Beware of the Hidden Dangers of Reclining Seats
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In 2005, a Jacksonville, Florida jury awarded $16.9 Million to a young college student who was rendered a paraplegic in a motor vehicle collision. The student who was a passenger in a Ford Windstar had reclined her seatback.
The Ford Windstar was involved in a low impact collision. However, because the student's seat was reclined, the seatbelt did not hold her in place.
In a similar case in the year 2000, a jury in Maryland returned a verdict of $59 Million to a belted passenger in a Toyota. This passenger also had his seat reclined. The car which the injured passenger was riding was involved in a frontal collision. The impact of the collision knocked the passenger forward at the time of the impact. This impact was resulted in the amputation of both of the passenger's legs. The jury award was later reduced to $16 million.
These two cases highlight the danger of riding in a vehicle with your seatback reclined. This practice can be deadly.
It is a very common practice for passengers in a car to recline their seat while wearing their seatbelt to take a nap. The problem with this practice is that if a seatback is reclined, the common seatbelt becomes much less effective, if not completely useless, because the shoulder harness of the belt moves away from the body.
The more space between the seatbelt and the occupant's chest, the greater the risk of death or serious injury in a collision.
Automobile manufacturers have been aware of the dangers of reclining seats for nearly four (4) decades. As early as 1964 at a Stapp Car Crash Conference, two (2) safety engineers presented a report analyzing the effect that lap belts have on reclined seat occupants. In the test a seatbelt dummy was submarined under the lap almost ten (10) inches, driving the belt into the dummy's abdominal cavity.
In a 1988 study by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) 167 collisions involving passengers who wore three-point restraints were examined. The results showed that the three-point restraints offer good protection but only if worn properly. The study showed that an occupant who wears a seatbelt while his seat is reclined is not "centered" in the belt. This renders the belt ineffective for spreading crash forces over the body.
Although some car owner's manuals warn of the dangers of reclined seatbacks in moving vehicles, the warnings do not state specifically what degree of recline is dangerous. As pointed out by the NTSB, because the manufacturers advertise their cars by showing passengers in a reclined seat, while wearing a seatbelt, these advertisements undermine the already limited effectiveness of owner's manuals warnings.
The NTSB has recommended that manufacturers limit the angle of inclination allowable in a reclining seat to no greater than the maximum angle that can safely be used in combination with a seatbelt.
As simple warning that points out the danger of reclining seats can be inexpensively incorporated into a vehicle design. However, a warning would be unnecessary if the car manufacturers would start designing its restraint system in a manner to alleviate the problem. As an example, General Motors has incorporated into some of its current vehicles, such as the Trail Blazer, a seat designed that mounts the seatbelt system within the seat itself. This allows the shoulder harness to stay in position even when the occupant reclines the seat. Another design incorporates an interlock within a vehicle's gear shift, preventing the driver from putting the car in gear if a seatback is reclined.
The technology is in place to protect passengers, however, the automobile manufacturers, with only a few exceptions, have not incorporated these safety measures into the design of their cars. For instance, years ago a major manufacturer of seatbelts patented a device that would give a visual or audible warning if a passenger were to recline his seat to a dangerous degree.
People are being needlessly injured and killed as a result of the automobile industries inaction with respect to reclining seats. Perhaps one day car manufacturers will take action to protect the public by designing cars in such a manner as to eliminate the risks from reclined seatbacks. In the meantime, you and your family should protect yourselves by keeping your seats in an up right position while the vehicle is in motion. This upright seat will not be nearly as comfortable as the reclined seat. However, by keeping your seat upright you may protect yourself from serious injuries or even death should a collision, even a minor impact collision, occur.