Opportunities for Reducing Casualties in Far-side Crashes

This paper uses the National Automotive Sampling System/Crashworthiness Data System (NASS/CDS) to estimate the population of front seat occupants exposed to far-side crashes and those with MAIS 3+ and fatal injuries. Countermeasures applicable to far-side planar crashes may also have benefits in some far-side rollovers. The near-side and far-side rollover populations with MAIS 3+ injuries and fatalities are also calculated and reported. Both restrained and unrestrained occupants are considered. Populations are subdivided according to ejection status – not ejected, full ejection, partial ejection and unknown ejection. Estimates are provided for the annual number of MAIS 3+ injuries and fatalities that occur each year in each category for the following belt use scenarios: (1) belt use as reported in NASS and (2) 100% belt use. In scenario 1, the exposure and casualties for the unbelted population are also shown.

About 34% of the MAIS 3+F injuries in side crashes are in far-side crashes. More than half of the MAIS 3+F injuries in rollover are in far-side rolls. The annual population of MAIS 3+F injuries in near-side planar crashes was found to be 14,074. The corresponding number of far-side MAIS 3+F injuries in far-side planar crashes is 7,260. The combined planar and roll MAIS 3+F injuries that occur in far-side crashes is 17,125. For a 100% restrained population, the estimated numbers of MAIS 3+F and fatal injuries in far-side planar and rollover crashes were estimated to be 8,194 and 2,090, respectively.