Detailed field accident data is required to support future work on injury mitigation approaches and casualty reduction strategies. In some cases, such as research into injuries to children, only detailed real-world data can be used to quantify injury risk. The collection of road accident data is poor compared to other transport modes. In many countries road crashes are underreported and even fatal crashes receive only superficial investigation. Developing statistical and conceptual links between existing databases can create new opportunities for crash injury analysis. More sensitive databases could provide useful information relating to the most recent aspects of vehicle design and to the more life-threatening and impairing injuries. Application areas include injured populations, countermeasure development, biomechanics research, crashworthiness development and exposure data. Crash investigation tools need to be developed further to match the level of other facets of accident research. Areas for further knowledge include an extensive observational study into injuries, their causes and effectiveness of countermeasures; use of "black box" technologies; continued research into injury causation of children, pedestrians and motorcyclists; improved recording and availability of information on post-crash events; detailed crashworthiness research into interactions between vehicles and roadside objects; and research and development of methods of gathering pre-crash information.
Samenvatting