Although air bags have been reported to reduce passenger mortality in frontal collisions, they have also been reported as a cause of injury in motor vehicle collisions(MVCs). The purpose of this study was to evaluate a large cohort of patients involved in MVCs to determine mortality and the pattern of injuries associated with seat belt use and air bag deployment. Information on patients involve...

One in every five occupants thrown from a car receives fatal injuries. A motorist who uses a safety belt, in all probability, will not be thrown from the car during a crash. The rate of fatal injury for ejected occupants was found to be 40 times the rate for occupants not thrown from their cars, as determined from national accident sampling data. These data refute the popular notion that "being...

The use of manual (i.e., active) restraint systems (or seat belts) in cars has increased dramatically over the last several decades, changing from around 10% in the late 1970s to as much as 68% in the 1990s (Datta & Guzek, 1992; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], 1996b). Several factors are responsible for this increase. One important determinant has been the passage of man...

We studied National Trauma Data Bank data to determine the effectiveness of car safety devices in reducing mortality and injury severity in 184,992 patients between 1988 and 2004. Safety device variables were seat belt used plus air bag deployed; only seat belt used; only air bag deployed; and, as explicitly coded, no device used. Overall mortality was 4.17%. Compared with the no-device group, ...

Senior drivers are vulnerable to automobile crashes and subsequent injury and death. Safety belts reduce health risks associated with auto crashes. Therefore, it is important to encourage senior drivers to wear safety belts while driving. Using an AB design, replicated five times, we evaluated the short- and long-term effects of a sign with the message "BUCKLE UP, STAY SAFE" attached to a stop ...

Occupants exposed to far-side crashes are those seated on the side of the vehicle opposite the struck side. This study uses the NASS/CDS 1988-98 to determine distributions of serious injuries among restrained occupants exposed to far-side crashes and the sources of the injuries. Vehicle-to-vehicle crash tests were conducted to study dummy kinematics. The NASS/CDS indicated that the head account...

The dynamic loads exerte d on legs of seated bus passengers during a frontal traffic collision we re studied. Passengers are being displaced as a result of a bus collision with an obstacle and the nat ure of such displacement depends on the design of se ats and personal protections applied (2or 3-point safety belt or no belt) . The study describes the dynamic loading of thighs as a function of ...

Even though the safety benefits of using seat belts are well-known among the transportation community, the average usage rates in some states remain at relatively low levels than it is desired. Among many factors that could be contributing the situation, the type of the seat belt law could be a major one. While many states still need to aggressively work on passing the primary seat belt law, es...