Relationship between Seatback Stiffness/Strength and Risk of Serious/Fatal Injury in Rear-Impact Crashes
- Event
- Content
- To determine the relationship between seatback stiffness or strength and the likelihood of serious/fatal injury for drivers and rear seat occupants in rear-impact crashes, analyses were performed using 1995-2006 police-reported crash data from eleven states. Seatback stiffness and strength data was included for 29 different seatback designs used in 40 vehicle models (model years 1995-2006). Results indicate there is no statistically significant relationship between seatback stiffness or strength and the risk of serious/fatal injury in rear-impact crashes. Factors shown to have statistically significant effect on the likelihood of serious/fatal injury in rear-impact collisions include occupant age, gender, and alcohol impairment; vehicle type; and vehicle mass ratio.
- Pages
- 9
- Citation
- Padmanaban, J., Burnett, R., and Levitt, A., "Relationship between Seatback Stiffness/Strength and Risk of Serious/Fatal Injury in Rear-Impact Crashes," SAE Int. J. Passeng. Cars - Mech. Syst. 2(1):1099-1107, 2009, https://doi.org/10.4271/2009-01-1201.