A five-point harness is a form of seat belt that contains five straps that are mounted to the car frame. It has been engineered for an increase of safety in the occurrence of an automobile accident. As a result, this form of seat belt has been mandated in the race car competition of

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

. This was an invention made mandatory to have due to the high velocities involved in the sport. Along with the design of the seat belt, helmet straps have been designed to increase the safety of the driver. This invention has also been used to secure infants and young children in child safety seats.

Structure

The five-point harness is preferred as a safety

mechanism Mechanism may refer to: * Mechanism (engineering), rigid bodies connected by joints in order to accomplish a desired force and/or motion transmission *Mechanism (biology), explaining how a feature is created *Mechanism (philosophy), a theory that ...

for its high amount of safety compared to other designs. The five-point harness consists of five straps. Two are located at the shoulders, two at the hips, and one at the crotch that all come to connect to a

buckle The buckle or clasp is a device used for fastening two loose ends, with one end attached to it and the other held by a catch in a secure but adjustable manner. Often taken for granted, the invention of the buckle was indispensable in securing tw ...

release mechanism. This way of buckling up holds the driver's body tight in the seat, which in turn protects the upper body from injury. The only downside to this seat belt mechanism is the insecurity of the driver's head.

Helmet

There have been different models of

helmets A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protec ...

designed to hold the drivers head in place. A helmet restraint is equipped in some five-point harness seats to prevent brain and neck injury. For example, in NASCAR, it protects the driver in case of a car crash or an immediate change of

velocity Velocity is the directional speed of an object in motion as an indication of its rate of change in position as observed from a particular frame of reference and as measured by a particular standard of time (e.g. northbound). Velocity i ...

where the driver has limited control of his momentum. The apparatus consists of a strap that runs from both of the sides of the helmet to the

vehicle A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), ...

; or a strap connected to the vehicle from both sides of the driver that runs across the front of the helmet, instead of two independent straps on each side attached to the helmet.

Helmet straps

To prevent the helmet straps from impairing the drivers vision, there is a design where the straps are held horizontal to prevent the straps from sagging. There are also designs in which no apparatus is needed to keep straps out of the drivers sight. Helmet straps are made up of shock absorbing material used while

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done ...

or for security when working at high

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...

s. The straps include a woven nylon that requires up to 475 lbs. of force to cause the straps to tear. Straps that are stretchable allow the drivers brain to slow down to avoid brain damage caused from the brain slamming into the

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...

; but the straps do not let the head move too far forward to cause neck injuries.

Child seats

The five-point harness is also used to buckle up children in forward-facing and rear-facing seats. It is designed with the same concept of tightly holding the passenger to the seat with the use of five different straps but built for the young children. This form of seat harness for young children "should be a default standard" when children are present in a motor vehicle according to Phil Wilson. The reason there have been a number of injured young children and infants in survivable accidents is due to incorrect use of the Child Safety Seat (CSS). To assist caregivers in the safe transportation of children, the USA

National Child Passenger Safety Board The National Child Passenger Safety Board, managed by the National Safety Council, maintains the quality and integrity of the National Child Passenger Safety Certification Training Program in the United States. The program is used to train and cert ...

maintains the quality and integrity of the National Child Passenger Safety Certification Training Program. The program is used to train and certify child passenger safety technicians and instructors. Three of the most common issues that put children at risk: improperly used or installed safety seats, children left in hot cars, and teen drivers.National Safety Council
/ref>

Citations

References

# #Lyman J. Roberts, II; Asif A. Lala; Panasarn Aim Jirut
Head Restraint System for Racecar Drivers.
7 May 2002. Google.com/Patents. Retrieved 25 January 2010 #Andrew Jackson Aslup
Driver Head Restraint.
18 April 2002. Google.com/Patents. Retrieved 26 January 2010 #{{cite journal , last1=Wilson , first1=Phil , title=Fasten their seatbelts: legal restraint of children in car seats and road ambulances , journal=Nursing Children and Young People, date=September 2007 , volume=19 , issue=7 , pages=14–18 , doi=10.7748/paed2007.09.19.7.14.c4451 , pmid=17926766 #Kevin Bonsor; Karim Nice

23 February 2001. HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved 28 January 2010. #Shane Speck

4 July 2003. HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved 25 January 2010. Motorsport terminology