The purpose of the program is to determine the type and severity of injuries resulting from traffic accidents and to relate these to the design features of the interior structures of the vehicles involved Many of the data obtained are used to evaluate the performance characteristics of vehicle safety features such as energy- absorbing steering columns, high penetration resistant windshields, padded instrument panels, and seat-belt restraints. Emphasis is placed on the injuries produced versus the injuries prevented. Accident causation is also studied because of the important part it plays in establishing the kinematics of the vehicle occupants and the manner in which injuries are produced or prevented. The accident investigations involve cooperation with police departments, hospital medical personnel, towing service operators, ambulance attendants, and the vehicle occupants themselves. These investigations include medical reports of the injuries, police reports of the accidents, inspection of the vehicle to assess damage and to determine the interior contact points of the occupants, measurement of the vehicles and the accident location, and photography of the accident scene and the exterior and interior of the vehicles.case studies are prepared and presented periodically to the sponsor, the automobile manufacturers association. The current program now has more than 450 cases in the file and 900 to 1,000 cases planned for the entire 10-year project.
Samenvatting