The aim of the project was to investigate the relationship between vehicle design and the nature and severity of occupant injuries. A critical appraisal of the literature was made and a detailed investigation was undertaken of 43 rollover crashes with injury severity ranging from none to fatal. From the literature, the weight of evidence indicated a relationship between roof crush and occupant injury and a particular association between roof crush and spinal cord injury. The crash study generally supported these conclusions but also identified factors which could lead to spinal cord injury when there was small roof intrusion. Another injury mechanism was found to be partial ejection of belted occupants leading to crushing head injury. Recommendations for vehicle design improvements include side window integrity, roof framing strength, geometric design of door/roof framing, interior padding, restraint design and door integrity. (A)
Abstract