This study deals with the analysis of lower leg fractures in pedestrians after collisions with passenger cars and examines to what extent the shape and location of the factures in the lower leg changed, following alterations in the shape and height of bumpers. It can be assumed that the bumpers changed in form and effective impact height, not least due to the realization of the developments of vehicle safety tests as in the context of the European Union Directive 2003/102/EC. In addition, consumer protection tests, EuroNCAP, accomplished a change of the injury situation.

For the study, traffic accidents from GIDAS (German in-Depth-Accident Study) were selected, which had been documented in the years 1995 to 2004 by scientific teams in Hannover and Dresden areas and for which there is detailed information regarding injury patterns and collision speeds. The accident documentations can be regarded as representative and constitute a random sample with statistic weighing of the data. Altogether 143 pedestrian cases of lower leg fractures (Tibia/ Fibula) with documentation of the fractures by X-rays were differentiated according to new and old vehicles (year of manufacture before/after 1995). The bumper shapes were divided into 3 classical types (protruding pronouncedly/ protruding integrated /integrated rounded). Besides the injuries to the lower leg, those to thighs and feet were also regarded, and the injury conditions involving the head and trunk were included in the kinematic analytics.