Protection applicances in the car make driving increasingly safer. Due to this fact, fewer persons sustain injuries in the course of traffic accidents. It can be pointed out that the injury pattern of car passengers was visibly changed by the seat belt. With air bag a further protection can be awaited. It can be summarized that the current car safety did not protect all injuries. Most of the injuries are soft tissue lesions, fractures are seldom: 3.7% of injured belted car drivers suffered fractures of head, 5.7% thorax, 1.2% pelvis, 4.6% lower limbs and 3% upper limbs.
This study will explain the injury mechanisms of upper limb fractures and bring demands for car developments and dummy test work. The data has been derived from traffic accidents documented by a scientific team at the Accident Research Unit of the Medical University Hannover / Germany, by order of the BAST.
3,200 belted car drivers could be analysed. A total of 179 persons with upper limb fractures including joint lesions were at disposal, documented during the years 1985 to 95 within a statistical random sample and weighting procedure.
It could be established that important for the resulting injuries, especially on the shoulder, are impulse direction and position of force transmission. Fractures of the shoulder were exposed to high collision severity. Isolated humerus fracture are incurred when a direct impact to the humerus region occurs mostly in lateral collisions.
The study demonstrates two different mechanisms for upper limb fractures:
In the study the main influence factors for upper limb fractures are described and measures for avoidance discussed.