Delta-V Thresholds for Cervical Spine Injury

Delta-V is an input parameter that correlates well with injury thresholds for responses to impulsive loading, and it is also convenient for the accident reconstructionist to calculate the delta-V experienced by the automotive passenger during a crash. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to convert to delta-V quantities the cervical spine injury data currently expressed in terms of loading corridors of head bending moment versus angle of rotation of the head. 16 km/hr is an order of magnitude of the delta-V threshold for the 50th percentile male, but there are considerable variations due to size, age, gender, and preexisting spinal problems.

The special case of the rear-ender accident involving vehicles with energy absorbing bumpers is analyzed. It is found entirely possible to produce “whiplash” injuries in cases where there is little or no damage to either of the vehicles involved in the crash.