Influence of seat geometry and seating posture on NIC(max) long-term AIS 1 neck injury predictability.
OBJECTIVE
Validated injury criteria are essential when developing restraints for AIS 1 neck injuries, which should protect occupants in a variety of crash situations. Such criteria have been proposed and attempts have been made to validate or disprove these. However, no criterion has yet been fully validated. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of seat geometry and seating posture on the NIC(max) long-term AIS 1 neck injury predictability by making parameter analyses on reconstructed real-life rear-end crashes with known injury outcomes.


METHODS
Mathematical models of the BioRID II and three car seats were used to reconstruct 79 rear-end crashes involving 110 occupants with known injury outcomes. Correlations between the NIC(max) values and the duration of AIS 1 neck injuries were evaluated for variations in seat geometry and seating posture. Sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values were also calculated to evaluate the NIC(max) predictability.


RESULTS
Correlations between the NIC(max) values and the duration of AIS 1 neck injuries were found and these relations were used to establish injury risk curves for variations in seat geometry and seating posture. Sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values showed that the NIC(max) predicts long-term AIS 1 neck injuries also for variations in seat geometry and seating postures.


CONCLUSIONS
The NIC(max) can be used to predict long-term AIS 1 neck injuries.
Autoliv Sverige AB, Vårgårda, Sweden; Applied Mechanics, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden. linda.eriksson@me.chalmers.se
Linda
L
Eriksson
Anders
A
Kullgren
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D001336:Automobiles; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011187:Posture; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014911:Whiplash Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control