Effects of seating position of short stature drivers in frontal impacts

Accident research indicates that small drivers have a higher risk to sustain severe injuries in frontal crashes than mid‐sized drivers. This study employed two methods; accident analysis and a survey of drivers’ seating positions. Frontal impacts from three different German accident databases were analyzed for belted drivers protected by an airbag. Evaluation of in‐depth data focused on severe injuries (MAIS 3+). No major differences in the injury risk and pattern were found between small drivers (up to 170 cm) and taller ones, however based on relatively small case numbers. Analysis of 609 additional frontal crashes compared AIS 2+ injuries in female and male drivers and indicated that females have benefited most from improvements of passive safety. A field study was conducted to determine seat adjustments and seating postures of drivers.
The survey included only drivers in small and compact cars. Thirty drivers with a height up to 165 cm and 35 drivers between 175 and 183 cm participated. Short stature drivers sat significantly closer to the steering wheel and the lower instrument panel than those in the control group. Nevertheless, a large variance in seating posture was found even among the group of small drivers.