Knee injuries in motor vehicle collisions: a study of the National Accident Sampling System database for the years 1979-1995

A detailed study of knee injuries recorded in the 1979-1995 National Accide nt Sampling System database maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safe ty Administration was conducted. Injuries to other body regions were also c onsidered in order to illustrate the relative frequency of knee injuries. T his study demonstrated that knee injuries constitute approximate to 10% of all injuries recorded every year. However, the majority of these injuries w ere of low severity (i.e. contusions, abrasions, lacerations) with an abbre viated injury score (AIS) of I. Most knee injuries occurred following a fro ntal collision with no intrusion. The study also indicated most knee fractu res occur in crashes where the vehicle velocity differences (Delta Vs) were less than 45 kmph, with some occurring at Delta Vs as low as 10 kmph. Seri ous non-fracture knee injuries (i.e. ligament tears) rated AIS 2 accounted for 20 out of every 1000 injuries and predominantly occurred at a Delta Vs below 25 kmph. In this study it was noted that women were more likely to ex perience a knee contusion than men. This study further suggests that knee i mpact scenarios have remained relatively constant over the years as the kne e injury rates showed little variation. The rate of lay, and shoulder belt use was lower in occupants who experienced a knee injury vs. the rate in th e overall database and airbags were present in only a small number of cases . As this study largely included only vehicles without airbags it provides a good baseline for analysis of the influence of the airbag on knee injury trends in the future. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.