The Monash University Accident Research Centre has been involved in detailed research into occupant protection for several years. This work has included the analysis of mass data bases, detailed inspection of crashed vehicles where at least one occupant was either hospitalised or killed, as well as follow-up studies on the longer term consequences of occupants who are injured in passenger car crashes. These data have been used for a comprehensive examination of neck and spine injuries sustained by occupants of modern passenger cars in Australia. Topics explored include the incidence and cost of injury, long-term outcome including impairment, and sources of these injuries inside and outside the vehicle. The results show that soft tissue injuries to the neck occur quite frequently in car crashes and while not life threatening, are commonly quite painful, costly and in some cases can be chronic and disabling for considerable periods of time. Spinal injuries are less common but are severe injuries to treat and often lead to permanent disability. Measures to reduce these injuries and the need for further research are also explored.
Samenvatting