Accident; analysis and prevention
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Of injury-producing collisions with high seat belt use, some 25% to 30% are lateral collisions. This paper describes some of the characteristics of those collisions as they relate to the front-seat occupant sitting on the side opposite to the impact. The data came from a stratified sample of in-depth crash investigations conducted in the Birmingham region in the period 1983 to 1989 involving current model cars. ⋯ Of abdominal injuries of AIS < or = 2, 72% came from the seat belt itself. Interaction between front seat occupants was not a frequent cause of injury to the nonstruck side occupant. Some aspects of seat belt geometry might be changed so that the trajectory and loading of the nonstruck side occupant are improved.