LOWER-LIMB RESPONSE AND INJURY IN FRONTAL CRASHES

This article examines two observational and two experimental data sets that emphasize lower limb injuries in passenger car crashes. Statisti cs show that 60% of moderate-to-severe below-knee injuries sustained b y front seat occupants in head-on crashes occur with <3 cm of footwell intrusion. Moreover, crash tests and computer simulations of car-to-c ar frontal offset collisions show no causal relationship between the m agnitude of footwell intrusion and the axial load measured in the dumm y leg. This article correlates below-knee injuries with several factor s that influence their frequency and severity, such as the vehicle cha nge in velocity, the magnitude of footwell intrusion, the rate and tim ing of the intrusion and the size of the vehicle. The vehicle change i n velocity and the intrusion rate and timing had the greatest influenc e on the risk of lower limb injury, while the other factors had much l ess of an effect. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.