INTRA-ACCIDENT CORRELATIONS OF DRIVER INJURY AND THEIR APPLICATION TO THE EFFECT OF MASS RATIO ON INJURY SEVERITY.

DATA ON THE SEVERITIES OF THE INJURIES TO THE DRIVERS INVOLVED IN TWO-VEHICLE CRASHES ARE PRESENTED AND RELATED TO THE RELATIVE MASSES OF THE VEHICLES. AT ANY GIVEN MASS RATIO, THERE IS FOUND TO BE A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE SEVERITIES OF INJURY TO THE TWO DRIVERS. THIS ARISES BECAUSE THE RELATIVE VELOCITY BEFORE IMPACT IS THE SAME FOR BOTH DRIVERS IN THE ONE ACCIDENT, BUT VARIES CONSIDERABLY BETWEEN DIFFERENT ACCIDENTS. THE CORRELATION MAY BE MODELLED APPROXIMATELY BY ASSUMING RELATIVE VELOCITY HAS A TWO-POINT DISTRIBUTION.(Author/publisher).