Experimental study on neck injury in low speed frontal and rear-end collisions

Motor vehicle accidents in rear impacts cause more than fifty percents of d rivers to suffer from neck injuries. It is known that most neck injuries ar e associated with real-end collisions at a speed lower than 32 km/h and are between the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 1 and AIS 2. Two different type s of low speed crash tests such as the frontal barrier and rear moving barr ier crashes have been conducted by following the procedure of the Research Committee for Automobile Repairs (RCAR). The injury for the neck and the He ad Injury Criteria (WIC) were measured by using the sensors mounted on dumm ies. We reviewed neck injuries and the relationship between the neck and he ad injuries, and examined the deceleration of the body. Using the experimen tal test data at the neck, we investigated an improved neck injury criterio n Nij. Also, the effects of the position of a head restraint on reducing th e frequency and severity of the neck injury in rear-end collisions were inv estigated.