Re:

Posted by Leeedy On 2021/3/18 20:36:38
Quote:

Scott wrote:
Well, seat belts were not required to be standard equipment in the US until 1968, and the first state to actually require their use was New York the end of 1984, so the lack of a law doesn't necessarily mean it was safe, but I agree it does imply a lack of concern.

However, the 1968 seat belt mandate included a mandate for seat back locks in two doors. A 1987 crash safety study (ref. DOT HS 807 067) was published comparing two door to equivalent four door models, specifically focusing on the seat back latch as a factor in injury/fatality statistics.

The findings were that in even moderate head-on collisions ~26mph with unrestrained adult rear seat passengers, the seat back latches in two doors were inadequate and in most cases would tear loose from the seat frame, so did not provide the perceived safety. Unrestrained adult rear seat passengers often ended up in the front at even lower speed impacts.
There appeared to be a benefit when the rear seat passengers were children who with their reduced mass were more likely to be contained within the rear compartment and not hurled into the windshield, or with adults in low speed frontal impacts ~10mph.

A totally separate question but still related to seat backs, how does one remove the seat back cushions? Does one remove the bottom to reveal fasteners below the back cushions? This car still has the plastic seat covers on just the front backs and they are a bit ratty with the corners and some seams split out, so was wondering what it took to remove those covers.


Not sure why and how we migrated to 1968 DOT quotes and went from seat backrests falling forward and seat backrest latches to seatbelt standards and 1968. Backrest latches–as I said before– came out in 1967. And yes, the DOT study quoted related to UN-belted rear seat passengers and falls under what we in the car biz termed "secondary projectiles." Not really pertinent here for the matter at hand–especially if rear seat passengers are belted– as they should be.

Anyway...both Packard and Ford were offering seatbelts in 1955-56.

Seatbelts came industry-wide in 1965. But I had them optional in my 1963 Galaxie XL convertible (factory/dealer options) AND in my 1964 Oldsmobile Starfire convertible (which also included retractors–an industry first). I had factory seatbelts in at least one of my 1956 Packards.

By 1966 seatbelts were required in REAR seats. They were already mandatory in front as of 1965. I know.... I was working for Ford in 1966 and we installed thousands and thousands and thousands in the rear seats of Ford products... including the Mustang–of which I was involved. My 1966 Cadillac Eldorado also came with front AND rear seatbelts. So did my Mustang.

By 1969 head restraints were standard on front seats (they were optional at least by 1966 on GM cars–again, my Eldorado had them).

And shoulder belts were beginning to appear at least by 1969.

Again... if the seat backrest on your 1955 Packard Four Hundred is falling forward in hard stops... get some magnetized cabinet door latches (the kind with the extra-strong magnets) and install one or two pairs. Done.

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