Motor vehicle collision factors influence severity and type of TBI.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE To analyse the relationship between motor vehicle collision factors and TBI. RESEARCH DESIGN Retrospective design analysed the difference between the types of brain injuries sustained in distinct collision configurations. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Medical charts and police accident reports were reviewed for individuals sustaining TBI in 168 motor vehicle collisions between 1985-1998. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Lateral collisions and collisions involving contact with a fixed object were associated with the most severe brain injuries. Analysis of safety restraints revealed that seatbelts not only reduce the probability of injury, but they also mediate the severity of brain injury when it is sustained. CONCLUSIONS Future research should focus the prevention of injury by better defining the minimum physical thresholds at which brain injury might be sustained and the mechanisms by which these thresholds are achieved during natural collisions.