EFFECTIVENESS OF LAP SEAT BELTS AND THE ENERGY ABSORBING STEERING SYSTEM IN THE REDUCTION OF INJURIES

THIS STUDY DEALS WITH THE EFFECT OF SEAT BELTS AND ENERGY ABSORBING STEERING SYSTEMS IN REDUCING INJURIES SUSTAINED BY DRIVERS OF CRASH-INVOLVED PASSENGER CARS. DATA WAS EXTRACTED FROM A POOL OF ACCIDENT REPORTS OF VEHICLES INVOLVED IN CRASHES IN NORTH CAROLINA IN 1966 AND 1968. THE DATA WAS DIVIDED INTO FOUR MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE GROUPS DETERMINED BY USAGE OF SEAT BELT (YES OR NO) AND PRESENCE OF THE ENERGY ABSORBING STEERING SYSTEM (YES OR NO). BY COMPARING DRIVER INJURY BETWEEN GROUPS, THE EFFECT OF THE TWO DEVICES WAS DISCERNABLE. SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ENERGY ABSORBING SYSTEM WERE RECORDED FOR MEDIUM SPEED FRONTAL IMPACT AND MEDIUM SPEED CAR-RAN-OFF-ROAD ACCIDENTS. THE MAGNITUDE OF THE REDUCTION WAS ABOUT 30%. FOR THE SEAT BELT, REDUCTIONS WERE OBSERVED IN THESE SITUATIONS AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS. THE LARGEST REDUCTIONS WERE FOR HIGH SPEED ACCIDENTS, AND THE OVERALL REDUCTION IS ESTIMATED AT 43%. IN CONTRAST TO PREVIOUS STUDIES, SEAT BELTS PROVIDED SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT IN FRONT IMPACT SITUATIONS. THE BENEFITS PROVIDED BY THE TWO DEVICES WERE INDEPENDENT OF ONE ANOTHER, AND THEREFORE WERE ADDITIVE. THE REDUCTIONS IN INJURY WERE GREATER FOR THE SERIOUS INJURY GROUPING THAN THE ANY INJURY GROUPING. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 3 APP
• Corporate Authors:

  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  Highway Safety Research Center
  Chapel Hill, NC  United States  27599
• Authors:
  • LEVINE, D N
  • Campbell, B J
• Publication Date: 1971-11

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 42 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash severity; Crash tests; Energy absorbing materials; Manual safety belts; Safety equipment; Steering gears
• Old TRIS Terms: Energy absorbers
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221683
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 22 1972 12:00AM