THE AUTHORS PRESENT A SYNTHESIS OF DATA ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIC VALUES AND HEAD INJURY LEVELS, OBTAINED BY VARIOUS METHODS AND UNDER SEVERAL SPECIFIC TEST CONDITIONS. FRONTAL COLLISIONS ARE DISCUSSED. TWO CASES ARE CONSIDERED SEPARATELY: WHEN HEAD IMPACTS OCCUR, AND WITHOUT HEAD OR NECK IMPACTS. ACCIDENTOLOGICAL DATA LEAD TO THE CONCLUSION THAT NO CRITERION IS NEEDED WHEN NO HEAD IMPACT IS RECORDED. ON THE CONTRARY, WHEN HEAD IMPACTS ARE UNDERGONE, BIOMECHANICAL DATA AND ANALYSES OF KINEMATICS ARE IN FAVOUR OF HIC 1500 WHEN A 3-POINT BELT IS USED. THE OTHER CLASSICAL TYPES OF ACCIDENT ARE MOSTLY RELEVANT TO THE CASE OF DIRECT HEAD IMPACTS; HIC 1500 CRITERION MAY APPLY PROVIDED THAT SUFFICIENT PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION EXISTS - THE PROTECTION OF THE FACE BEING A PARTICULAR PROBLEM. THE HEAD INJURY CRITERION (HIC) IS ALREADY AN OLD CONCEPT WHICH WAS OFTEN CRITICIZED FOR BOTH ITS MATHEMATICAL FORMULA AND ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH ANY INJURY LEVEL. HOWEVER, IN 1982, NO ALTERNATIVE CANDIDATE CRITERION APPEARS, WHICH WAS SUFFICIENTLY KNOWN AND DIRECTLY AVAILABLE FROM MEASUREMENTS ON PRESENT DUMMIES. THIS PAPER AIMS IN PARTICULAR TO DETERMINE IF MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF A HIC VALUE IN A DUMMY TEST CAN PROVIDE BETTER SAFETY FOR REAL ACCIDENT VICTIMS, BY PROTECTING THEM FROM RATHER SEVERE INJURIES WHEN THEY UNDERGO SIMILAR IMPACT CONDITIONS. VARIOUS ACCIDENT CIRCUMSTANCES WILL BE EXAMINED. FOR THE COVERING ABSTRACT OF THE CONFERENCE SEE IRRD 802816.
Samenvatting