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Injury mechanisms in motorcycle accidents were related to a kinematic classification, and an in depht study of injury mechanisms in 23 motorcycle crash victims who sustained AIS-4-5-6 lesions to the neck and chest was performed. It appears that the most severe injuries result from the dynamics of the motorcycle in which, during the impact, the rear wheel leaves the ground, with a characteristic forward pitch. In order to develop further protection for motorcyclists, evaluation of the concept of a high energy absorbing structure to reduce the pitch in frontal impacts, and provide “ridedown” for the rider is proposed.

Detailed analysis of the autopsy records of sixteen fatalities in six side impact accidents was performed, in order to correlate the injury patterns with crash dynamics. Post-mortem Roentgenography was used to demonstrate the load path involved in the causation of fatal injuries. In an effort to generate a widely applicable damage risk criterion for thoracic injury, a complex computer finite element model (FEM) of the thorax and of the abdomen is being developed. Although the starting assumption is that the internal pressure is the best indicator of injury, chest wall velocity and acceleration were also evaluated as indicators. The clear implication of these results, for ATD thorax/abdomen design is that local measurements will be required at several locations to properly monitor the load path responsible for lethal injuries. With respect to EUROSID, new transducer heads have been developed to the overcome problems with measurement of thorax displacement.

The high incidence of injuries in the upper cervical region and cranio-cervical junction point out the importance of continued research into safety measurements to protect this vital area of the human body. Therefore, we collected information on biomechanical tolerance limits of the occipito-atlanto-axial complex from post-mortem radiography and laboratory biomechanical studies. The forces responsible for the injuries seen in the C0-C1-C2 segment are generally complex. In more than 1/4th of the cases, the precise mechanism could not be determined. Many were quite likely due to lateral forces or a combination of several factors. In the currently available European Side Impact Dummy (EUROSID) the dummy neck is composed of a central section made of rubber that links two interfaces, each consisting of two metal disks with rubber elements and a spinal joint inside.