the auto industry's safety innovations for decades. "The Dorel/Kettering Method and Air Protect(TM) are truly break-through advancements for child passenger safety," said Janet Brelin-Fornari, Ph.D., and Director of Kettering's Crash Safety Center. Specializing in pediatric crash safety, Brelin-Fornari oversees the crash safety curriculum at Kettering. "The technology is so revolutionary that we will be rolling it out globally - incorporating it in Dorel car seats in Europe and Australia, in addition to North America," said Hani Basile, Global Dorel Juvenile Group President and Chief Executive Officer.
Road safety is especially important this summer as millions of families plan to travel to vacation destinations by car. According to the Automobile Association of America (AAA), an estimated 27 million Americans will travel by car this summer, many with children in the back seat.
photo:Les Industries Dorel