The Use of Dashpots in the Prevention of Basilar Skull Fractures

This paper describes the development of a dashpot-based head and neck protection system. The primary objective of the project was to determine the feasibility of reducing head and neck loads by using dashpots, rather than restricting the position of the head by using tethers of the style typically employed in head restraint devices. The secondary objective was to develop a system that did not have to be worn by the driver. The results of testing show that dashpots can be effective system elements for reducing head and neck loads while minimizing the limitations to driver head movement. Testing of the final prototype produced head and neck loads comparable to those produced by the more effective head restraint devices.