AUTOMOBILE SIDE IMPACTS AND RELATED INJURIES

ACCIDENT INJURY DATA FOR 1,490 CARS IMPACTED IN THE SIDE IN RURAL AREAS OF 31 STATES ARE REPORTED. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS INCLUDE: SPEED OF STRUCK VEHICLE WAS LOWER THAN THAT OF STRIKING VEHICLE. APPROXIMATELY 63% OF THE SIDE IMPACTS INVOLVED ANOTHER VEHICLE, FIXED OBJECTS ACCOUNTING FOR THE REST. ACCIDENT SEVERITY RATINGS OF SEVERE OR WORSE WERE MORE FREQUENT WHEN A FIXED OBJECT WAS INVOLVED. FOUR DOOR SEDANS AND HARDTOPS HAD A LOWER PERCENTAGE OF SEVERE OR HIGHER ACCIDENT SEVERITY RATINGS THAN THE TWO DOOR MODELS. THERE APPEARED TO BE LITTLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEVERE CHASSIS FRAME DAMAGE AND EITHER MODERATE OR SEVERE COMPARTMENT DAMAGE. SEVERE COMPARTMENT DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED MORE FREQUENTLY AMONG TWO DOOR THAN AMONG FOUR DOOR CARS. IT APPEARED THAT OCCUPANTS IN HARDTOPS SUSTAINED DANGEROUS- FATAL INJURY LESS FREQUENTLY THAN THOSE IN SEDANS. /HSL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, Incorporated

  4455 Genesee Street
  Buffalo, NY  United States  14221
• Authors:
  • Friedberg, M
  • GARRETT, J W
  • KIHLBERG, J K
• Publication Date: 1969-12

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Crash severity; Injuries; Rural areas; Side crashes; Single vehicle crashes; Speed; Vehicle occupants; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Fixed object
• Subject Areas: Highways; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221213
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Literature
• Report/Paper Numbers: 90 pp
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 25 1971 12:00AM