This book examines the history of car crashes and why they happen. Until the 1960s, vehicle manufacturers found that safety was not a selling point and that drivers were concerned with image, style and performance. Legislation for compulsory use of safety belts, and other safety systems including air bags are described. The risks of human error and physiological constraints are discussed. Dramatically safer cars are now built. The latest developments in Sweden and Germany include fitting black box data recorders which record the circumstances leading up to an accident. Underpinning this work is a new breed of accident investigators who look at the whole crash environment and gather forensic evidence. Advances in medical research on accident victims are described particularly with reference to brain and lower extremity injuries. The importance of managing the whole-body effects of trauma is stressed. The consequences of improved roads are often that while accident rates are initally reduced, drivers increase speed and the road is used more, so the accident rates increase again. The need for increased co-operation between medical personnel of different specialities, and between road engineers and psychologists is explained. Chapters discussing the risks to pedestrians, questions of law enforcement, and driver training are included.
Abstract