Real-World Injury Patterns Associated With Hybrid III Sternal Deflections in Frontal Crash Tests.

Conclusions: Restraint systems that reduce peak Hybrid III sternal deflection in a moderate overlap crash test are beneficial in real-world crashes with similar or greater overlap but likely have a disbenefit in crashes with small overlap. This may occur because belt-force limiters employed to control deflections allow excursion that could produce contact with interior vehicle components in small overlaps, given the more oblique occupant motion and potential inboard movement of the air bag. Although based on a limited number of cases, this interpretation is supported by differences in skeletal fracture locations among drivers in crashes with different overlaps. Current restraint systems could be improved by designs that reduce sternal deflection in moderate and large overlap crashes without increasing occupant excursion in small overlap crashes. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Traffic Injury Prevention to view the supplemental file. PMID: 24073768 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Traffic Injury Prevention - Category: Occupational Health Authors: Tags: Traffic Inj Prev Source Type: research