Determining the Deployment Threshold of Active Head Restraints Through Real World Crashes.

Accident reconstructionists often face the challenge of working with limited information when analyzing a collision. For this reason, every piece of data can be valuable. In this study, we are examining whether the deployment of an active head restraint can provide meaningful insight into the severity of a crash. To do this, the authors will use the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS) to identify vehicles involved in collisions where investigators noted the presence of active head restraints and where airbag control module data was available. From these cases, the status of the driver and right-front passenger active head restraints will be determined using the provided photographs. By correlating deployment status with crash severity, this study will estimate the likelihood of active head restraint deployment at varying levels of collision severity.