Analysis of Overall Kinematics and Abdominal Response of Pregnant Drivers during Frontal Vehicle Collisions

The authors conducted sled tests using the MAMA-2B pregnant dummy to analyze the mechanisms of injuries to pregnant drivers during frontal collisions. The seating position of the dummy was determined from the means of anthropometric values obtained from pregnant Japanese women. Deceleration waveforms with a delta-V of 13, 26 and 40 km/h were applied to the sled and tests were run with and without a seatbelt. Without a seatbelt, at a delta-V of 13 km/h, abdominal pressure peaked at the point where the dummy contacted the steering wheel. However, tests without a seatbelt and with a higher delta-V, the dummy slipped down the seat, consequently its torso slid below the airbag without a significant peak of abdominal pressure. This finding indicated that fetal outcome should be predicted based on more than just internal pressure of pregnant drivers, taking the overall status of the mother’s health into account.