Influence of vehicle design on pedestrian leg injuries

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Ashton, S. J.¹; Pedder, J. B.¹; Mackay, G. M.¹

Influence of vehicle design on pedestrian leg injuries

22nd Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM)

Affiliations

¹Accident Research Unit, Department of Transportation and Environmental Planning, University of Birmingham, England
Abstract

Data from two different types of pedestrian accident studies are used to examine the influence of vehicle front end design on pedestrian pelvic and leg injuries. First, data from a study using existing hospital and police records are used to describe the general pattern of injury sustained by 1560 pedestrians who were struck by the fronts of cars or light goods vehicles, the fronts of which were based on car designs. The effects of variations in bumper height and bonnet height on lower leg fractures, serious knee injuries and pelvic fractures are considered. Secondly, data from in-depth studies of pedestrian accidents are used to examine in more detail the effects of impact speed, bumper height and bumper lead, and bonnet height on pedestrian pelvic and leg injuries. The potential for improvement in vehicle front end design is examined by considering the reduction in the number of pedestrian casualties with non-minor non-fatal injuries that would occur if there were no pelvic or leg injuries.

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Cited By (15)

Year	Entry
1978	Ashton SJ, Pedder JB, Mackay GM. Pedestrian head injuries. In: 22nd Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). July 10-14, 1978; Ann Arbor, MI.237-244.
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2003	Woods W, Sherwood C, Ivarsson J, Crandall J, Orzechowski K, Eichelberger M. A review of pediatric pedestrian injuries at a Level I trauma center. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 19-22, 2003; Nagoya, Japan.
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