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Vehicle Occupants in Traffic Accidents

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Abstract

Occupant motion and injury response in motor vehicle crashes is dictated by the forces applied to the human body in combination with the relative motion between occupant and vehicle. These responses are complex and dependent on many factors including those relating to crash, vehicle, and occupant characteristics. The study of occupant response is an important step in improving vehicle design and crashworthiness. This chapter provides an overview of the important aspects of occupant response for the four main crash modes: frontal, side, rollover, and rear. The general characteristics of occupant kinematic response are discussed with respect to each crash mode. Typical injury patterns and mechanisms are identified and their relationship to occupant motion and interaction with the crash environment is highlighted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Transport and Road Safety (TARS) Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Garrett A. Mattos

Authors
  1. Garrett A. Mattos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Garrett A. Mattos .

Section Editor information

  1. Institut for Biomechanics und Orthopedic, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Gert-Peter Brüggemann

  2. Department of Computer Science, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA

    Zhigang Deng

  3. McIntosh Consultancy and Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Andrew S. McIntosh

  4. Wilmington, Delaware, USA

    Freeman Miller

  5. C-Motion Inc., Germantown, USA

    W. Scott Selbie

  6. 3 Ellalong Rd., 2090, Cremorne, NSW, Australia

    Andrew McIntosh

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Mattos, G.A. (2018). Vehicle Occupants in Traffic Accidents. In: Handbook of Human Motion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14418-4_94

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