Head and neck injuries to car occupants wearing safety belts in frontal collisions. Paper presented at the 2nd International Congress of the International Research Committee on the Biokinetics of Impacts, Birmingham, September 1975.

In 182 injury producing frontal impacts, in which 277 occupants of front seats wore 3-point lap and diagonal belts, 76 cases of head injury were reported, 71 of which included cuts, bruises or fractures. The velocity changes of the cars were estimated to lie between 10 and 45 mile/h. There were 13 cases of concussion, 5 without other head injuries; but in 4 out of the 5, there was other evidence of head impact of the inside of the car. 22 neck injuries were reported, all without associated head injuries of any kind; only one was of greater than minor severity. or serious neck injury to wearers of safety belts in frontal impacts is small unless the head strikes a solid object.