Citation

Nagel DA, Manning J, Chadwick CH, Cronin RH, Gould RA. Proc. Am. Assoc. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1972; 16: 129-148.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1972, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Since July of 1970, the Stanford Crash Analysis Team has been trying to develop human tolerance data from the investigation of "real life" motor vehicle accidents. This has required a number of rather rigorous dynamic calculations for both the vehicle and occupants. Sample analysis are presented with the hope that other investigators will find them acceptable analytical tools to be applied to investigations of accidents that present a similar set of data. Using data from a number of cases where accurate estimates of vehicle velocities could be obtained, it was found that vehicle crush versus the calculated velocity change for the vehicle in the collision gave the least scatter.

The Collision Deformation Classification for passenger vehicles and pickup trucks involved in collisions was plotted against the Abbreviated Injury Scale for the passengers and drivers. As expected, there is a general relationship that graphically appears as a broad diagonal through the diagram with an ejected driver falling outside this broad relationship. A final chart is a plot of the Abbreviated Injury Scale for vehicle occupants plotted against change in velocity during impact. The scattering of the data points illustrated the complex nature of injury causation which is related not only to vehicle deceleration (velocity change) but also to such factors as to deformation of the passenger compartment, position of the occupants in the vehicle (whether pre-positioned against the steering wheel or dash), the use of restraints (which greatly influences the time and therefore the peak force applied to the occupant in deceleration), the rigidity and geometry of the vehicle structure impacted, and the portion as well as area of the body which absorbs the force. Cases will be presented that illustrate these factors showing what we have done and we will present suggestions for what might be done in addition.