Effectiveness of airbag restraints in frontal crashes: what european field studies tell us

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Frampton, Richard¹; Sferco, Raimondo²; Welsh, Ruth¹; Kirk, Alan¹; Fay, Paul²

Effectiveness of airbag restraints in frontal crashes: what european field studies tell us

Proceedings of the 2000 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact

Affiliations

¹Vehicle Safety Research Centre, Loughborough University, UK

²Ford Motor Company
Abstract and keywords

UK and German field accident data show that European airbag systems provide a 32% and 55% reduction in AIS 2+ injury to the cranium and face when belted drivers sustain MAIS 2+ injury in frontal crashes. The greatest benefits of airbags were seen in crashes exceeding 30 km/h delta v. Airbags do not appear to affect a reduction in chest injuries and they exert a neutral influence on the incidence of cervical spine strain. Drivers in airbag vehicles sustained proportionately more AIS 2-t upper limb injuries than those in vehicles without airbags. That difference was largely the result of a higher proportion of clavicle fractures. Overall, deployment thresholds correlate well to the onset of moderate/serious head injury but there appear to be some unnecessary deployments at low crash severities.

Keywords: Accident Analysis; Airbags; Epidemiology; Frontal Impacts; Injury Probability

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2002	Frampton R, Welsh R, Thomas P. Belted driver protection in frontal impact: what has been achieved and where do future priorities lie? In: 46th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 30–October 2, 2002; Tempe, AZ.
2004	Frampton R, Williams O, Thomas P. Factors related to serious injury in post-NCAP european cars involved in frontal crashes. In: 48th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 13-15, 2004; Key Biscayne, FL.15-33.
2006	Frampton R, Page M, Thomas P. Factors related to fatal injury in frontal crashes involving European cars. In: 50th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 16-18, 2006; Chicago, IL.35-56.
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