Citation

Fice JB, Mang DWH, Ólafsdóttir‬ JM, Brolin K, Cripton PA, Blouin JS, Siegmund GP. Accid. Reconstr. J. 2020; 30(1): 25-26.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Accident Reconstruction Journal)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Research has shown that drivers have a higher risk of whiplash-associated disorders (WADs) than passengers during rear-end crash impact; however, no similar data has been observed for frontal impacts. In this study, the authors evaluate the influence of holding a steering wheel on the head/neck kinematics and neck muscle responses of drivers involved in low-speed frontal and rear-end crash impacts. Eleven volunteer study participants experience frontal and rear impacts in both a driving posture (relaxed arms, hands on steering wheel) and a passenger posture (arms and hands resting on lap). The study's findings reveal that neck muscle activity does not contribute to differences in WAD injury risk between drivers and passengers in rear-end impacts, but that neck muscle activity could still contribute to injury risk differences when other factors such as non-neutral postures, awareness, and bracing, are considered.

Language: en

Keywords

Crash injuries; Drivers; Head; Kinematics; Frontal crashes; Rear end crashes; Neck; Traffic crash victims; Muscles