Driver and right-front passenger restraint system interaction, injury potential, and thoracic injury prediction.
Restrained driver and right-front passenger kinematics and injury outcome in frontal collisions are compared using FARS data and human cadaver sled tests. The FARS data indicate that a frontal airbag may provide greater benefit for a passenger than for a driver. The thoracic injuries sustained by passenger subjects restrained by a force-limited, pretensioned belt and airbag are evaluated, and kinematics are compared to driver-side subjects. The injury-predictive ability of existing thoracic injury criteria is evaluated for passenger-side occupants. Driver and passenger kinematic differences are identified and the implications are discussed. The chest acceleration of the passenger-side subjects exhibited a bimodal profile with an initial (and global) maximum before the subject loaded the airbag. A second acceleration peak occurred as the subject loaded both the belt and the airbag. A similarly restrained driver-side subject loaded the belt and airbag concurrently at the time of peak chest acceleration and therefore did not exhibit this bimodal chest acceleration.
Kent
R W
RW
Automobile Safety Laboratory, University of Virginia, USA.
Crandall
J R
JR
Bolton
J R
JR
Duma
S M
SM
D000054:Acceleration; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000368:Aged; D017278:Air Bags; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012253:Rib Fractures / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012622:Seat Belts; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control