Almost every one of us have been impacted by automobile accidents. Unfortunately, this is not altogether surprising, considering the CDC reported that more than 2.5 million Americans entered into an emergency room for crash injuries in 2012 alone.
The cost that collisions can have on people’s lives extends well beyond the immediate trips to the emergency room. The lifetime cost for crashes from 2012 is estimated to cost an overwhelming $18 billion (well above the GDP of Iceland in the same year). The CDC estimates each hospitalization costs an average of $57,000 over a lifetime.
Even considering lost productivity, the financial burdens are only one side of the problem. Automobile accidents account for a staggering loss of life. In all, 33,561 people died and over 2.3 million were injured in 2012. The danger in an impact collision is even greater for children. Motor vehicles are the number one cause of unintentional death among 0-19 year olds. Even government approved safety seats only reduce fatal injuries by 54% for toddlers aged 1-4. So what does a national problem that exceeds the financial capacity of nations have to do with Smithville?
Pete Love, a resident of DeKalb County, has taken it upon himself to help reduce the effect that crash impacts have on our society. Love has always been an innovator, even facing ridicule to be the first cattleman to bring a gooseneck trailer into Smithville.
Throughout his time in Smithville, he has worked in agriculture, been a livestock trader, an entrepreneur, and an inventor. His mechanical aptitude and ingenuity led him to self-starting his own manufacturing business, specializing in farm equipment. Love Industries operated in Smithville for over 20 years, working in farm and industrial equipment. His successes and experience in development and mechanics led him to eventually find the time to work on a personal project.
Love, like many of us, has personal experience with automotive accidents, losing his brother Logan in a crash. In a car crash, the force of the impact is often the most unprotected aspect.
Seatbelts, air bags, and car seats greatly reduce the threat of ejection, but tremendous force is still placed on the body. This is especially true for children, who have underdeveloped bone and muscle structures.
In an effort to find ways to reduce this force, Love developed the concept for the Impact Dispersal Systems. Seven years ago he launched Impact Dispersal Systems (IDS), LLC in Smithville. Pete was granted his first U.S. patent of several in 2009. Since then, he has patented his technology in Canada and Europe.
Love has worked with universities, government approved testing laboratories, and traveled around the country to perfect his systems. Numerous crash tests in multiple platforms have proved Pete’s concept, with results showing a reduction in crash force of up to an amazing 86 percent. The impact dispersal system was modular enough to provide protection for anything from a few pounds to tons. The results have not went unnoticed.
He originally built his concept into a truck bumper, greatly reducing the force to the overall structure, but when the United States Air Force asked for modifications to work in troop transports, Love was happy to help. He received a grant to provide innovative research for crashworthy storable troop seating for helicopters. Pete’s research went toward protecting soldiers from the impact of a crash.
As Impact Dispersal Systems moves forward, Love’s latest design, the IDS Safety Pivot System, has evolved to fit into a child’s car seat. He traveled to a national testing laboratory to evaluate the results of his work.
Not only is the impact dispersal system capable of significantly reducing force on impact, but also ensuring that the child seat is installed properly. As anyone who has installed a car seat knows, getting the straps secure can present a challenge. Love has incorporated a ratcheting concept into the tethering system that makes tightening the car seat restraints as easy as turning a door knob.
Ignoring all the figures and statistics, anyone who has been affected by this type of tragedy can understand how quickly our lives can be altered. Few accomplishments would be better than sparing other families from these tragedies.
To learn more about Impact Dispersal Systems, LLC and watch the crash test results, visit www.impactdispersalsystems.com.
