Analysis of crash data for air bag protected occupants discloses that the combination of air bags and belt restraints offers excellent protection against serious head and chest injuries. The injury patterns which remain are different from those which were prevalent when the Hybrid III dummy was designed. The characteristics of these residual injuries are important in determining which injury measurements need to be included in the design of future crash test dummies and devices to measure injury potential.

The NASS/CDS data shows that air bag/belt systems provide large reductions in harm from injuries to the brain, face, spinal cord, chest, and abdomen. However, upper extremity and integumentary injuries are increased. The paper illustrates the extent of protection provided to each body region at low, moderate and high levels of crash severity.

More than 100 crashes with air bag deployment and severe occupant injuries are documented in files from the Special Crash Investigation Study and from the William Lehman Injury Research Center Study, both sponsored by NHTSA. These data files permit in-depth analysis of air bag related injuries and the environment in which they occurred. For the severely injured occupants, cases with chest/abdominal injuries at the limits of restraint performance are summarized.

These cases suggest priority in measuring the potential for injuries to the liver, spleen, and intestine. In addition, cases of brain stem injury have been observed in low severity crashes involving small statured individuals. The fatal injuries documented by the NASS /CDS system in the U.S. suggest that heart and arterial injuries are the most common causes of death in cases where the air bag may have contributed to the injury.