Restrained occupants on the non-struck side in lateral collisions

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Mackay, G. M.¹; Parkin, S.¹; Hill, J.¹; Munns, J. A. R.¹

Restrained occupants on the non-struck side in lateral collisions

35th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM)

Affiliations

¹Accident Research Unit, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England
Abstract

Of injury-producing collisions with high seat belt use, some 25 to 30% are lateral collisions. This paper describes some of the characteristics of those collisions as they relate to the front seat occupant sitting on the side opposite to the impact. The data came from a stratified sample of in-depth crash investigations conducted in the Birmingham region in the period 1983 to 1989 involving current model cars. Crash severity was assessed using the Vehicle Deformation Index (VDI) of the Collision Deformation Classification CDC ratings and velocity change. Injury severity was assessed using AIS 85 for each body region. 193 cases of restrained occupants in nonstruck side collisions were examined. Of those occupants with head injuries of AIS £ 2, some 35% came out of the shoulder section of the seat belt. Of abdominal injuries of AIS £ 2, some 72% came from the seat belt itself. Interaction between front seat occupants was not a frequent cause of injury to the non-struck side occupant. Some aspects of seat belt geometry might be changed so that the trajectory and loading of the non-struck side occupant are improved.

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