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Technical Paper

Air Bag Deployment Frequency and Injury Risks

1996-02-01
960664
Automobile insurance claims were examined to determine the air bag deployment frequencies of cars with significant frontal crash damage. Air bag deployment frequencies were found to vary greatly by car model. Two popular midsize cars -- the Dodge Neon and Honda Civic -- were studied in detail to better understand the differences in the performance of different air bag systems in low severity crashes (delta V ≤ 15 mph). The Neon had a greater frequency of low speed air bag deployments than the Civic, which in turn resulted in a greater likelihood of air bag-induced minor injuries, in particular upper extremity injuries for females. Differences in air bag leading edge speed and excursion distance may also contribute to the different likelihood of injuries.
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