Injury patterns in side collisions:​ a new look with reference to current test methods and injury criteria

Thomas, Pete; Frampton, Richard

Affiliations

¹Vehicle Safety Research Centre, Loughborough University

Abstract

The UK in-depth data, describing the causation of injuries to casualties in side impacts, was examined for crashes occurring between 1992 and 1998. Slightly more casualties died in side impacts than in frontal crashes, and one-third were seated on the side away from the collision. The collision severity was compared with the European and US legal test procedures and most MAIS 3+ survivors were observed to be in crashes above the severity of the test. The mean delta-V for the fatal group was 48 km/h compared with typically 25 km/h in the test. The most commonly injured body regions of both survivors and fatalities were the head, thorax and lower extremity. The lower extremity was the most frequent site of AIS 2+ injuries of survivors and fractures to the femur and tibia were highlighted, these injuries are not assessed by existing dummies.

Links

SAE: 99SC01

Cited Works (11)

Year	Entry
1998	Gabler HC, Hollowell WT. NHTSA’s vehicle aggressivity and compatibility research program. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 31–June 4, 1998; Windsor, Ontario, Canada.640-649.
1994	Gloyns PF, Rattenbury SJ, Weller RO, Lestina DC. Mechanisms and patterns of head injuries in fatal frontal and side impact crashes. In: Proceedings of the 1994 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 21-23, 1994; Lyon, France.139-150.
1991	Haddak M, Ramet M, Vallet G, Cesari D. Side impact into a fixed object: what is at stake? In: Proceedings of the 13th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). November 4-7, 1991; Paris, France.707-712.
1998	Frampton RJ, Brown R, Thomas P, Fay P. The importance of non struck side occupants in side collisions. In: 42nd Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 5-7, 1998; Charlottesville, VA.303-320.
1981	Cesari D, Ramet M, Bloch J. Influence of arm position on thoracic injuries in side impact. In: Proceedings of the 25th Stapp Car Crash Conference. September 28-30, 1981; San Francisco, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:271-297. SAE 811007.
1994	Fildes B, Vulcan P, Lane J, Lenard J. Side impact crashes in Australia. In: Proceedings of the 14th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 23-26, 1994; Munich, Germany.906-918.
1990	The Abbreviated Injury Scale-1990 Revision. Des Plaines, IL: Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM); 1990.
1985	Malliaris AC, Hitchcock R, Hansen M. Harm causation and ranking in car crashes. In: Proceedings of the SAE International Congress & Exposition. February 27–March 2, 1985; Detroit, MI. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers. SAE 850090.
1989	Thomas P, Bradford M. Side impact regulations: how do they relate to real world accidents? In: Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). May 29–June 1, 1989; Göteborg, Sweden.919-929.
1998	Lenard J, Hurley B, Thomas P. The accuracy of CRASH3 for calculating collision severity in modern European cars. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 31–June 4, 1998; Windsor, Ontario, Canada.1242-1249.
1995	Hassan AM, Morris AP, Mackay M, Haland Y. Injury severity in side impacts: implications for side impact airbag. In: Proceedings of the 1995 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 13-15, 1995; Brunnen, Switzerland.353-364.

Cited By (31)

Year	Entry
2000	Arbogast KB, Moll EK, Morris SD, Anderko RL, Durbin DR, Winston FK. Factors influencing pediatric injury in side impact collisions. In: 44th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 2-4, 2000; Chicago, IL.
2000	Augenstein J, Perdeck E, Martin P, Bowen J, Stratton J, Horton T, Singer M, Digges K, Steps J. Injuries to restrained occupants in far-side crashes. In: 44th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 2-4, 2000; Chicago, IL.
2003	Banglmaier RF, Rouhana SW, Beillas P, Yang KH. Lower extremity injuries in lateral impact: a retrospective study. In: 47th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 22-24, 2003; Lisbon, Portugal.425-444.
2010	Sunnevång C, Rosén E, Boström O, Lechelt U. Thoracic injury risk as a function of crash severity: car-to-car side impact tests with worldsid compared to real-life crashes. In: 54th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 17-20, 2010; Las Vegas, NV.159-168.
2001	Digges K, Dalmotas D. Injuries to restrained occupants in far-side crashes. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 4-7, 2001; Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2003	Monclus-Gonzalez J, Marzougui D, Bahouth G, Eskandarian A. An investigation of side impact test methodologies for child restraint systems using finite element simulations. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 19-22, 2003; Nagoya, Japan.
2003	Dakin GJ, Arbelaez RA, Nolan JM, Zuby DS, Lund AK. Insurance institute for highway safety side impact crashworthiness evaluation program: impact configuration and rationale. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 19-22, 2003; Nagoya, Japan.
2003	Arndt N, Grzebieta R, Zou R. Validating lower limb injury mechanisms in side impact crashes. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 19-22, 2003; Nagoya, Japan.
2003	Bostrom O, Haland Y. Benefits of a 3+2 point belt system and an inboard torso side support in frontal, far-side and rollover crashes. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 19-22, 2003; Nagoya, Japan.
2005	Arbelaez RA, Baker BC, Nolan JM. Delta Vs for IIHS side impact crash tests and their relationship to real-world crash severity. In: Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 6-9, 2005; Washington, DC.
2009	Gopal M, Hawes K, Balci R. Side pre-crash: a preliminary analysis & evaluation of crash causation and potential safety benefits. In: Proceedings of the 21st International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 15-18, 2009; Stuttgart, Germany.
2015	Bahouth GT, Murakhovskiy D, Digges KH, Rist H, Wiik R. Opportunities for reducing far-side casualties. In: Proceedings of the 24th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 8-11, 2015; Gothenburg, Sweden.
2004	Etheridge BS, Beason DP, Eberhardt AW. Bone density and trochanteric tissue thickness affect fracture of the female pelvis in side impact experiments. In: Proceedings of the 32nd International Workshop on Human Subjects for Biomechanical Research. 2004.127-143.
2001	Digges K, Eigen A. Measurements of vehicle compatibility in front-to-side crashes. In: Proceedings of the 2001 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. October 10-12, 2001; Isle of Man, UK.
2002	Fildes BN, Sparke LJ, Bostrom O, Pintar F, Yoganandan N, Morris AP. Suitability of current side impact test dummies in far-side impacts. In: Proceedings of the 2002 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 18-20, 2002; Munich, Germany.
2003	Höglund N, Lövsund P, Viano D, Olsén S. Foot and ankle safety evaluation in real life crash situations. In: Proceedings of the 2003 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 25, 2003; Lisbon, Portugal.163-175.
2005	Yoganandan N, Pintar FA, Gennarelli TA. Evaluation of side impact injuries in vehicles equipped with side airbags. In: Proceedings of the 2005 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 21-23, 2005; Prague, Czech Republic.97-108.
2014	Stein M, Johannsen H, Holtz J, Core E, Zink L. Concept for lateral impact protection of a centred driver in a light electrical vehicle. In: Proceedings of the 2014 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 10-12, 2014; Berlin, Germany.562-577.
2001	Beillas P, Begeman PC, Yang KH, King AI, Arnoux P-J, Kang H-S, Kayvantash K, Brunet C, Cavallero C, Prasad P. Lower limb: advanced FE model and new experimental data. Stapp Car Crash J. 2001;45:469-494. SAE 2001-22-0022.
2002	Arbelaez RA, Nolan JM, Dakin GJ, Lund AK. Comparison of EuroSID-2 and SID-IIs in vehicle side impact tests with the IIHS barrier. Stapp Car Crash J. 2002;46:397-415. SAE 2002-22-0019.
2002	Arbogast KB, Mari-Gowda S, Kallan MJ, Durbin DR, Winston FK. Pediatric pelvic fractures in side impact collisions. Stapp Car Crash J. 2002;46:285-296. SAE 2002-22-0015.
2008	Newland C, Belcher T, Bostrom O, Gabler HC, Cha J-G, Wong HL, Tylko S, Dal Nevo R. Occupant-to-occupant interaction and impact injury risk in side impact crashes. Stapp Car Crash J. 2008;52:327-347. SAE 2008-22-0013.
2003	Beason DP, Dakin GJ, Lopez RR, Alonso JE, Bandak FA, Eberhardt AW. Bone mineral density correlates with fracture load in experimental side impacts of the pelvis. J Biomech. 2003;36(2):219-227.
2007	Yoganandan N, Pintar FA, Stemper BD, Gennarelli TA, Weigelt JA. Biomechanics of side impact: injury criteria, aging occupants, and airbag technology. J Biomech. 2007;40(2):227-243.
2007	Li Z, Kim J-E, Davidson JS, Etheridge BS, Alonso JE, Eberhardt AW. Biomechanical response of the pubic symphysis in lateral pelvic impacts: a finite element study. J Biomech. 2007;40(12):2758-2766.
2006	Li Z. Finite Element Modeling of the Human Pelvis: Applications to Automobile Side Impact and Periacetabular Lesions [PhD thesis]. University of Alabama at Birmingham; 2006.
2009	Yuen KF. The Development of a Numerical Human Body Model for the Analysis of Automotive Side Impact Lung Trauma [Master's thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2009.
2010	Watson B. Evaluation of Thoracic Response in Side Impact Crash [Master's thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2010.
2018	Gierczycka D. Investigation of Thorax Response and Potential for Injury in Side Impacts Using Integrated Detailed Human and Vehicle Finite-Element Models [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2018.
2019	Tatem WM. The Crash Injury Risk to Rear Seated Passenger Vehicle Occupants [PhD thesis]. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; December 13, 2019.
2002	Lee JB. Development of a Finite Element Model of the Human Abdomen [PhD thesis]. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University; 2002.