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Mechanisms of Injury to Vehicle Occupants Restrained by Three-Point Seat Belts
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English
Abstract
This paper summarizes the findings of a study undertaken by Transport Canada to examine the primary mechanisms of injury to front seat occupants restrained by conventional three-point seat belt assemblies. The study involved the early retrospective investigation of collisions, in defined geographic areas across Canada, in which at least one occupant involved was fully restrained. The pattern of injury to 314 full restrained occupants who sustained at least one injury at the AIS 2 or greater severity level is examined in the present paper.
Overall, the head/face and chest were found to be the most frequently injured body regions. In the case of drivers, facial injuries were invariably associated with the steering wheel, whereas head injury was more likely to be associated with interior side and roof structures. Injuries to the shoulder/chest and pelvic/abdomen regions among drivers were usually associated with direct contact with either the steering wheel or the interior side surfaces. Passengers were found more likely to sustain shoulder/chest and abdominal injuries from the seat belt itself. Injuries to the lower extremity complex consisted largely of knee, lower leg, and ankle-foot fractures. Femur fractures were observed only at the extreme end of the collision severity spectrum.
In the absence of any intrusion or rear occupant loading of the front seat back, injuries were generally confined to below the AIS 4 severity level. While further reductions in the incidence of fatal or life threatening injuries will likely necessitate major improvements to the structural integrity of the vehicle itself, there appears to be scope for the further reduction of injuries at the AIS 2 and 3 levels through more careful design of the seat belt and the interior structures.
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Citation
Dalmotas, D., "Mechanisms of Injury to Vehicle Occupants Restrained by Three-Point Seat Belts," SAE Technical Paper 801311, 1980, https://doi.org/10.4271/801311.Also In
References
- Green R.N. Nowak E.S. Thomas L.S. “An Investigation of Injury Mechanisms Associated with Fully Restrained Passenger Vehicle Occupants in London, Ontario” Proceedings of the 21st Conference of the American Association for Automotive Medicine Vancouver, Canada September 15-17, 1977
- McPherson D. Oversby M. “Investigation of Injury Mechanisms in Fully Restrained Vehicle Occupants” Proceedings of the 6th International Conference of the International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine Melbourne, Australia January 21 - February 4, 1977
- Shanks J.E. Thompson A.L. “Injury Mechanisms to Fully Restrained Occupants” Proceedings of the Twenty-Third Stapp Car Crash Conference San Diego, California October 17-19, 1979
- Dalmotas D.J. Keyl P.M. “An Investigation into the Level of Protection Afforded to Fully Restrained Passenger Vehicle Occupants” American Association for Automotive Medicine Quarterly/Journal April 1979