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The William Lehman Injury Research Center has conducted multi-disciplinary investigations of fifty crashes involving drivers protected by air bags. In all cases, serious injuries were suspected. Nine cases involved fatal injuries. These cases are not representative of crashes in general. However, when used in conjunction with NASS/CDS they provide insight into the most severe injuries in crashes of vehicles equipped with air bags. A comparison with data from the National Accident Sampling System; Crashworthiness Data System (NASS/CDS) shows that head injury and abdominal injury make up a larger fraction in the Lehman data than in NASS/CDS. Examination of fatal cases indicates that head injuries are frequently caused by intruding structure or by unfavorable occupant kinematics among the unrestrained population.

This paper examines the distribution of injuries to belted occupants involved in frontal crashes, using data from the National Accident Sampling System. Similar studies of data from Canada, Britain, and Federal Republic of Germany are summarized. The studies are consistent in showing that head and chest injuries continue to be the most harmful to belted occupants. For restrained drivers, liver injuries contribute a significant level of harm among chest/abdominal injuries. Other significant lesions of nearly equal weight are arterial, heart, lung/pulmonary, skeletal, and crushing injuries. Brain injuries are by far the most harmful head injury, followed by skull fracture and facial fracture. The diverse distribution of injuries, and the wide variation in occupant sizes and injury tolerances are significant considerations in optimizing restraint systems for maximum injury reduction in real crashes.