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The objective of this study was to analyze the injury risk of the windscreen pane and to consider means for an injury reduction by an optimized structure and angle of the windscreen pane and give demands for the vehicle construction. Accident documentations from in-depth investigations by the Accident Research Unit of the Medical University Hannover (ARU Hannover) by order of German Federal Road Authority (Bundesanstalt für Straβenwesen) were analyzed for this purpose. For that 71 belt-protected front-seat passengers and 192 pedestrians and cyclists resepectively who suffered injuries by impact to the windscreen pane in frontal collisions were investigated. An impact to the windscreen in the region of the frame appears to have especially serious consequences. 5.9% of the belt-protected front occupants and 22.8% of pedestrians or cyclists respectively suffered serious injuries (AIS 3+).

Within the framework of local accident investigations, the injuries of 608 belt wearing front-seat passengers were documented and discussed for various collision types. The special feature of this survey is the detailed description of injuries, in correlation with the injury-causing interior car parts. References are also made to the injury situation of rear-seat passengers.

The value of on scene in-depth accident research studies has been recognized internationally and many countries worldwide have such teams. Since such detailed information is essential for improving the safety of cars, a strong collaboration with automakers developed. This resulted in Germany in a joint project between FAT (Forschungsvereinigung Automobiltechnik -Automotive Industry Research Association) and BASt (Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen -Federal Road Research Institute). The project started on July 1999 and is called “GIDAS” (German In-Depth Investigation Accident Study). The paper is describing the methodology of this project with statistically orientated procedure of data sampling on the one hand and will give an overview of procedures for the determination of impact speed on the basis of an on scene investigation on the other hand.

Crash information, e.g. driving and impact speed, have to be determined from traces on the scene, as well as from examination of deformation patterns in order to assess the impact condition and the movement trajectories of the impacted body of bicyclists and pedestrians after car collision. Experts use the following information to calculate speed: Information on final position of vehicles, deformation pattern on vehicles, traces found on the road, such as braking and sliding marks, throw distances of pedestrians and cyclists and injury pattern, all these issues are given possibilities for reconstruction of the movement of the human body. While in car to car crashes the speed calculation is based on the momentum analysis and on energy balance hypothesis of classical physics, the calculation for pedestrian and bicycle accidents have to be based on traces only. The paper describes the possibilities of the use of throw distance as a reconstruction method.