Factors related to serious injury in post-NCAP european cars involved in frontal crashes

Frampton, Richard; Williams, Owen; Thomas, Pete

This study examined the relationship between EuroNCAP ratings for body region protection and real world injury risk for 653 belted drivers in frontal crashes. It was also able to comment on further improvements in crash protection for post-EuroNCAP cars. Protection for the head and lower leg appeared good. In terms of life threatening injury, results showed a need to prioritise chest protection, whilst for impairment, protection for the upper leg and ankle/foot should be considered. The EuroNCAP body region scoring system reflects trends in real crash injury risks to all body regions, except for the chest, where there is no clear trend. More generally, further development in the testing regime could usefully concentrate on a restraint system test and the use of smaller dummies seated appropriately, rather than an increase of the test speed.

Year

Entry

1994

Lowne RW; EEVC Working Group 11 Transport Research Laboratory, United Kingdom. EEVC working group 11 report on the development of a front impact test procedure. In: Proceedings of the 14th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 23-26, 1994; Munich, Germany.1334-1351.

2000

Frampton R, Sferco R, Welsh R, Kirk A, Fay P. Effectiveness of airbag restraints in frontal crashes: what european field studies tell us. In: Proceedings of the 2000 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 20-22, 2000; Montpellier, France.425-438.

2000

Lie A, Tingvall C. How does Euro NCAP results correlate to real life injury risks: a paired comparison study of car-to-car crashes. In: Proceedings of the 2000 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 20-22, 2000; Montpellier, France.123-130.

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.

1998

Lenard J, Frampton R, Thomas P. The influence of European air bags on crash injury outcomes. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 31–June 4, 1998; Windsor, Ontario, Canada.972-982.