A review of driver airbag deployments in Europe and Japan to date.

Author(s)
Morris, A.P. Thomas, P. Brett, M. Bruno-Foret-J, Y. Thomas, C. Otte, D. & Ono, K.
Year
Abstract

This study examines data from 186 crash-damaged vehicles in Europe and Japan fitted with driver airbags. There were 130 cases of airbag deployment in the vehicles, 97 of which were in single-impact frontal crashes. The majority of drivers in these impacts sustained AIS 1 injuries with the head/face being the most commonly injured body region. Some AIS 2+ injuries occurred to the head/face but these almost always occurred when the optimum occupant protection circumstances were compromised in some way. The most common site of AIS 2+ injuries was the lower limb followed by the upper limb. 12 out of 14 AIS 2+ injuries to the upper limb occurred in vehicles whose airbag deployed. Slight differences were observed in injury outcomes when a differentiation was made between airbag sizes although this may have been a function of sample size. Overall, encouraging results are apparent. However, this is a preliminary survey. Follow-up studies with more data are clearly the next stage if a comprehensive overview of the real-world performance of airbags is to be attained. (A)

Request publication

3 + 3 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.

Publication

Library number
C 11442 (In: C 11439 [electronic version only]) /80 /84 /90 / IRRD 896531
Source

In: Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Technical Conference on Enhanced Safety of Vehicles ESV, Melbourne, Australia, 13-16 May 1996, Volume 1, p. 122-131, 10 ref.

Our collection

This publication is one of our other publications, and part of our extensive collection of road safety literature, that also includes the SWOV publications.