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Technical Paper

The Effects of Belt Use and Driver Characteristics on Injury Risk in Frontal Airbag Crashes

2001-03-05
2001-01-0155
From the crash investigation files at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), the crashes involving deployed airbags were reviewed. The total number of deployments is 898 of which 764 are frontal crashes with the principal direction of force (PDF) at 11-1 o’clock. Of the drivers in these frontal crashes 83% were using the belt restraint. Overall, seven of ten drivers have an AIS-0 or 1 level injury as the maximum or highest injury severity level (MAIS). Of the survivors, one in six had a moderate level injury (AIS-2) as their most significant injury and one in nine had an MAIS 3 or greater injury. Fatalities are rare. There is a difference between injury severity frequencies of belted vs. non-belted drivers. Three-quarters of the belted drivers had minor injuries compared to only half of those not belted. A difference was also noted at the AIS-2 level—belted vs. unbelted 14% vs. 23%.
Technical Paper

Children as Front Seat Passengers Exposed to Airbag Deployments

1997-11-12
973295
From a review of 722 “airbag” crashes investigated by UMTRI personnel, there were 117 front seat passengers exposed to passenger side airbag deployments. The majority of these were 16 years of age or older (90 of the 117), with 20 passengers. 11 years of age or younger. Two cases, both fatalities, will not be described, for these crashes have been investigated also by NHTSA's Special Crash Investigation Program personnel. The crashes and injuries of these 18 passengers are described. In this group there were 13 children who had MAIS-1 level injuries and two sustained an MAIS-2 injury. One child was without injury, and two had MAIS-5 level injuries. The description of the crash and of the major injuries sustained are detailed in each of the case capsule descriptions. Most of the children were properly restrained.
Technical Paper

Offset Frontal Collisions: A Review of the Literature and Analysis of UMTRI and NASS Crash Injury Data - CDC, AIS and Body Area Injuries

1995-02-01
950498
Using the CDC (SAE J224), a comparison of the NASS data and the UMTRI field accident files (UM series) indicates a similar distribution of offset frontal crashes. Offset frontal damage occurs in 56-61% of crashes, often involving more than one third of the front of the car. Lap-shoulder belted drivers sustain more AIS 2 or greater injuries when there is interior intrusion and occur more often when the offset damage is in front of the driver. However, this may well be due to the severity of the crash. European studies have no uniformity as to offset frontal collision descriptors are difficult to interpret, or to compare one to another.
Technical Paper

Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Injuries and the Lap-Shoulder Belt

1993-03-01
930640
From the authors' files, case examples of thoracolumbar injuries sustained by lap-shoulder belted front seat occupants, in frontal crashes, are presented. Additional cases were found in a review of the clinical literature. The biomechanical literature was reviewed, identifying laboratory studies on thoracolumbar spinal injuries. Suggested mechanisms in the production of these injuries in frontal type car crashes are postulated.
Technical Paper

Car Crashes and Non-Head Impact Cervical Spine Injuries in Infants and Children

1992-02-01
920562
The effects of child safety seats have been well documented in the medical literature. Scattered throughout the medical literature are individual case reports of cervical injury to children restrained in child restraint systems. A review of the literature is provided identifying previous documented cases. The authors also provide new case details of children with cervical spine injury without head contact. An overview of the growth of the infant and specific details in the cervical spine that may contribute to significant cervical injury without head impact is presented.
Technical Paper

Non-Head Impact Cervical Spine Injuries in Frontal Car Crashes to Lap-Shoulder Belted Occupants

1992-02-01
920560
Crash injury reduction via lap-shoulder belt use has been well documented. As any interior car component, lap-shoulder belts may be related to injury in certain crashes. Relatively unknown is the fact that cervical fractures or fracture-dislocations to restrained front seat occupants where, in the crash, no head contact was evidenced by both medical records and car inspection. An extensive review of the available world's literature on car crash injuries revealed more than 100 such cases. A review of the NASS 80-88 was also conducted, revealing more examples. Cases from the author's own files are also detailed.
Technical Paper

Basilar Skull Fractures Produced by Facial Impacts - Case Histories and a Review of the Literature

1988-10-01
881711
Basilar skull fractures have previously been described as the result of cranial vault impacts. Such fractures resulting from impacts to the chin, face and/or orbital areas (non-cranial vault areas) have not been adequately documented. These types of fractures and the motor vehicle incidents in which the injuries were sustained will be described according to the type of crash and vehicles involved. Data on the tolerance levels of the basilar region of the skull are sparce at best. Case histories of non-cranial vault impacts, presented in a variety of crash types, document that facial impacts can be the sole cause of basilar skull fractures. A historical review of the basilar skull fracture literature is presented.
Technical Paper

The Rear Seat Occupant from Data Analysis of Selected Clinical Case Studies

1987-02-23
870487
A review of the UM series and of NCSS, NASS, CPIR and FARS Files, as well as Michigan accident data files was undertaken, as well as a review of the NTSB “Rear Seat Study”. From these files rear seat occupany is approximately 10%, with children 6 years of age or less being 1/5th of these. About 50-60% of those in the sear seat are adults. Most of the injuries are at the lower AIS levels, with adults being more seriously injured. Of the more serious or fatal injuries, the head and face predominate by far, in all types of crashes involving unrestrainded rear seat occupants. When belts are worn there are few seriously or fatally injured rear occupants and of these, the abdominal area predominates. From available data, rear lap-belted passengers have the same MAIS level (or less) when compared to their front seat lap-shoulder belted counterparts.
Technical Paper

Anatomy, Injury Frequency, Biomechanics, and Human Tolerances

1980-02-01
800098
The purpose of this literature review was to determine areas of automotive injury information that may add to knowledge of injury type, frequency, severity, and cause. This paper is a review of the literature concentrating on the period between 1965 and present. Literature on car, van, or 1ight truck occupants has been reviewed for injury frequencies, types, and locations. Current experimental biomechanical articles are also included. A search was made for descriptions of injury frequency, restraint effectiveness, and the causes of specific injuries. Medical and engineering journals, texts, and books were reviewed. For convenience, this report is divided into sections by body region with an overview introduction on the anatomy of the specific region.
Technical Paper

Effectiveness of Current and Future Restraint Systems in Fatal and Serious Injury Automobile Crashes

1979-02-01
790323
Data from 101 front seat automobile occupant fatality crashes that the authors had investigated were reviewed along with 70 front seat automobile occupants who had the more severe (AIS 3, 4, or 5) level injuries who did not die. The effectiveness of the lap belt alone, lap-shoulder belt, air bag alone, air bag with lap belt, and the passive shoulder belt were made. The estimates reveal that none of the restraints would have prevented 42 to 51 of the fatalities. The air bag with lap belt, and the lap-shoulder belt system, have the highest effectiveness for reducing fatalities (AB+LB, 34%; LB+SH, 32%). The air bag with lap belt has an effectiveness of 68% in reducing the more serious injuries with the lap-shoulder belt nearly as equal (64%). NHTSA's fatality reduction estimates are excessively high and overly optomistic compared to ours, but theirs are noticeably lower for serious injury reduction than are ours. Comparisons with other restraint effectiveness studies are also made.
Technical Paper

The Effectiveness of Belt Systems in Frontal and Rollover Crashes

1977-02-01
770148
This paper presents an analysis of front seat outboard occupants in frontal and rollover crashes. These occupants were lap belted, lap-shoulder belted or were unrestrained. In the frontal crash the lap-shoulder belt reduces the occurrence of the severe, serious, critical-to-life injuries, and fatalities in all regions of the body (head, neck, thorax, lower torso and extremities). In addition, there is a strong association between belt usage and the occupant escaping from the crash with no injury. In rollover crashes, belts reduce the frequency of the more severe injuries by preventing the occupant from being ejected. For those occupants not ejected from the car, belts effectively reduce fatalities and the more serious injuries.
Technical Paper

Comparison of Occupant Injuries With and Without Seat Belts

1969-02-01
690244
Modulation of the occupant's movement within the vehicle by the seat belt reduces the potential for striking certain structures and decreases severity of the injuries. The seat belt also functions to direct the upper torso, especially the head, to specific interior surfaces. Design modifications of these areas are needed to prevent serious facial fractures that have been seen. Lap belted drivers contact the steering wheel rim or instrument panel in front of the wheel in head-on crashes; the front passenger strikes the upper instrument panel. Improper positioning of the lap seat belts produces serious intraabdominal injury, especially in the case of the rear passengers. Seat belt fatality cases were, in general, due to collapse and compromise of the occupant space as typified by the broadside intersection collision.
Technical Paper

How Do They Die? Medical-Engineering Data From On-Scene Investigations of Fatal Automobile Accidents

1965-02-01
650039
On-scene investigations of 104 fatal accidents involving 136 fatalities have shown that ejection from the vehicle was the leading cause of the fatalities. The data indicate that the majority of these victims could have survived by the use of the simple lap seat belt. The steering assembly -- the end of the steering column or steering wheel proper -- was the leading cause of the fatalities among drivers. The majority of these driver fatalities could not have been saved even with the seat belt-shoulder harness restraint. Other than death by ejection, the instrument panel was the leading cause of death of the front seat passengers, most of whom could have survived by using seat belts. Impacts to the door caused invasion of the passenger compartment, and most occupants would have died even if restraints had been used. To decrease the number of fatal injuries from automobile accidents, future designs of automobile interiors must include adequate crash attenuation features.
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