Citation

Ranney TA. Proc. Am. Assoc. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1981; 25: 57-67.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Since 1977, data have been collected on over 840 accidents involving light trucks, vans, and utility vehicles. Available information includes detailed documentation of vehicle component performance, identification of specific injury sources, schematic descriptions of the accident sequence of events, and photographs of the vehicle and scene. Analyses of the resulting automated data file were conducted to compare the three vehicle types with regard to pre-crash conditions (e.g., roadway and environmental descriptors), crash conditions (accident configuration), and injury causes (specific component contacted, injured body area). Relative to,pickups and vans, utility vehicles were found to have proportionately more single vehicle involvements, more nighttime involvements, more rollovers, and more accidents in which a second or subsequent impact resulted in the greatest damage to the vehicle. For all vehicle types, impacts to the front of the vehicle were most frequent. Regarding injury causation, it was found that five vehicle components (instrument panel, steering assembly, windshield, surface of side interiors, and the roof) accounted for approximately 80% of all specified injuries. For drivers in the accident sample, injuries to the lower extremities, upper extremities and head were most frequent, while the less frequent injuries to the thorax and abdomen regions were more likely to have been severe (≥ AIS 3). Priorities for occupant protection countermeasures are discussed briefly.