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The Effects of Belt Use and Driver Characteristics on Injury Risk in Frontal Airbag Crashes
Technical Paper
2001-01-0155
ISSN: 0148-7191, e-ISSN: 2688-3627
Annotation ability available
Sector:
Event:
SAE 2001 World Congress
Language:
English
Abstract
From the crash investigation files at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), the crashes involving deployed airbags were reviewed. The total number of deployments is 898 of which 764 are frontal crashes with the principal direction of force (PDF) at 11-1 o’clock. Of the drivers in these frontal crashes 83% were using the belt restraint.
Overall, seven of ten drivers have an AIS-0 or 1 level injury as the maximum or highest injury severity level (MAIS). Of the survivors, one in six had a moderate level injury (AIS-2) as their most significant injury and one in nine had an MAIS 3 or greater injury. Fatalities are rare.
There is a difference between injury severity frequencies of belted vs. non-belted drivers. Three-quarters of the belted drivers had minor injuries compared to only half of those not belted. A difference was also noted at the AIS-2 level—belted vs. unbelted 14% vs. 23%. Of the belted drivers 10% had an AIS 3–5 injury level compared to 20% of the unbelted.
Drivers with AIS 3, 4 or 5 as their highest AIS level, whether belted or not, have the lower extremity as the body region most often injured. Belted drivers have a slightly higher frequency of upper extremity injuries.
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Citation
Huelke, D., "The Effects of Belt Use and Driver Characteristics on Injury Risk in Frontal Airbag Crashes," SAE Technical Paper 2001-01-0155, 2001, https://doi.org/10.4271/2001-01-0155.Also In
SAE 2001 Transactions Journal of Passenger Cars - Mechanical Systems
Number: V110-6; Published: 2002-09-15
Number: V110-6; Published: 2002-09-15
References
- Huelke, DF Does Stature Influence Driver Injuries In Airbag Deployments? Analysis of UMTRI Crash Investigations SAE Airbag Technology (SP-1333), Paper No. 980640 , SAE Internat. Cong. & Expo. 1998
- Ferguson, SA Update on Airbag Performance in the United States: Benefits and Problems Airbag 2000 + 3rd Intern. Symposium on Sophisticated Car Occupant Safety Systems, 7:7–17 Nov. 6–27 1996
- Cammisa, MX Reed, RT Ferguson, SA Lund, AK Driver Fatalities in Frontal Crashes of Airbag-Equipped Vehicles: A Review of 1989–96 NASS Cases SAE Congress & Exposition Detroit, MI Mar. 6–10 2000