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Various machine learning models have been proposed to predict injuries to vehicle occupants from crash conditions, and optimized and evaluated for model accuracy using binary classification performance metrics. However, performance metrics for injury probability prediction have not been utilized to develop injury prediction models. Therefore, this paper developed injury probability prediction models using evaluation metrics to evaluate the probability prediction performance of injury prediction models and to verify the validity of injury probability predictions. The model constructed using a random forest performed better than the conventional injury prediction model constructed using logistic regression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prolonged extrication of entrapped patients after road traffic accidents increases the risk of sustained hypothermia. Accident-related hypothermia increases mortality in severely injured patients, and prehospital efforts to prevent hypothermia are essential. We evaluated various warming measures regarding their preclinical suitability and efficacy for patient warming, tested in realistically-simulated road traffic accident scenarios under cold ambient conditions in a climate chamber.Methods: The effects of a chemical warming blanket (CWB), forced-air warming (FAW) device, or infrared radiator (IRR) on the core body and skin surface temperature of a subject previously exposed to a cold environment (5°C for 12 minutes) was recorded via temperature sensors and thermographically, respectively. Physiological parameters such as oxygen saturation, blood pressure, and heart rate were also monitored.Results: Under cold environmental conditions, all devices were able to compensate or overcompensate the cooling of body parts directly exposed to the heating measure. In the body areas that were not directly warmed (back, lower extremities), only the CWB limited further cooling. FAW and IR irradiation rapidly and effectively warmed the heat-exposed areas (head and arms). However, both methods - but especially the IRR - led to a noticeably accelerated cooling in body parts not directly exposed to heat (back, legs).Conclusion: The increased mortality associated with hypothermia in severely injured crash victims during prolonged vehicle extrication has intensified efforts to prevent sustained hypothermia. The use of a CWB, FAW or IRR are in principle all suitable for reducing or compensating for heat loss. The ongoing cooling of those body parts not directly exposed to the heat source was interpreted as a steal phenomenon in regional blood flow. However, the practicality and effectiveness of these measures, combined with their logistical requirements, must be evaluated in real extrication scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on how to educate the public concerning risks of driving through flooded highways and discusses various factors affecting the float time of submerged vehicles. These factors include the closed, sealed and intact windows and weather seals, and the angled nose-down position of the vehicle in the water due to the location of the motor that contributes to the weight of the vehicle.

Background: Vehicle extrication of crash victims is a highly-demanding challenge, due to the frequently life-threatening injuries of entrapped occupants. In this phase, crash victims are often exposed to the outdoor-temperature, with the risk of sustained hypothermia. Hypothermia can significantly raise the morbidity and mortality rates of crash victims. Therefore, we have correlated the incidence of severe car accidents with entrapped patients, the outdoor conditions, and expenditure of time for extrication. Furthermore, different warming strategies have been evaluated regarding their integrability within the rescue procedure.Methods: To estimate the incidence of severe car accidents with entrapped patients, we performed retrospective data mining for the cold season of a three-year period in a rural district in Germany. We evaluated the integrability of a chemical heated blanket, its combined application with a forced-air warmer, or with an infrared radiator for patient warming. Therefore, we analysed the time tracking of extrication reference points during extrication exercises undertaken by the rescue services, simulating a severe vehicle accident and evaluated questionnaires administered to rescue personnel and subjects. Furthermore, we monitored subjects' physiologic parameters to estimate the warming effect.Results: Incidence analysis resulted in extrication times of up to 80 min, representing two severely-entrapped patients per month in the cold seasons, corresponding to about four entrapments per 100.000 inhabitants every year. Of the different warming strategies analysed, the chemical blanket and the combination infrared radiator/chemical blanket were favoured regarding the items 'operator convenience', 'weight/size/handling', 'stability in positioning', 'time needed for installation', 'manpower requirement', 'hindrance during extrication operation', 'versality during extrication process', and 'robustness' by the rescue personnel; the forced-air warmer and the infrared radiator were preferred with regard to 'warming effect', the forced-air warmer and the chemical blanket was advantageous with regard to 'physical protection'.Conclusions: Vehicle extrication procedures are time consuming, a relevant finding that provides a rationale for discussing and optimising the rescue procedure to prevent sustained hypothermia. We determined that combined application of an infrared radiator and a chemical blanket is advantageous in terms of integration into the rescue process. However, a more detailed investigation, focussing on warming efficacy, must be performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper is about detecting and counting the passengers of a tracking vehicle using on-car monocular vision. By having a model of nearby vehicle occupants, intelligent reasoning systems of autonomous cars will be provided with this additional knowledge needed in emergency situations such as those that many philosophers have recently raised. The on-road Vehicle PassengEr Detection (ViPED) system is based on the human perception model in terms of spatio-temporal reasoning, namely the slight movements of passenger shape silhouettes inside the cabin. The main challenges we face are the low light conditions of the cabin (no feature points), the subtle non-rigid motions of the occupants (possible artifactual transitions), and the puzzling discrimination problem of back or front seat occupants (lack of depth information inside the cabin). To overcome these challenges, we first track the detected car windshield and find the optimal affine warp. The registered windshield images are preprocessed in order to extract a feature matrix, which serves as input to a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for inferring the number and position of passengers. We demonstrate that our low-cost sensor system is able to detect in most cases successfully all the passengers in preceding moving vehicles at various distances and occupancies. Metrics and datasets are included for possible community future work on this new challenging task. Highlights • A novel system for detecting and counting the passengers of a vehicle. • The system is based on human perception models in terms of spatio-temporal reasoning. • A CNN architecture is exploited for inferring the number and position of passengers. • Detect the passengers in preceding vehicles at various distances and occupancies. • This challenging task in autonomous vehicles opens additional research paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each year road accidents claim numerous lives involving run away trucks unable to stop on steep declines. Various passive arresting systems, commonly known as truck escape ramps, are installed on dangerous highway declines to promote highway safety. Truck escape ramps can be divided into three categories: gravity escape ramps, sand or gravel ramps, and arrestor bed escape ramps. However, none of these solutions can control and/or predict the behaviour of a vehicle during the deceleration process within the truck escape ramp. Secondary accidents such as rolling over or rolling back can occur due to the uncontrollable nature during truck deceleration on the truck escape ramp. Existing rescue solutions for the truck after it is arrested in the truck escape ramp often requires complicated procedures with corresponding high costs to remove the captured vehicle and passengers. This paper presents an alternative vehicle arresting system consisting of variable sized prefabricated deformable units made using cementitious materials. Each deformable unit is an independent block and deforms upon truck tire contact. Consequently, the system generates a predictable force that acts opposite to the vehicle motion direction. Results of a 40-ton heavy-duty truck traveling at a 56 km/hr entry speed without braking are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nelson and Baptiste noted that a standard approach to safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) cannot be generalized to all patient care areas because the unique, high-risk tasks of each area require specific intervention. Matching the SPHM program to the setting, tasks, and roles is important in developing a program that will prevent harm. However, there is little evidence related to the use of SPHM programs in nontraditional care environments, such as emergency departments (EDs). A such, there is no standardized method for training ED nurses in safe patient handling. An SPHM challenge unique to the ED is extricating patients out of vehicles. There are several ways to extricate patients from vehicles, with some requiring more resources, people, and equipment than others. These resources vary depending on the patient's level of activity and acuity. The purpose of this article is to articulate the importance of SPHM programs in EDs and the unique challenges and workflows that complicate implementation in this chaotic environment through a review of manual and equipment-assisted methods of extricating patients from the vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most emergency medical service personnel rely on one of two techniques to extricate motor vehicle crash victims; the Rapid Extrication Maneuver (REM) or the Kendrick Extrication Device (KED). The purpose of this study was to compare pre- and postextrication neurological outcomes between these two techniques. A retrospective review was conducted of all adult patients with a vertebral column injury resulting from motor vehicle collision and admitted to a Level I trauma center between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2010. Standardized pre- and postextrication neurological examinations were reviewed for all patients. More than half of patients (N = 81) were extricated using the KED (53.1%, n = 43) and 46.9 per cent (n = 38) were extricated with the REM. Except for the thoracic Abbreviated Injury Score, no differences between groups emerged related to the Glasgow Coma Scale score, Injury Severity Score or Abbreviated Injury Score. There were no pre- and postextrication changes for motor to all extremities and sensation to all extremities using either method. The results of this study suggest that the REM and the KED are equivalent in protecting the patient from neurologic injury after motor vehicle collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To investigate the changing epidemiology of open fractures in vehicle occupants, pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists.Materials and Methods: Data on all non-spinal open fractures admitted to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after a road traffic accident between 1988 and 2010 were collected and analysed to provide information about the changing epidemiology in different patient groups. Demographic information was collected on all patients with the severity of injury being analysed with the Injury Severity Score (ISS), Musculoskeletal Index (MSI) and the number of open fractures. The severity of the open fractures was analysed using the Gustilo classification. The 23-year study period was divided into four shorter periods and the results were compared.Results: There were 696 patients treated in 23 years. Analysis showed that the incidence of RTA open fractures initially fell in both males and females and continued to fall in females during the 23 years. In males it levelled off about 2000. The age of the female patients also fell during the study period but it did not change in males. The only patient group to show an increased incidence of open fractures were cyclists. In vehicle occupants the incidence fell throughout the study period but it levelled off in pedestrians and motorcyclists. There was no difference in the severity of injury in any group during the study period. The most severe open fractures were those of the distal femur and femoral diaphysis although open tibial diaphyseal fractures were the most common fracture in all patient groups.Conclusions: Improved car design and road safety legislation has resulted in a reduction in the incidence of open fractures in vehicle occupants, pedestrians and motorcyclists. The most obvious group to have benefitted from this are older female pedestrians. The only group to show an increase in age during the study period were male motorcyclists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Casualty prediction in a building during earthquakes benefits to implement the economic loss estimation in the performance-based earthquake engineering methodology. Although after-earthquake observations reveal that the evacuation has effects on the quantity of occupant casualties during earthquakes, few current studies consider occupant movements in the building in casualty prediction procedures. To bridge this knowledge gap, a numerical simulation method using refined cellular automata model is presented, which can describe various occupant dynamic behaviors and building dimensions. The simulation on the occupant evacuation is verified by a recorded evacuation process from a school classroom in real-life 2013 Ya’an earthquake in China. The occupant casualties in the building under earthquakes are evaluated by coupling the building collapse process simulation by finite element method, the occupant evacuation simulation, and the casualty occurrence criteria with time and space synchronization. A case study of casualty prediction in a building during an earthquake is provided to demonstrate the effect of occupant movements on casualty prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the over-speed phenomenon of heavy haul vehicles at high speed, the estimation of the effective range of the dynamic stability and inclination angle of the truck was carried out a rollover stability alarm system based on liquid pendulum angle sensor and virtual instrument software was developed. The working principle and data processing module of tilt sensor are discussed, through the data lines to output analog voltage signal transmitted to the vehicle electronic control unit. A control command is sent by the electronic control unit and sent to the driver via an alarm device, which enables the driver to control the speed in time, and so it reduces the risk of a rollover accident. The results show that the warning system is of good accuracy. The early warning system preventing malignant road traffic accidents has important social significance and actual application value for a safe vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good road transport with appropriate road safety measures promotes efficient movement of goods and services within and between countries. Good road infrastructure and high safety levels are inevitable and a major driving force in sustainable development in Africa. This study was carried out to determine the numbers of road traffic accidents and fatalities for the period 2008 - 2013. This is important because sustainable development in Africa depends on trade and commerce which also heavily relies on efficient road transportation systems. Results obtained showed a total of 139, 002 Road Traffic Accidents; 9,363 people killed; 26, 533 seriously injured and 39, 636 had slight injuries. Such high incidents of accidents hamper trade and commerce and sustainable development of the country and the African continent at large. Future studies should determine black spots and suggest a monitoring strategy to minimize accidents and improve road safety records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intense human activity determines the continuous development of systems and means of transport, which contributes to the intensification of existing road traffic risks and the emergence of new ones. Reduction in the number of fatalities of road accidents is dependent on investment in transport infrastructure, the development of safety systems for means of transport and the care for the technical condition of vehicles. Furthermore, the human factor is manifested in the growing awareness of hazards and improving skills of vehicle drivers. The article presents the construction, operating principles and technical capabilities of the most commonly used hydraulic rescue tools. All this was presented against the background of selected problems occurring during rescue operations while releasing victims caught in car wrecks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simplified point mass, flail-space model was introduced in 1981 and is currently used in the United States, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand road safety barrier and fixtures standards as a method of assessing vehicle occupant injury risk in certification crash tests when an instrumented anthropomorphic crash test dummy is not used. Maximum and preferred flail-space threshold impact velocities and accelerations of an unrestrained occupant are specified for longitudinal (frontal) and lateral (side) impact in the standards. The longitudinal impact velocity component of the flail-space model has been compared with impact velocities from real-world frontal crash data. However, the lateral velocity component has yet to be compared with impact velocities from any side impact tests or real-world injury crash data. This current study assesses the relationship between injury severity and impact velocities from cadaveric lateral thoracic impact tests and relates this to the maximum and preferred lateral velocities as recommended in the flail-space model. The following data from previous thoracic lateral impact cadaver tests were collated: impact velocity, cadaver age, cadaver mass, impact wall padding thickness, impact test method, and resultant Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) level. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the significant variables in predicting AIS 3+ and AIS 4+ injuries. Single variable regression analysis was then performed to determine a relationship between lateral impact velocity and AIS 3+ and AIS 4+ injury level. From the results, the current flail-space model's preferred lateral velocity used in the road safety barrier standards was found to be high and a lower preferred threshold of 6.4 m s−1is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to present reliable mode and structure of connection between pole and base for breakaway sign, mode evaluation and structure design were conducted in this paper. AHP was adopted to evaluate connection modes between sign pole and base. Analytic hierarchy with double criterion layer and corresponding judgment matrix were established. Through qualitative analysis, powers of indexes were given and evaluation results were presented based on standardization process of each evaluation index. It shows that brittle connection mode comes in the first place, the plastic connection mode comes second, and rigid connection mode comes last. Two brittle connection structures were designed through the finite element simulation analysis. By ANSYS software, stress data were given for recessed and hole-type connection design structure. It can be found that maximum tensile stress data of two connection structures are all more than ultimate tensile strength of steel. Thus it can be concluded that two connection structures designed in this paper can be breakaway in collision and protect the safety of vehicle occupants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the medical conditions of 2 commercial drivers and the effects of physical barriers to occupant egress in a crash involving a tractor trailer and a motorcoach in order to assess and identify the factors that caused the crash and had a significant effect on occupant extrication.Methods: Physical evidence from the scene, video evidence, commercial driver information, phone records, toxicology findings, autopsy results, and personal medical information were reviewed.Results: On October 23, 2016, at 5:16 a.m., a motorcoach carrying a driver and 42 passengers struck the rear of a stopped semitrailer occupied by its driver in the center-right lane of Interstate 10 at highway speed outside Palm Springs, California. The motorcoach driver and 12 passengers died; 11 passengers were seriously injured. All traffic had been stopped on I-10 early that morning to allow electrical lines to be strung over the highway. Security camera footage showed that the truck arrived at the end of a traffic queue 2 min before traffic flow resumed. Physical evidence indicated that the truck's parking brake was still engaged at the time of the collision about 2 min later. The truck driver had a body mass index (BMI) between 45.6 and 50 kg/m2, which placed him at very high risk of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea; he also inaccurately recalled that he had been stopped for 20-25 min and had placed the vehicle in gear just before the collision. The motorcoach driver was on the return leg of an overnight trip to a casino. Based on his phone records, known driving time, and security camera footage, at the time of the collision he had had 4 h of sleep opportunity in the preceding 35 h. There was no evidence that the motorcoach driver attempted any evasive action before the collision. In addition, postmortem testing revealed a hemoglobin A1C of 11.4%, indicating poorly controlled diabetes; this was apparently undiagnosed prior to the crash. The motorcoach was equipped with a single loading door at the front of the vehicle; it was rendered inoperable by the collision. Emergency egress was initially carried out through the emergency exit windows, but they repeatedly swung shut, impeding passengers' efforts to exit. Emergency responders eventually cut open the bus wall to create a larger means of egress. Overall, it took almost 3 h to extricate the occupants from the vehicle.Conclusions: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the accident was the truck driver's falling asleep, most likely due to undiagnosed moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea, and the motorcoach driver's failure to identify the stopped truck as a hazard requiring evasive action, most likely as the result of fatigue. Additional easy-to-use emergency exits would have decreased the time to extricate the occupants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Quality of manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during extrication and transport of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims is known to be poor. Performing manual CPR during ambulance transport poses significant risk to the attending emergency medical services crew. We sought to use pre-hospital video recording to objectively analyse the impact of introducing mechanical CPR with an extrication sheet (Autopulse, Zoll) to an advanced, second-tier cardiac arrest response team. Methods The study was conducted prospectively using defibrillator downloads and analysis of pre-hospital video recording to measure the quality of CPR during extrication from scene and ambulance transport of the OHCA patient. Adult patients with non-traumatic OHCA were included. The interruption to manual CPR to during extrication and to deploy the mechanical CPR device was analysed. Results In the manual CPR group, 53 OHCA cases were analysed for quality of CPR during extrication. The median time that chest compression was interrupted to allow the patient to be carried from scene to the ambulance was 270 s (IQR 201–387 s). 119 mechanical CPR cases were analysed. The median time interruption from last manual compression to first Autopulse compression was 39 s (IQR 29–47 s). The range from last manual compression to first Autopulse compression was 14–118 s. Conclusion Mechanical CPR used in combination with an extrication sheet can be effectively used to improve the quality of resuscitation during extrication and ambulance transport of the refractory OHCA patient. The time interval to deploy the mechanical CPR device can be shortened with regular simulation training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For applications in which unmanned vehicles must traverse unfamiliar terrain, there often exists the risk of vehicle entrapment. Typically, this risk can be reduced by using feedback from on-board sensors that assess the terrain. This work addressed the situations where a vehicle has already become immobilized or the desired route cannot be traversed using conventional rolling. Specifically, the focus was on using push–pull locomotion in high sinkage granular material. Push–pull locomotion is an alternative mode of travel that generates thrust through articulated motion, using vehicle components as anchors to push or pull against. It has been revealed through previous research that push–pull locomotion has the capacity for generating higher net traction forces than rolling, and a unique optical flow technique indicated that this is the result of a more efficient soil shearing method. It has now been found that push–pull locomotion results in less sinkage, lower travel reduction, and better power efficiency in high sinkage material as compared to rolling. Even when starting from an “entrapped” condition, push–pull locomotion was able to extricate the test vehicle. It is the authors’ recommendation that push–pull locomotion be considered as a reliable back-up mode of travel for applications where terrain entrapment is a possibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a major public health concern in Libya. In the light of the armed conflict in Libya that broke out on February 2011 and the subsequent instability, the rate and pattern of RTIs was studied. Methods: RTI patient data were gathered from Al-Jalaa hospital, the main trauma center in Benghazi, from 2010 to 2011. Various parameters [i.e. age, gender, nationality, method of entry, receiving department, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, duration of stay, method of discharge, and fatalities] were compared with data from the previous year (2010), and statistical analyses were performed (t-test, chi-square, and Poisson regression). Results: During the conflict period, 15.8% (n=2,221) of hospital admissions were RTIs, that is, a rate of 6.08 RTI cases per day, levels not seen for 5 years (t=-5.719, p<0.001). The presence of armed conflict was found to have caused a significant 28% decrease in the trend of RTIs over the previous 10 years (B=-0.327, CI=-0.38 - -0.28, p<0.001). February and March, the peak period of active combat in Benghazi, witnessed the lowest number of RTIs during the conflict period. The average age of an RTI decreased to 28.35±16.3 years (t=-7.257, p<0.001) with significantly more males (84.1%, n=1,755) being affected (χ2=4.595, p=0.032, df=1). There was an increase in the proportion of younger aged patients (from 0 to 29 years) (χ2=29.874, p<0.001, df=8). More patients required admission to the ICU (χ2=36.808, p<0.001, df=8), and the mortality of an RTI increased to 5.2% (n=116) (χ2=48.882, p<0.001, df=6). Conclusions: There were fewer RTIs during the conflict period; however, those that occurred had higher morbidity and mortality. The profile of an RTI victims also changed to an increased prominence of young males and motorcyclists. Further research is required to propose and analyze possible interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With the number of vehicles expected to increase to 1.85 billion by 2030 and the scrap generated from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) expected to be 3.71 billion tonnes, there is a strong motivation to properly process the flow of these materials. The EU Directive on end-of-life vehicles (EU ELV Directive) aims to increase recovery and recycling rates of ELVs in order to reduce waste and improve environmental performances. Long-term optimization planning of vehicle recycling is increasingly important. However, there is a lack of research of uncertainties in the vehicle recycling system, none of the previous studies analyzed the linkage and trade-offs between decision risk and system performances, and no previous research was reported on interval-based programming for vehicle recycling planning problem. In order to meet the imposed eco-efficiency quotas, maximize system profit and minimize decision risk, and at the same time fill the identified research gaps, a risk explicit interval linear programming model for optimal long-term planning in the EU vehicle recycling factories was developed. It can create optimal plans for procuring vehicle hulks, sorting of generated material fractions, allocation of sorted waste flows and allocation of sorted metals for desired value of the system aspiration level. A numerical study demonstrated the potentials and applicability of the proposed model. Vehicle recycling factories aim at reaching the highest possible level of quantity and quality of sorted metal flows. The future eco-efficiency quotas will not endanger their business. The success of the final phase of implementation of the EU ELV Directive is not jeopardized, because even the future eco-efficiency quotas were reached in all created test problems. Quantity of land-filled wastes will be radically reduced after January 1, 2015. The model results and trade-offs would be valuable for supporting the EU vehicle recycling factories in creating optimal long-term production strategies and reducing the risk for uncertain situations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes the movement of vehicle occupants in moderate speed (25–35 mph) frontal crashes. In these collisions, the occupant compartment is usually unintruded. Therefore, the occupant movement may be expressed relative to the movement of the rear (or undeformed) portion of the vehicle. The paper begins with a review of the dynamics of the undeformed portion of a vehicle during a collision. The occupant movement is then studied by examining the effects of the restraints (i.e. the seat, the seat belt and the air bag) upon the occupant. Interestingly, with only a few simplifying assumptions, the analysis leads to governing equations involving only elementary functions. It thus enables the hand computation and evaluation of occupant movement by accident reconstructionists. An illustration, with specific numerical data, is given. The efficacy of seat belts and the timely deployment of air bags are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: This paper proposes a flexible econometric structure for injury severity analysis at the level of individual crashes that recognizes the ordinal nature of injury severity categories, allows unobserved heterogeneity in the effects of contributing factors, as well as accommodates spatial dependencies in the injury severity levels experienced in crashes that occur close to one another in space. The modeling framework is applied to analyze the injury severity sustained in crashes occurring on highway road segments in Austin, Texas. The sample is drawn from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) crash incident files from 2009 and includes a variety of crash characteristics, highway design attributes, driver and vehicle characteristics, and environmental factors. The results from our analysis underscore the value of our proposed model for data fit purposes as well as to accurately estimate variable effects. The most important determinants of injury severity on highways, according to our results, are (1) whether any vehicle occupant is ejected, (2) whether collision type is head-on, (3) whether any vehicle involved in the crash overturned, (4) whether any vehicle occupant is unrestrained by a seat-belt, and (5) whether a commercial truck is involved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ground vehicles subjected to blast can result in vehicle movements and occupant injuries. The engineering mechanisms involved in such blasts include fluid dynamics, solid dynamics, and multi-body dynamics. This paper describes a parallel computer simulation methodology that can be applied to couple the structural deformation prediction of a ground vehicle system and the associated occupant kinematics during a blast event. Generic box and dummy models were used in the demonstration of this newly-developed methodology. The generic system structure consists of an outer cube representing a vehicle armor structure, and a dummy representing a crew member in a ground vehicle. Simulation results for different cases include free air blast wave propagation, blast on a metal plate and over a hemispherical dome, and blast wave interaction with a vehicle and its occupant inside. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: It has been estimated that up to one-quarter of spinal cord injuries may be significantly worsened during extrication or early treatment after a motor vehicle accident. Study Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the planar motions of the head relative to the torso during extrication from an automobile in a laboratory setting. Methods: Video motion capture was used to quantify the range of motion of the head relative to the torso in 10 participants as they were extricated from a mock motor vehicle during four different extrication techniques: 1) Unassisted Unprotected, 2) Unassisted Protected with a cervical collar (CC), 3) Assisted and Protected with a CC, and 4) Assisted and Protected with a CC and Kendrick Extrication Device. Results: The results indicated a significant decrease in movement for all motions when the driver exited the vehicle unassisted with CC protection, compared to exiting unassisted and without protection. Decreases in movement were also observed for an event (i.e., Pivot in seat) during extrication with paramedic assistance and protection. However, no movement reduction was observed in another event (i.e., Recline on board) with both paramedic assistance and protection. Conclusion: In this study, no decrease in neck movement occurred for certain extrication events that included protection and assistance by the paramedics. Future work should further investigate this finding. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There have not been many studies on the factors that affect chest deflection, although the US NCAP thoracic injury criterion was recently shifted from the 3-msec clip to chest deflection. This study explored these factors and proposed a design methodology for the factors to minimize chest deflection. Because injuries can become severe if the driver crashes against the vehicle interior, this study also sought a solution using a penalty function to prevent crashes with the interior and minimize injuries. First, a MADYMO model was made to simulate US NCAP and EURO NCAP tests by one-to-one and stochastic verifications. Second, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to find the major factors that affect chest deflection. Lastly, the factors identified via the sensitivity analysis were optimized to propose design guidelines that helped vehicles receive high star ratings in US NCAP and EURO NCAP tests and helped minimize the possibility of hard contact between the driver and the vehicle interior by utilizing a penalty function and the Taguchi method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we aim to identify the different factors that influence injury severity of highway vehicle occupants, in particular drivers, involved in a vehicle-train collision at highway-railway grade crossings. The commonly used approach to modeling vehicle occupant injury severity is the traditional ordered response model that assumes the effect of various exogenous factors on injury severity to be constant across all accidents. The current research effort attempts to address this issue by applying an innovative latent segmentation based ordered logit model to evaluate the effects of various factors on the injury severity of vehicle drivers. In this model, the highway-railway crossings are assigned probabilistically to different segments based on their attributes with a separate injury severity component for each segment. The validity and strength of the formulated collision consequence model is tested using the US Federal Railroad Administration database which includes inventory data of all the railroad crossings in the US and collision data at these highway railway crossings from 1997 to 2006. The model estimation results clearly highlight the existence of risk segmentation within the affected grade crossing population by the presence of active warning devices, presence of permanent structure near the crossing and roadway type. The key factors influencing injury severity include driver age, time of the accident, presence of snow and/or rain, vehicle role in the crash and motorist action prior to the crash. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A test series involving direct right-side impact of a moving wall on unsupported, unrestrained cadavers with no arms was undertaken to better understand human kinematics and injury mechanisms during side impact at realistic speeds. The tests conducted provided a unique opportunity for a detailed analysis of the kinematics resulting from side impact. Specifically, this study evaluated the 3-dimensional (3D) kinematics of 3 unrestrained male cadavers subjected to lateral impact by a multi-element load wall carried by a pneumatically propelled rail-mounted sled reproducing a conceptual side crash impact. Three translations and 3 rotations characterize the movement of a solid body in the space, the 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) kinematics of 15 bone segments were obtained from the 3D marker motions and computed tomography (CT)-defined relationships between the maker array mounts and the bones. The moving wall initially made contact with the lateral aspect of the pelvis, which initiated lateral motion of the spinal segments beginning with the pelvis and moving sequentially up through the lumbar spine to the thorax. Analyzing the 6DoF motions kinematics of the ribs and sternum followed right shoulder contact with the wall. Overall thoracic motion was assessed by combining the thoracic bone segments as a single rigid body. The kinematic data presented in this research provides quantified subject responses and boundary condition interactions that are currently unavailable for lateral impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The aim of this study was to determine if prolonged immobility and tissue injury from a prehospital entrapment would place patients at higher risk for in-hospital venous thromboembolism (VTE) complications. It was hypothesized that entrapment would increase in-hospital VTE. Methods: All consecutive trauma admissions over a 10-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into those who were entrapped according to defined prehospital criteria for entrapment and those who were not entrapped. The complications of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism were noted. Results: There were 15,159 patients admitted between 1999 and 2008. Of these, 1,176 met the criteria for prehospital entrapment. Those patients who met the criteria for entrapment had a significant risk for developing both deep vein thrombosis (P < .001, χ2 test) and pulmonary embolism (P = .005, Fisher''s exact test). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed entrapment to be a significant contributing risk factor to the development of VTE (odds ratio, 1.54; P = .04). Conclusions: Patients with prehospital entrapment are at higher risk for VTE. These results mandate aggressive VTE prophylaxis in patients with histories of prehospital entrapment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article offers information on a study analyzing trauma center accessibility for road traffic injuries in Hanoi, Vietnam. The country has seen an increase in the number of road traffic injuries (RTI) along with its economic growth. The study focuses on the description of the geographic distribution of RTIs in Hanoi, and their evaluation in terms of their approachability to the injured people. Researchers consulted reports on RTIs maintained by Hanoi police for calculation of their occurances in the city.

Abstract: Road traffic accidents are responsible for over 3000 deaths per year in the UK, according to figures. Although progress is being made in a number of areas, vehicle occupant fatalities have not been falling in line with casualty reduction targets for the year 2010. A sample of 1185 fatal vehicle occupant cases was considered, from ten UK police forces, from the years 1994–2005 inclusive. The main findings were: (1) over 65% of the accidents examined involved driving at excessive speed, a driver in excess of the legal alcohol limit, or the failure to wear a seat belt by a fatality, or some combination of these. (2) Young drivers have the great majority of their accidents by losing control on bends or curves, typically at night in rural areas and/or while driving for ‘leisure’ purposes. These accidents show high levels of speeding, alcohol involvement and recklessness. (3) Older drivers had fewer accidents, but those fatalities they were involved in tended to involve misjudgement and perceptual errors in ‘right of way’ collisions, typically in the daytime on rural rather than urban roads. Blameworthy right of way errors were notably high for drivers aged over 65 years, as a proportion of total fatal accidents in that age group. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

One of the main causes of traffic accidents in which heavy vehicles are involved is lateral stability loss. It is well known that heavy vehicles have relatively high centres of gravity and narrow track widths and can lose roll stability at moderate levels of lateral acceleration. The influence of several parameters (i.e. height of the centre of gravity, weight distribution between axles, chassis torsional stiffness, etc.) on bus roll stability during a lane change manoeuvre, as well as the bus structure stress level has been analyzed by means of a six degrees of freedom beam finite element model. In addition, due to the use of active systems to prevent excessive roll motions in heavy vehicles, the effect of an active system based on anti-roll bars in a bus structure under a lane change manoeuvre is carried out by means of a bus dynamic finite element model. Results show that the fuzzy logic controller implemented in the anti-roll bar system significantly reduces both the vertical displacements at the corners of the bus structure and the stress level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Problem: Side impacts are a serious automotive injury problem; they represent about 30% of all fatalities for passenger vehicle occupants. This literature review focuses on occupant injuries resulting from real lateral collisions. It emphasizes the interaction between injury patterns and crash factors, taking into account type of injuries and their severity. It highlights what is known on the subject and suggests further studies. Method: We reviewed papers identified by searches in two electronic databases for the 1996-2009 publication period, and in specific journals and conference proceedings. Results: Studies on the Primary Direction of Force (PDOF) have revealed that fatal crashes occur most frequently when the PDOF is at 3 or 9 o''clock. The risk of serious injury is two to three times higher for the near-side occupant than for the far-side occupant. Head injuries predominate in oblique impacts and thoracic injuries in perpendicular ones. A few results are also reported on side airbag protection. Conclusions: This literature review presents an overall picture of the injuries caused by lateral collisions, though each of the papers or articles examined focuses mostly on some particular aspect of the problem. The incidence of specific injuries depends on the data source used. Very few population-based analyses of lateral collision injuries were found. Impact on industry: New studies are needed to evaluate new protective devices (e.g., lateral airbags, inflatable curtains). Without interfering with their care duties, Emergency Medical Technicians could be systematically trained to observe the collision''s specific characteristics and to report all their relevant observations to the emergency physicians to increase the likelihood of prompt diagnosis and proper care. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objectives of this article were to identify the pattern of fatalities by age, belt use and time of day on road accidents of south-east Iran. A sample of over 3091 accident cases was considered from Kerman police forces, involving drivers of all ages, and covering a three-year period. Female drivers were found to be generally safer drivers than their male counterparts; male drivers not using a seat belt had a higher involvement rate in road traffic accidents, and also males with in the age group of 26-33 had more involvement in accidents. Time of day analyses suggested that the problem of accidents in darkness are not a matter of visibility, but a consequence of the way drivers use the roads at night. The article ends with a number of recommended measures for the improvement of road safety in south-east Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses ways to help a driver suffering from crash injuries and compartment syndrome. He states that when a driver is trapped within the vehicle and waiting for extrication efforts, it is important to consider basic life support management. He discusses the necessity of giving the trauma patient proper ventilation, continuous monitoring of an electrocardiogram and enough breathing and perfusion.

The article presents a case study of a multiple-vehicle collision at bridge due to unexpected icing. Police officers and first responders were there to assist motorists and prevent further accidents. They skate their way to aid the victims using extrication equipment. The scene was manageable and the operation was successful. The responders attended to the unexpected incident by focusing on the needs of hospitals and rescue and safety resources.

Mitigation of neck and head injuries is critical in automotive occupant protection. The aim of the present study is to investigate how the physical properties influence the interaction of the seat back frame and the safety belt. Seat integrated 3- and 4-point configurations with both non-rigid and rigid seat back frames were compared with 3-point configurations with anchor points on the car body. The LS-DYNA FE-analysis software was used in order to perform frontal crash simulations with a belted 50th percentile Hybrid III dummy model as occupant. The belt-webbing distribution between the lap and the torso belts via a slip-ring and in combination with a non-rigid seat back frame had an advantageous influence concerning the loads of the upper neck and injury criteria compared to a system with no belt-webbing distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]