Seating position in cars and fatality risk

Evans, L.; Frick, M. C.

Affiliations

¹Operating Sciences Department, General Motors Research Laboratories, Warren, MI 48090

Abstract

Fatality risk in passenger cars according to seating position (front versus rear; left versus center or right) was examined using Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) data for 1975 through 1985. Comparing the fatality risk of unrestrained occupants matched in sex and age (within three years) revealed effects attributable to seating position, and not to occupant characteristics correlated with use of different seats. Fatality risk to drivers was the same as fatality risk to right front passengers to within 1 per cent; this was so for crashes in all directions and for frontal crashes. Fatality risk in rear seats was (26 ± 2) per cent lower than in front seats, and lower in center compared to outboard seats by (22 ± 4) per cent for front seats and (15 ± 4) per cent for rear seats. The center rear seat was associated with the lowest fatality risk.

Links

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.78.11.1456

PubMed: 3177719

PubMedCentral: PMC1350238

WoS: A1988R635600012

History

Received: 1987-11-03

Accepted: 1988-04-11

Cited Works (6)

Year	Entry
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Cited By (33)

Year	Entry
1997	Braver ER, Whitfield R, Ferguson SA. Risk of death among child passengers in front and rear seating positions. In: Proceedings of the 2nd Child Occupant Protection Symposium. November 12, 1997; Orlando, FL.25-34. SAE 973298.
1988	Evans L, Frick MC. Relative fatality risk in different seating positions versus car model year. In: 32nd Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 12-14, 1988; Seattle, WA.1-13.
1991	Evans L, Frick MC. Alcohol's influence on fatality risk, given that a crash has occurred. In: 35th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 7, 1991; Toronto, Canada.179-195.
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1994	Huelke DF, Compton CP. The effects of seat belts on injury severity of front and rear seat occupants in the same frontal crash. In: 38th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 21-23, 1994; Lyon, France.1-10.
2000	Anderson CL, Agran P, Winn D. Analysis of fatalities in extended cab pickup trucks using an estimating equation method. In: 44th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 2-4, 2000; Chicago, IL.
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2012	Beck B. Optimising Protection for Motor Vehicle Rear Seat Occupants [PhD thesis]. University of New South Wales; 2012.
2002	Kent RW. Dynamic Response of the Thorax: Restraint-Specific Hard Tissue Injury Prediction [PhD thesis]. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia; January 2002.
2008	Kapoor T. Methods to Mitigate Injuries to Toddlers in a Vehicle Crash [PhD thesis]. University of Windsor; 2008.
2019	Tatem WM. The Crash Injury Risk to Rear Seated Passenger Vehicle Occupants [PhD thesis]. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; December 13, 2019.