DEPTH:​ a relationship between side impact thoracic injury and vehicle design

Gabler, Hampton C.; Hackney, James R.; Hollowell, William T.

Affiliations

¹National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, United States

Abstract

In a previous NHTSA research program, the Door Effective Padding Thickness (DEPTH) was found to be highly correlated with side impact occupant protection. Using an expanded set of twenty-eight production car side impact tests and a series of modified vehicles side impact tests, this paper reexamines the question of how vehicle design influences side impact thoracic injury. The findings of this extended study confirm the conclusion of the earlier paper: Of the design variables investigated, DEPTH is the single design variable most strongly correlated with thoracic side impact injury potential.

Cited Works (5)

Year	Entry
1987	Hackney JR, Gabler HC, Kanianthra JN, Cohen DS. Update of the NHTSA research activity in thoracic side impact protection for the front seat occupant. In: Proceedings of the 31st Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 9-11, 1987; New Orleans, LA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:129-142. SAE 872207.
1989	Kanianthra JN, Trella TJ, Edwards SP. Safety performance evaluation of production vehicles in side impacts using the modeling approach. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). May 29–June 1, 1989; Göteborg, Sweden.1055-1071.
1989	Willke DT, Monk MW, Kanianthra JN. Side impact subsystem thoracic impactor evaluation. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). May 29–June 1, 1989; Göteborg, Sweden.1043-1055.
1985	Gabler HC III, Hackney JR. The safety performance of production vehicles in side impacts. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). July 1-4, 1985; Oxford, England.607-619. SAE 856081.
1986	Morgan RM, Marcus JH, Eppinger RH. Side impact: the biofidelity of NHTSA's proposed ATD and efficacy of TTI. In: Proceedings of the 30th Stapp Car Crash Conference. October 27-29, 1986; San Diego, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:27-40. SAE 861877.

Cited By (3)

Year	Entry
1994	Fildes BN, Lane JC, Lenard J, Vulcan AP. Passenger Cars and Occupant Injury: Side Impact Crashes. Canberra, Australia: Federal Office of Road Safety; April 1994. Report No. CR 134.
1998	Chan H, Hackney JR, Morgan RM, Smith HE. An analysis of NCAP side impact crash data. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 31–June 4, 1998; Windsor, Ontario, Canada.2490-2502.
1989	Kanianthra JN, Trella TJ, Edwards SP. Safety performance evaluation of production vehicles in side impacts using the modeling approach. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). May 29–June 1, 1989; Göteborg, Sweden.1055-1071.