Citation

Mertz HJ, Dalmotas DJ. Stapp Car Crash J. 2007; 51: 361-380.

Affiliation

D.J. Dalmotas Consulting, Inc.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Society of Automotive Engineers SAE)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

18278604

Abstract

Three-point restraint systems have been installed in vehicles since the early 1960s. However, it wasn't until the automatic protection rule became effective for 1987 Model Year vehicles that manufacturers began installing 3-point restraints with force-limiting shoulder belts and frontal airbags for the driver and right front passenger. This was the first time that all vehicle manufacturers had to certify that their cars would meet the 50th percentile, adult male protection requirements in the 48 km/h frontal, rigid-barrier test specified in FMVSS 208. To assess the effectiveness of these certified 3-point restraint systems, a search was done of the 1988-2005 NASS data for 3-point belted, front outboard-seated, adult occupants in passenger vehicles that were equipped with airbags and that were involved in frontal, towaway collisions. These data showed that i) half of the occupants with AIS>or = 3 chest injuries were in collisions with a DeltaVor = 3 chest injuries in 99 percent of frontal collisions to all adult, front outboard seated occupants whose normalized bone strengths are greater than 0.4.

Language: en