Front Seat Performance in Rear Impacts: Effect on 1st and 2nd Row Occupant Injury

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 462-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Viano ◽  
Chantal S. Parenteau
2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Krafft ◽  
Anders Kullgren ◽  
Anders Lie ◽  
Claes Tingvall

Author(s):  
Kenneth J. Saczalski ◽  
Mark C. Pozzi ◽  
Joseph Lawson Burton

Recent field accident statistical studies dealing with injury risk assessment of rear seated children in rear impacts indicated a doubling of AIS 2+ injuries when front seats deformed, and a 61 percent increase in fatal injury for rear-seated children, as compared to front-seated children, in rear impacts. Several interrelated factors, which influence child injury risk in rear impacts, were not evaluated in these field accident statistical studies. These factors include: rear-impact severity levels; front occupant sizes; front seat strength variations and protection levels; vehicle type; (i.e. minivan, sedan, etc.); rear child sizes; and, rear child restraint types. This current study uses an experimental “multi-variable” crash test approach, and “inferred statistical” methodology, to scientifically evaluate the several key factors that effect rear child injury risk in rear impacts. This “multi-variable” methodology was previously utilized by the authors for study of front-seated adult injury risk assessment. Various sizes of rear child surrogates (i.e. 6 month-old up to the 6 year-old Hybrid III size), located behind different sizes of front adult surrogates (i.e. small 50kg female up to larger male surrogates ballasted to 110kg) seated in different strength front seats, were dynamically tested at rear-impact severity speed change levels ranging from about 20 to 50 kph. Both sled-body-buck and full vehicle crash tests were used in this study. Front seat strength levels ranged from the weaker 3.2kN level for single recliner (SR) seats, without belts attached to the seatback, up to the stronger belt-integrated seat (BIS) levels of about 14.7kN. The study results demonstrate that, even absent rear crush intrusion, the easily deforming SR front seats pose a high risk of injury to the rear child, regardless of vehicle type, in contrast to stronger and safer BIS designs.


Author(s):  
Kenneth J. Saczalski ◽  
Joseph Lawson Burton ◽  
Paul R. Lewis ◽  
Keith Friedman ◽  
Todd K. Saczalski

Since 1996 the NHTSA has warned of the airbag deployment injury risk to front seated children and infants, during frontal impact, and they have recommended that children be placed in the rear seating areas of motor vehicles. However, during most rear impacts the adult occupied front seats will collapse into the rear occupant area and, as such, pose another potentially serious injury risk to the rear seated children and infants who are located on rear seats that are not likely to collapse. Also, in the case of higher speed rear impacts, intrusion of the occupant compartment may cause the child to be shoved forward into the rearward collapsing front seat occupant thereby increasing impact forces to the trapped child. This study summarizes the results of more than a dozen actual accident cases involving over 2-dozen rear-seated children, where 7 children received fatal injuries, and the others received injuries ranging from severely disabling to minor injury. Types of injuries include, among others: crushed skulls and brain damage; ruptured hearts; broken and bruised legs; and death by post-crash fires when the children became entrapped behind collapsed front seat systems. Several rear-impact crash tests, utilizing sled-bucks and vehicle-to-vehicle tests, are used to examine the effects of front seat strength and various types of child restraint systems, such as booster seats and child restraint seats (both forward and rearward facing), in relation to injury potential of rear seated children and infants. The tests utilized sedan and minivan type vehicles that were subjected to speed changes ranging from about 20 to 50 kph (12 to 30 mph), with an average G level per speed change of about 9 to 15. The results indicate that children and infants seated behind a collapsing driver seat, even in low severity rear impacts of less than 25 kph, encounter a high risk of serious or fatal injury, whether or not rear intrusion takes place. Children seated in other rear seat positions away from significant front seat collapse, such as behind the stronger “belt-integrated” types of front seats or rearward but in between occupied collapsing front seat positions, are less likely to be as seriously injured.


2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Friedman ◽  
Tim Kenney ◽  
Jack Bish ◽  
Kemal Atesmen

Abstract An analysis of rear end accidents involving rear seat occupants seated behind a front seat occupant was conducted examining the probability of serious injury as a function of both crash severity and front seat performance failure. Seat performance failure is when some element of the seat fails to do what it is designed to do, e.g. a seat back lock allows the seat back to move during the collision. The results suggest that the risk of serious injury is greater in the 6.7-11.2 m/s Delta-V crash severity range when the seat in front of the occupant suffers a performance failure.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Friedman ◽  
Fiona Gaston ◽  
Jack Bish ◽  
Anthony Sances

Abstract An analysis of rear end accidents involving 1377 driver and right front seat occupants was conducted examining the probability of seat performance failure as a function of crash severity and the injury severity as a function of both crash severity and seat performance. The results suggest that occupants with seat failures experience serious injury more frequently than without such failures for the same Delta-V. Intrusion into the area behind the occupant’s seat appears to be an important consideration in increasing the risk of injury.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-152
Author(s):  
Chantal S. Parenteau ◽  
Roger A. Burnett ◽  
David C. Viano ◽  
Edmund Lau

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guzin Sen ◽  
◽  
Bahar Sener ◽  
Mike Jump
Keyword(s):  

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (CSCW) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin N. Brewer ◽  
Amy M. Austin ◽  
Nicole B. Ellison
Keyword(s):  

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