A systems modeling approach is presented for assessment of harm in the automotive accident environment. The methodology is presented in general form and then applied to evaluate vehicle aggressivity in frontal crashes. The methodology consists of parametric simulation of several controlled accident variables, with case results weighted by the relative frequency of each specific event. A hierarc...

Rapid advances have been made in the field of vehicle dynamics in terms of improving the ride, handling and safety using actuators and control systems. Optimising a vehicle’s ride comfort or handling has led to the development of semi-active suspension systems. Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) have resulted in significant improvements in vehicle braking whilst maintaining directional control ove...

Head, face and neck (HFN) injuries associated with upper interior contacts account for a large percentage of all serious to fatal injuries annually. In the past, many of these injuries were the result of unrestrained occupants in rollovers and side impacts. Mandatory belt use laws have helped keep the head and torso inside the vehicle, but HFN injuries in side and rollover accidents persist. Re...

The aim of this study was to assess gender differences in the posture and muscular activity of occupants in response to pretension from motorized seatbelts. Male and female vehicle occupants were tested in both front seat positions during normal driving and autonomous braking. This data is useful for the development of human body models (HBM), and increases the understanding of the effects of m...

Pulmonary contusion is a common injury following motor vehicle crash (MVC). The estimated mortality rates for this injury range from 10% to 20%. Another important clinical implication of this lesion is the potential for development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Studies have correlated an increased risk of ARDS with a pulmonary contusion extent exceeding 20% of the total lung vo...

Occupant injury in real world vehicle accidents can be significantly affected by a set of crash characteristics, of which impact direction and impact location (or damage location) in general scale interval (e.g., frontal impact is frequently defined as general damage to vehicle frontal end with impact angle range of 11-1 o'clock) have been identified to associate with injury outcome. The effect...