Since 1994, the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has compiled upper neck loads for the belt and air bag restrained 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy. Over five bag restrained 5 years from 1994 to 1998, in frontal crash tests, NCAP collected upper neck data for 118 passenger cars and seventy-eight light trucks and vans. This paper examines these data, and attempts to assess the potential for neck injury based on injury criteria included in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208 (for the optional sled test). The paper examines the extent of serious neck injury in real world crashes as reported in the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS). The results suggest that serious neck injuries occur at higher speeds for crashes involving occupants restrained by belts in passenger cars. Results of the paper also suggest that neck tension and neck extension can reach levels in the NCAP frontal crash tests that are higher than those allowed in FMVSS No. 208 for the sled test. Neck tension and neck extension are generally higher in light trucks and vans than in passenger cars. When the neck responses are examined as a function of the Head Injury Criterion (HIC) for driver and passenger dummies, no correlation is found. (A)
Abstract