Search Results

A new "On-The-Spot' (OTS) accident research project is now underway in the UK. This project enables expert investigators to attend the scene of an accident within 15 minutes of the incident occurring, which allows the collection of accident data that would otherwise be quickly lost. This paper considers previous studies and the justification for a new research approach before describing methodology used on the spot and during subsequent follow-up research. Investigations focus on all types of vehicles (including damage, failures, features fitted and their contribution); the highway (including design, features, maintenance and condition); the human factors (including drivers, riders, passengers and pedestrians); and the injuries sustained. Five hundred crashes will be studied in depth each year. The project objectives include establishing an in-depth database that will permit analyses to better understand the causes of crashes and injuries, and assist in the development of solutions.

In this study, US and UK accident data were analyzed to identify parameters that may influence rollover propensity to analyze driver injury rate. The US data was obtained from the weighted National Automotive Sampling System (NASS-CDS), calendar years 1992 to 1996. The UK pre-roll data was obtained from the national STATS 19 database for 1996, while the injury information was collected from the Co-operative Crash Injury Study (CCIS) database. In the US and UK databases, rollovers accounted for about 10% of all crashes with known crash directions. In the US and UK databases, most rollovers occurred when the vehicle was either going straight ahead or turning. The propensity for a rollover was more than 3 times higher when going around a bend than a non-rollover. In the UK, 74% of rollovers occurred on clear days with no high winds and 14% on rainy days with no high winds. In the US, 83% of rollovers took place in non-adverse weather conditions and 10% with rain.

The UK in-depth data, describing the causation of injuries to casualties in side impacts, was examined for crashes occurring between 1992 and 1998. Slightly more casualties died in side impacts than in frontal crashes, and one-third were seated on the side away from the collision. The collision severity was compared with the European and US legal test procedures and most MAIS 3+ survivors were observed to be in crashes above the severity of the test. The mean delta-V for the fatal group was 48 km/h compared with typically 25 km/h in the test. The most commonly injured body regions of both survivors and fatalities were the head, thorax and lower extremity. The lower extremity was the most frequent site of AIS 2+ injuries of survivors and fractures to the femur and tibia were highlighted, these injuries are not assessed by existing dummies.

An in-depth analysis of 200 Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS) 2+ injuries to the lower extremity in frontal collisions has been performed using impairment scales devised by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society. The most important subgroup of injuries were identified as ankle/hindfoot injuries. There were 63 such injuries sustained by 53 occupants and these were analyzed in greater depth. Inversion or eversion was identified as the mechanism of injury for 40 % of injuries. However in 70% of these fractures caused by inversion or eversion, minimal or no long term impairment would be expected Injuries associated with significant long-term impairment were attributed to axial forces (i.e. loads perpendicular to the foot). Combined vehicle/injury analysis demonstrated a strong association between toe-pan intrusion and these injuries. Interaction between the occupant and the pedals was identified as a probable injury source in only 25% of injuries to the ankle and hindfoot.

This study examines some of the factors associated with soft tissue neck injuries in the UK. The data were drawn from a retrospective study of vehicle crash injuries in which the overall soft tissue neck injury rate was 16%. This study shows how although it is commonly assumed that such injuries are a rear impact phenomenon, over 50% of the injuries occur in frontal crashes. In front and rear impacts, these injuries are undoubtedly associated with seat-belt use. The incidence of neck injury has been shown to double over the ten-year period of the study with the effect more prominent in females. Such injuries are also more likely to be self-reported than clinically diagnosed. Head restraints have not been found to mitigate neck injuries in either front or rear impacts at a statistically significant level. A slight but non-significant trend towards reduced neck injury rates is observed in cases of seat back yielding in a rear impact.

Injuries to the lower extremities of belted car occupants in frontal collisions are frequent and can be impairing. Crash parameters and vehicle attributes increase or decrease the risk of injury. Real-world accident data collected within the UK under the Co-operative Crash Injury Study (CCIS) has been used to examine these effects. AIS 2+ injuries are most common below the knees of both drivers and passengers. Intrusion of the footwell increases the risk of leg injury to a greater extent than crash severity under the conditions experienced in the accident data. Intrusion is shown not to be a proxy variable for delta-V. The pedals increase the risk of leg injury by 54% when there is 20 cm of footwell intrusion. The study indicates the need for an improved understanding of the injury mechanisms involved and the mechanism through which intrusion increases leg injury.

This paper addresses the nature and cause of lower limb injuries received by car occupants in road traffic accidents. Although such injuries in themselves are rarely life threatening they can lead to long term disability and impairment. The UK CCIS database which describes both the injuries to car occupants and the damage to the vehicle was used to determine the relative importance and frequency of these injuries. The contact points within the car were examined together with the effect of intrusion on injury severity. It was found that a serious injury to the lower limb was often an occupant's most severe injury and so work to mitigate these injuries would have both long term benefits to accident victims as well as reducing the cost to society. Lower limb injuries are very dependant on the type of impact sustained.