The purpose of this study is to examine the kinds of injuries sustained by belted drivers in the higher severity crashes, based on William Lehman Injury Research Center (USA) cases. The crash severity range examined is the upper limit anticipated by the tests required by the Federal standard for air bags and for consumer information: 30 and 35 mph, respectively. Among the cases with the crash severity around 30 mph, impacts with narrow objects were overrepresented. The common injury mode for the narrow object impact was liver laceration. In the higher severity crashes, there were no head injuries. The chest injuries were the most life threatening and included rib fractures and injuries to the liver, spleen, heart, and lungs. All cases had liver lacerations. Two different crash conditions may contribute to liver injury: (1) a shoulder belt only, without the lap belt fastened; and (2) a centerline crash with a narrow object at a crash speed around 30 mph. In the centerline pole crashes, the belt loading appears to be the initial source of liver injuries. The air bag and three-point belt system appear to provide high protection levels to belted drivers in car-to-car crashes for the 30-35 mph severity range. However, the combined belt and air bag loading may be excessive in some centerline crashes with narrow objects.
Samenvatting