RE: Seatbelt Harness

["Duff, Ian" <iduff@endeavour.charter.com>]

This is a problem for experimental aircraft as well. The EAA publication
"Sport Aviation" had a great article quite a few years ago investigating
the safety effects of the height of the shoulder belt mounting points
relative to the wearer's shoulder. They had some pretty interesting
criteria, possibly more stringent than us sporty car types would
specify, trying to address impacts from anywhere in the forward
hemisphere of the aircraft (you don't generally get rear-ended in a
plane), at potentially *much* higher velocities. If my memory serves me
correctly, they decided that height makes very little difference. YMMV.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Ian Duff, 1990 Coupe quattro 20v, Red/Black
quattro Owners Club member P877

Home: New Bedford, MA, USA
Work: Charter Systems, Inc., West Newton, MA, USA
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>----------
>From: 	writah@juno.com[SMTP:writah@juno.com]
>Subject: 	Seatbelt Harness
>
>It's been about a hundred years since I've installed a set, but as I
>recall, one caution on installing the shoulder harness is to ensure that
>the mounting point(s) are not too low below the driver's shoulder
>(something like the rear-portion of the harness making no more than an
>angle of around 20 degrees with the horizontal... i.e. don't bolt it  on
>the floor.)  The risk is supposedly a compression fracture of the spinal
>column if you're in an accident. 
>
> Anybody know for sure? 
>
>Regards,
>Al Gressler
>91 90q20v (wife's but she lets me drive it)
>