title: The performance of seat belts in severe crashes.
abstract: This paper reports an intensive follow-up study of persons injured while wearing seat belts in crashes. Examinations of both vehicles and persons were carried out after the crash, and 30 out of 54 (55.5%) persons were judged to have been wearing seat belts at impact. Eight received injuries from the seat belt, only four of these injuries being severe, and none was fatal. A roadside survey showed that half of the occupants wearing seat belts had them adjusted incorrectly. This compared with nearly 90% of the crash cases having incorrectly adjusted belts. There is therefore an association between incorrectly worn seat belts and injury. The seat belt buckle seems to be a possible cause of injury in this situation, especially when worn in from of the hip, and with a loose belt. Comparison of police reports of belt wearing for the study cases suggests an underestimate of about 10% in the wearing rate if police data are used.
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000592:standards; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology*