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DOT HS 811 202 September 2009

Fatalities in Frontal Crashes

Despite Seat Belts and Air Bags

Review of All CDS Cases

Model and Calendar Years 2000-2007

122 Fatalities

This document is available to the public from the National Technical Information Service, Springeld, Virginia 22161

This publication is distributed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, in the interest of information exchange. The opinions, findings, and

conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the

Department of Transportation or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The United

States Government assumes no liability for its content or use thereof. If trade or manufacturers’

names or products are mentioned, it is because they are considered essential to the object of the

publication and should not be construed as an endorsement. The United States Government does not

endorse products or manufacturers.

Technical Report Documentation Page

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1. Report No.



DOT HS 811 202

2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No.

4. Title and Subtitle



Fatalities in Frontal Crashes Despite Seat Belts and Air Bags –

Review of All CDS Cases – Model and Calendar Years 2000-2007 –

122 Fatalities

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5. Report Date



September 2009

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s)

James David Bean, Charles J. Kahane, Mark Mynatt, Rodney W.

Rudd, Carla J. Rush, and Chris Wiacek

8. Performing Organization Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Office of Vehicle Safety

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Washington, DC 20590



10. Work Unit No.

(TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.

Washington, DC 20590

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

NHTSA Technical Report

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. Supplementary

Notes

16. Abstract

Why are people still dying in frontal crashes despite seat belt use, air bags, and the crashworthy structures

of late-model vehicles? Statistical analyses show the combination of seat belt use and air bags is highly

effective, reducing fatality risk by 61 percent compared to an unbelted occupant of a vehicle not equipped

with air bags – but 61 percent is not 100 percent. To address the question, an interdisciplinary NHTSA

team reviewed every case of a frontal fatality to a belted driver or right-front passenger in a model year

2000 or newer vehicle in the Crashworthiness Data System (CDS) of the National Automotive Sampling

System through calendar year 2007. Aside from a substantial proportion of these 122 crashes that are just

exceedingly severe, the main reason people are still dying is because so many crashes involve poor

structural engagement between the vehicle and its collision partner: corner impacts, oblique crashes,

impacts with narrow objects, and underrides. By contrast, few if any of these 122 fatal crashes were full-

frontal or offset-frontal impacts with good structural engagement, unless the crashes were of extreme

severity or the occupants exceptionally vulnerable.

17. Key Words

NHTSA; NASS; CDS; FMVSS; air bag; seat belt;

unsurvivable; frontal impact; crashworthiness; case

review; intrusion; instrument panel; elderly

18. Distribution Statement

This report is free of charge from the NHTSA Web

site at www.nhtsa.dot.gov

19. Security Classif. (Of this report)

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Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (Of this page)



Unclassified

21. No. of Pages

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88

22. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of abbreviations ............................................................................................................... iii

Executive summary...................................................................................................................v

1. Background and objectives...............................................................................................1

1.1 Trends in frontal fatalities to drivers and right-front passengers ...............................1

1.2 Fatality reduction in frontal impacts by seat belt use and air bags ............................4

1.3 Objectives of the CDS case review ..........................................................................6

1.4 Safety advances 2000-2007 .....................................................................................6

2. Method.............................................................................................................................9

2.1 CDS case selection ..................................................................................................9

2.2 Case analysis approach ..........................................................................................10

2.3 Definitions of primary and secondary factors.........................................................11

2.4 The factors.............................................................................................................12

2.5 Assigning cases to crash-characteristic bins ...........................................................16

3. Principal findings ...........................................................................................................19

3.1 Number of cases in each bin ..................................................................................19

3.2 The corner/oblique-impact bin...............................................................................21

3.3 The tall/narrow-object bin......................................................................................28

3.4 The heavy-vehicle-underride bin............................................................................33

3.5 The vulnerable-occupant bin..................................................................................39

3.6 Exceedingly severe and/or anomaly cases..............................................................42

3.7 The all-other-crashes bin .......................................................................................45

3.8 Summary tally of primary and secondary factors in our 122 cases..........................48

3.9 Roles of heavy vehicles, degree of offset, occupant age, and occupant size............49

4. Crash types we saw infrequently or not at all..................................................................55

Appendix A: Case listing: bins, primary factors, and secondary factors.................................57

Appendix B: Index of cases in each bin ................................................................................73

Appendix C: Index of cases exhibiting each factor................................................................75

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ATD Anthropomorphic test device (dummy)

BES Barrier-equivalent speed

BAC Blood alcohol concentration, measured in grams per deciliter (g/dL)

BMI Body-mass index

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke

CAC Certified advanced compliant air bag

CDC Collision Deformation Classification

CDS Crashworthiness Data System, a part of NASS, a probability sample of police-

reported crashes in the United States since 1979, investigated in detail

CFR Code of Federal Regulations

DOT United States Department of Transportation

EDR Event data recorder, devices that record the belt use, ΔV and status of air bags of

vehicles involved in crashes

ER Emergency room

FARS Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a census of fatal crashes in the United States

since 1975

FMVSS Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard

GAD1 Primary general area of damage

IIHS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

IP Instrument panel

ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991

km/h Kilometers per hour

LATCH Lower anchors and tethers for children

LTV Light trucks and vans, includes pickup trucks, SUVs, minivans, and full-size vans

mph Miles per hour

iii

MY Model year

NASS National Automotive Sampling System, consists of two NHTSA databases, CDS

and the General Estimates System

NCAP New Car Assessment Program, consumer information supplied by NHTSA on the

safety of new cars and LTVs, based on test results, since 1979

NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

PDOF Principal direction of force

RF Right-front (passenger)

SAS Statistical and database management software produced by SAS Institute, Inc.

SCI Special Crash Investigations (by NHTSA)

SUV Sport utility vehicle

VIN Vehicle Identification Number

VMT Vehicle miles of travel

VW Volkswagen

WinSMASH Windows Simulation of Motor Accident Speeds on the Highway

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Why are people still dying in frontal crashes despite seat belt use, air bags, and the crashworthy

structures of late-model vehicles? Statistical analyses show the combination of seat belt use and

air bags is highly effective, reducing fatality risk by 61 percent compared to an unbelted

occupant of a vehicle not equipped with air bags – but 61 percent is not 100 percent. To address

the question, an interdisciplinary NHTSA team reviewed every case of a frontal fatality to a

belted driver or right-front passenger in a model year 2000 or newer vehicle in the

Crashworthiness Data System of the National Automotive Sampling System through calendar

year 2007. Aside from a substantial proportion of these 122 crashes that are just exceedingly

severe, the main reason people are still dying is because so many crashes involve poor structural

engagement between the vehicle and its collision partner: corner impacts, oblique crashes,

impacts with narrow objects, and underrides. By contrast, few if any of these 122 fatal crashes

were full-frontal or offset-frontal impacts with good structural engagement, unless the crashes

were of extreme severity or the occupants exceptionally vulnerable.

The approach taken was to have one team member summarize a case, adhering to a uniform

format, and then discuss it with the rest of the team until consensus was reached regarding the

nature of the fatality. The team reviewed the coded variables in CDS and examined the

photographs, case summaries, injury patterns, contact points, vehicle structural performance

including intrusion measurements, and overall outcome of the crash. The team used any

available data to reconstruct the events and kinematics of the crash, from the moments just prior

to impact until the time of the occupant’s death. Information from the electronic data recorder

(EDR) was reviewed when available. In addition to field data, the analysis considered how the

vehicle model had performed in full-frontal and offset-frontal crash tests.

The initial goal was to find the crashworthiness or survivability factor or list of factors that made

the impact fatal. A menu of possible factors evolved during the course of the reviews. They

included attributes of the crash configuration, such as hitting a tall, narrow object; descriptions of

restraint-system performance, such as air bags not deploying; assessments of structural

performance, such as roof intrusion; and human factors, such as elevated occupant age. The

team also tried to discriminate between primary factors that seemed a first or an indispensable

link in the chain of events leading to a fatality – and secondary factors that merely increased risk

or were a direct consequence of earlier events. For example, a severe underride into the rear of a

semi-trailer (primary factor) almost certainly resulted in windshield-header intrusion (secondary

factor) and fatal head injuries to the occupant.

The final goal was to assign each crash to a single, or at most two high-level crash-classification

bins – groupings that best characterize the most important feature of the crash and may form a

basis for further study of crashworthiness issues. The team could define as many bins as needed.

However, it was found that five bins were sufficient to house 114 of the 122 cases, and the

remaining eight were aggregated into an “all others” bin. When a case seemed to belong in two

bins – a condition applicable to twelve cases – it was usually evident which of the two bins was

primary and which was secondary. Whereas the team’s uniform approach to the cases was

designed to minimize subjectivity and inconsistency, it must be stressed that the final

conclusions on the factors and bins for each case are this team’s judgments and not the product

of a mechanistic algorithm.

Based on the cases’ only or primary bin, the crashes categorize as follows:

Exceedingly severe crash and/or anomaly: 49 fatalities

This bin includes three types of crashes: (1) Full-frontal or offset-frontal impacts with good

structural engagement, but the deceleration was too severe (due to a high closing velocity) and

the intrusion of the instrument panel (IP) or buckling of the floor pan was too great to allow

adequate time and space for the occupant to safely “ride down” the crash; in short, the restraint

system was overwhelmed; (2) Impacts with poor structural engagement, but so severe they

would likely have been fatal even if there had been good engagement; And (3) Anomalies:

unusual crash configurations that are difficult to address through vehicle improvements, such as

being hit in the front of the upper occupant compartment by an airborne vehicle.

Corner and/or oblique impact: 29 fatalities

The primary factors in this bin are limited horizontal structural engagement at the corners and/or

a direction of force sufficiently far away from longitudinal to affect occupant trajectories – often

both. Twelve of the cases were corner impacts, 13 were oblique crashes, and 4 were oblique

corner impacts. In a corner impact, the case vehicle’s longitudinal structural members may be

missed entirely, resulting in insufficient structural interaction with the front structure to absorb

the energy of the impact. The struck object or other vehicle often peels away the front fender of

the case vehicle and then contacts the firewall area, producing large instrument-panel or side-

structure intrusions. In an oblique crash, the primary longitudinal structures may not experience

a compressive, accordion-type of collapse to absorb the energy. The longitudinal frame rails

bend out of the way instead of crushing as they typically would in a collinear crash. The

occupant in corner-type crashes is exposed to intrusion from the IP, A-pillar and possibly even

the door. In an oblique impact, the occupant moves in the direction of the impact, which could

sometimes be a trajectory toward the A-pillar or the center of the IP where the occupant is not

afforded proper protection from the deploying air bag. Although Federal Motor Vehicle Safety

Standard No. 208, “Occupant Crash Protection” includes oblique tests with unbelted dummies

into flat barriers at angles up to 30 degrees, these tests do not necessarily reveal a vehicle’s

response to impacts with quite limited structural engagement and/or strongly oblique force.

Tall, narrow object, centered impact: 4 fatalities

In addition to the risks associated with the narrow object’s limited horizontal engagement, the

height of the object, typically a tree or pole tends to push components in front of it, such as the

instrument panel and steering assembly, upwards and into the occupant compartment. The

vehicle’s crush and restraint performance are also sensitive to the location of the impact. For

example, air bag timing could be adversely affected if the primary longitudinal structure is not

hit as would be the case in some vehicles with a centered impact into a pole or tree. Flat-barrier

tests cannot be expected to reveal the distinctive characteristics of a vehicle’s response when the

object struck is a tree or a pole.

Underrode rear/side of heavy vehicle: 17 fatalities

There were 14 impacts with the rear and three into the sides of heavy vehicles, in which the

striking car or LTV experienced severe underride with intrusion extending into the greenhouse

area of its occupant compartment, leading to fatal head injuries. Most semi-trailers currently on

the road are equipped with a rear-impact guard, although only trailers built after January 1998

are required to have guards fully meeting FMVSS Nos. 223, “Rear Impact Guards,” and 224,

“Rear Impact Protection.” CDS is not well suited for detailed analysis of these crashes, because

it collects little information on the trailers (which are typically not accessible to the CDS

researcher). For the cases reviewed in this study, the type of rear-impact guards present on the

trailers was unknown, and there was likewise no measure of their performance in the crash. The

substantial number of these cases is, by itself, enough to suggest a need for additional study. As

in the two preceding bins, the key is poor structural interaction with the crash partner.

vii

Vulnerable occupant: 15 fatalities

For occupants with a physical vulnerability, moderately severe and even low-speed impacts can

be fatal. Thirteen of the fatalities were elderly (typically age 75 or older), who have a high risk

of rib, pelvis and leg fractures, leading to internal thoracic and abdominal injuries. Moreover,

three of these elderly occupants were also obese, placing added demand on the restraints. The

other two occupants had pre-crash medical conditions such as advanced cancer. In an oblique

impact, for example, where occupant interaction with the restraint system is already less than

optimal, there may still be a margin of safety for a young occupant, but not for an older one.

Other: 8 fatalities

The remaining cases involved phenomena that did not occur frequently enough to merit separate

bins, but the impacts themselves were not exceedingly severe or so unusual as to seem

“anomalies.” They were all placed in the “Other” bin. A seat belt that tore loose from its

anchorage, an air bag that did not deploy, and a multiple-event crash in which an out-of-position

occupant was injured by a deploying air bag: these are examples of cases in the “Other” bin. A

belted driver endangered by an unrestrained passenger sitting behind the driver (acting as a

“back-seat bullet”) also joined the “Other” bin.

As stated above, there were no cases of restrained fatalities in current vehicles in full-frontal and

offset-frontal impacts with good structural engagement unless the crashes were quite severe or

the occupants exceptionally vulnerable. The implicit good news is that seat belts plus air bags

plus the energy-absorbing frontal structures of late-model vehicles are accomplishing their goal

of protecting occupants from fatal injury in frontal crashes resembling the crash tests currently

used for regulations and consumer information. There were no cases in which an air bag was not

replaced after a previous crash or where misuse of seat belts was considered a risk-increasing

factor; there was only one case of an air bag that did not deploy in an impact where deployment

would typically be expected and likely to benefit the occupant, and only one case where a seat

belt tore loose from the anchorage.

CHAPTER 1

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

1.1 Trends in frontal fatalities to drivers and right-front passengers

Fatalities in frontal crashes to belted occupants at seats equipped with frontal air bags are now

commonplace for the simple reason that most people buckle up and most of the vehicles on the

road are equipped with air bags. Fatality Analysis Reporting System data suggests there were

4,835 such fatalities in 2007.

Table 1-1 shows trends of occupant fatalities in frontal impacts to drivers and right-front

passengers of cars and LTVs during 1979-2007, the years when FARS enabled a uniform

definition of “frontal” impact based on the variables IMPACT2 (principal impact point),

IMPACT1 (initial impact point), ROLLOVER, HARM_EV (first harmful event) and M_HARM

(most harmful event). For this analysis we will define “frontal” impacts to include any whose

IMPACT2 (or IMPACT1 if IMPACT2 is unknown) is 11, 12, or 1 o’clock, even including some

cases with subsequent rollover – but excluding any vehicles whose first harmful event was a

rollover, fire or immersion and/or whose most harmful event was a rollover. Estimates have

been adjusted to account for the small percentages of missing data on these variables.

The good news is that, even in absolute numbers, frontal fatalities decreased from 15,582 in 1979

to 11,659 in 2007. But a caveat is that most of the decrease was in the earliest years and the

latest years. From 1982 to 2003, the fatalities were usually in the 12,800-13,800 range.

The next two columns of Table 1-1 show the count of all fatalities to these occupants and the

percentage of all fatalities that were frontal. Overall fatalities decreased from 30,336 to 25,663 –

i.e., by a lesser proportion than frontal fatalities. As a consequence, the proportion of fatalities

that are frontal decreased from 51.4 percent to 45.4 percent. While this is in the right direction, it

is difficult to draw conclusions from the trend line. There have been safety improvements

addressing side impacts (dynamic test, side air bags) and rollovers (belt use) as well as frontals,

so there is no particular reason that frontal fatalities should change as a proportion of all

fatalities. Furthermore, factors other than intentional safety improvement can influence the

trend. For example, older drivers and smaller cars tend to increase side-impact fatalities, and

fortuitously reduce the proportion of fatalities that are frontal. The shift from cars to SUVs tends

to increase rollovers, and again reduce the proportion of fatalities that are frontal.

TABLE 1-1: TRENDS IN DRIVER AND RF PASSENGER FATALITIES IN FRONTAL CRASHES, CARS AND LTVs

All Percent Frontal Belted Frontal Fatalities Observed Percent of

Driver That Car & LTV Fatalities at Seats With Air Bags On-Road On-Road

Frontal & RF Are VMT Per Belt Use Fleet With

CY Fatalities Fatalities Frontal (10

miles) 10

miles N % (%) Air Bags

1979

1980

1981

15,582

15,215

15,045

30,336

30,368

29,686

51.4

50.1

50.7

1,405,545

1,402,531

1,429,675

11.09

10.85

10.52

0.0

11 0.0

no survey 0.0

11 0.0

1982 12,922 26,103 49.5 1,467,854 8.80 0 0.0 11 0.0

1983 12,355 25,398 48.6 1,522,697 8.11 0 0.0 14 0.0

1984

1985

12,670

12,946

26,438

26,336

47.9

49.2

1,585,049

1,637,759

7.99

7.90

0.0

14 0.0

21 0.0

1986 13,542 28,451 47.6 1,694,082 7.99 0 0.0 37 0.0

1987 13,958 29,358 47.5 1,772,852 7.87 0 0.0 42 0.1

1988 14,288 30,328 47.1 1,872,478 7.63 1 0.0 46 0.1

1989 14,219 29,758 47.8 1,937,696 7.34 8 0.1 46 0.3

1990 13,765 28,979 47.5 1,982,837 6.94 40 0.3 49 1.2

1991 12,838 27,210 47.2 2,007,579 6.39 106 0.8

51 2.7

1992

1993

1994

12,461

12,954

13,183

26,076

26,595

27,235

47.8

48.7

48.4

2,078,432

2,120,459

2,170,723

6.00

6.11

6.07

140

280

486

1.1

2.2

3.7

no survey 4.6

no survey 7.3

58 11.3

1995

1996

13,447

13,501

28,277

28,649

47.6

47.1

2,228,323

2,286,394

6.03

5.90

745

1,147

5.5

8.5

no survey 17.2

61 24.2

1997

1998

13,637

13,264

28,530

28,170

47.8

47.1

2,353,295

2,417,852

5.79

5.49

1,456

1,772

10.7

13.4

no survey 30.0

69 36.2

1999

2000

2001

12,861

13,062

12,976

28,439

28,440

28,297

45.2

45.9

2,470,122

2,523,346

2,571,539

5.21

5.18

5.05

2,060

2,474

3,009

16.0

18.9

23.2

no survey 42.6

71 48.9

73 54.6

2002 13,160 29,049 45.3 2,624,508 5.01 3,236 24.6 75 59.8

2003 12,894 28,557 45.2 2,656,173 4.85 3,775 29.3 79 64.2

2004 12,521 28,136 44.5 2,727,054 4.59 4,083 32.6 80 67.9

2005 12,300 27,873 44.1 2,749,555 4.47 4,443 36.1 82 71.4

2006 12,163 27,218 44.7 2,771,684 4.39 4,630 38.1 81 74.7

2007 11,659 25,663 45.4 2,755,131 4.23 4,835 41.5 82 77.6

The frontal fatality rate per billion vehicle miles of travel (VMT) is a much more positive

indicator of progress. VMT of cars and LTVs increased from 1,405,545,000,000 in 1979 to

2,755,131,000,000 in 2007. Thus, the fatality rate decreased from 11.09 in 1979 to 4.23 in 2007.

On a per-mile basis, safety in frontal crashes has improved enormously. But even here, we must

be cautious in attributing the improvement to seat belts and air bags. Rates dropped sharply

during the recessions circa 1982-1983 and 1990-1992 and then did not deteriorate when the

recessions ended. The reasons are not clearly understood. The steady decrease in drunk drivers

and young drivers before the mid-1990s must have contributed, too. Nevertheless, the steady

reduction in the fatality rate from 1995 to 2006 – years when vehicles equipped with air bags

gradually superseded the older on-road fleet and belt use increased, while demographic trends

flattened out and there was little turbulence in the economy – is a most positive sign.

The next two columns of Table 1-1 specifically address fatalities to belted occupants at seats

equipped with frontal air bags. The fatality count includes occupants who were belted or in child

safety seats according to FARS (REST_USE 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 13 or 14) and whose VIN and model

year indicate that the seat position was equipped with an air bag when the vehicle was new.

Estimates have been adjusted to account for non-reported belt use and/or missing VINs.

The first belted fatality at a seat equipped with an air bag was reported in 1988. The annual

count first exceeded 100 in 1991 and 1,000 in 1996. There were an estimated 4,835 fatalities

with belts and air bags in 2007. That was 41.5 percent of all the frontal fatalities to drivers and

RF passengers of cars and LTVs. The last two columns of Table 1-1 explain why these numbers

and proportions have increased so greatly. Belt use observed in the general driving population

was 11 percent in 1979 and 82 percent in 2007. The largest increase took place when belt laws

initially went into effect in most of the States in 1985-1987. But buckle-up campaigns and the

move to primary belt laws have contributed to steady, sustained gains after that. Air bags began

to appear on new cars in substantial numbers in 1989. Although by the mid-1990s most new

vehicles were equipped with air bags, it was not until 2001 that this accumulation of newer

vehicles had become the majority of vehicles on the road. In 2007, 77.6 percent of the on-road

fleet was equipped with frontal air bags.

Given 82 percent belt use and 77.6 percent of cars on the road equipped with air bags, the

binomial law suggests 63.6 percent of the frontal fatalities could be belted occupants at seats

with air bags. The fact that only 41.5 percent of the actual frontal fatalities were such occupants

is clear preliminary evidence that buckling up and having an air bag available is much safer than

a belt alone, an air bag alone, or neither. But even more obviously, it shows the effectiveness of

buckling up and having an air bag is nowhere near 100 percent, because thousands of fatalities

are still occurring. FARS data provide limited insight why individual crashes are fatal. This

report will explore more detailed data from the Crashworthiness Data System of the National

Automotive Sampling System and quantify how often various phenomena are occurring to make

frontal crashes fatal despite belts and air bags.

Pre-1985 test-fleet vehicles are not included.

1.2 Fatality reduction in frontal impacts by seat belt use and air bags

Although FARS has limited information on individual crashes, it can be statistically analyzed to

estimate the fatality reduction by seat belt use and air bags in all frontal crashes, and in certain

subgroups of frontals. Seat belt use and air bags are each quite effective in reducing fatality risk

in frontal impacts; the combination of seat belt use and air bags, even more. NHTSA estimates

that when drivers and right-front passengers buckle up with 3-point belts, they reduce their

fatality risk in frontal impacts by 40 to 64 percent, as follows.

Estimated Fatality Reduction (%)

By Seat Belt Use in Frontal Impacts

In passenger cars

Impacts with fixed objects 60

Impacts with another vehicle 42

In LTVs

Impacts with fixed objects 64

Impacts with another vehicle 40

“Frontal” impacts in these statistics are vehicles where the principal impact point is 11, 12, or 1

o’clock in FARS, including vehicles that rolled over after the frontal impact (but excludes first-

harmful-event rollovers, fires and immersions).

Statistical analyses of FARS also demonstrate that frontal air bags reduce fatality risk in frontal

crashes, but substantially more so when the principal impact point is 12 o’clock (front-center or

front-distributed) than when it is 11 or 1 o’clock (front-corner). Air bags are also slightly more

effective for adult passengers than for drivers, and for unbelted than for belted occupants, but the

effectiveness is about the same in cars and LTVs, and in single-vehicle and multivehicle

crashes.

Kahane, C. J. (2000). Fatality Reduction by Safety Belts for Front-Seat Occupants of Cars and Light Trucks,

NHTSA Technical Report No. DOT HS 809 199, p. 30. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration.

Kahane, C. J. (2004). Lives Saved by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Other Vehicle Safety

Technologies, 1960-2002, NHTSA Technical Report. DOT HS 809 833, pp. 108-113 and 311-312. Washington,

DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Estimated Fatality Reduction (%) By Air Bags in Frontals

Belted Occupants Unbelted Occupants

In 12 o’clock impacts

Drivers 25 33

RF passengers age 13+ 28 36

In 11 and 1 o’clock impacts

Drivers 13 17

RF passengers age 13+ 15 19

The combined effect of seat belt use and air bags is quite large. Relative to an unrestrained

occupant in a seat position not equipped with air bags, the estimated combined fatality reduction

for seat belts and air bags is at least 48 percent, for LTV drivers in 11 and 1 o’clock impacts with

other vehicles,

and ranges as high as 74 percent for LTV passengers in single-vehicle 12 o’clock

impacts.

Overall, the average fatality reduction by seat belt use in all frontal crashes – given the CY 2005

mix of cars and LTVs, and single- and multivehicle crashes – is 50 percent, relative to an

unrestrained occupant. This average effectiveness can change slightly from year to year as, for

example, the proportion of vehicles on the road that are LTVs (where belts are more effective)

increases. Fatality reduction by air bags averaged 25 percent in all frontal crashes – given the

calendar year 2005 mix of belted and unbelted occupants, drivers and passengers, and 11, 12,

and 1 o’clock impacts. This average, too, changes slightly from year to year, for example, as belt

use increases (because the average effectiveness of air bags is slightly lower for a belted

occupant, 22%, than for an unbelted occupant, 28%). Overall, the average combined fatality

reduction for seat belt use and air bags in all frontal crashes – given the calendar year 2005 mix

of occupants, vehicles and crashes – is 61 percent, relative to an unrestrained occupant without

an air bag.

In other words, for every 100 frontal fatalities that would have occurred to unbelted

occupants in vehicles without air bags, 39 would still be expected to happen even if these

occupants had buckled up and the vehicles had been equipped with air bags.

Incidentally, the statistical estimate that air bags are only about half as effective in what FARS

calls 11 and 1 o’clock impacts as in 12 o’clock impacts presages two important findings of this

study, namely, that many of the fatalities still occurring are corner impacts and/or oblique

impacts. The FARS IMPACT2 variable is based on damage location rather than direction of

force, and it does not involve precise, uniform measurement criteria. It is fair to say, though, that

corner impacts are most likely to be classified 11 or 1 o’clock, and not 12 o’clock. (However,

there are many other 11 and 1 o’clock impacts on FARS that CDS would not call “corner”

impacts but just offset impacts.) Even though IMPACT2 is not strictly a direction of force, many

40% fatality reduction for belts + 13% fatality reduction by air bags for belted drivers = 1 – (1 - .4)(1 - .13) = 48%.

64% fatality reduction for belts + 28% fatality reduction by air bags for belted RF = 1 – (1 - .64)(1 - .28) = 74%.

Fatality reduction for belt use: 50%. Fatality reduction by air bags for a belted occupant: 22%. Combined effect: 1

– [(1-.50)(1-.22)] = 61%.

oblique impacts are also likely to be classified 11 or 1 o’clock because damage is often

concentrated on one side in an oblique impact.

1.3 Objectives of the CDS case review

Thousands of people a year are dying in frontal crashes despite seat belts and air bags, and

despite the fact that seat belts and air bags are the two most effective injury-mitigation measures

we have. We looked one-by-one at a nationally representative subset of these thousands of

fatalities to find out – in quantitative terms – why people are still dying. What were the main

factors, conditions or events that made the crashes fatal and how frequent was each factor?

Then we tried to find the bigger picture in this mass of individual case studies. What are the

principal categories of crashes where things go wrong for the occupants? How big is each

category? What particular mechanisms are leading to fatal injuries in each category of crash?

The purpose is to identify areas for further study that have high potential for payoff, because they

are where the fatalities are.

Conversely, we also tried to enumerate crash types with few or no fatality cases when more had

perhaps been expected. In what kinds of crashes do late-model vehicles do an excellent job

preventing fatalities to belted occupants at seat positions equipped with air bags?

1.4 Safety advances 2000-2007

The implementation of vehicles with the first generation of air bags and energy-absorbing

structures began over 20 years ago. On July 17, 1984, NHTSA amended Federal Motor Vehicle

Safety Standard No. 208, “Occupant Crash Protection,” to phase in automatic protection, such as

air bags or automatic belts, into the front-outboard seats of passenger cars between September 1,

1986, and September 1, 1989. To encourage the development of air bags, NHTSA exempted the

right-front seat from the automatic protection requirement until August 31, 1993, in cars

equipped with driver air bags. During the implementation of automatic protection, automatic

belts initially dominated, then driver air bags with manual 3-point belts, and, after September 1,

1993, driver and front-passenger air bags with manual 3-point belts.

Also during these years,

NHTSA, the manufacturers and the safety community dedicated themselves to a successful effort

to encourage buckle-up laws in the States.

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, passed by Congress in 1991, required all

passenger cars manufactured after September 1, 1997, and light trucks manufactured after

September 1, 1998, to have driver and passenger air bags, plus manual lap-shoulder belts. Also

in 1991, NHTSA extended the automatic occupant protection requirements to light trucks and

vans on a phased-in basis for model years 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998.

To meet the automatic protection requirements of FMVSS No. 208, vehicles were required to

meet a 48 km/h (30 mph) rigid barrier crash test with unbelted and belted anthropomorphic test

devices (ATD) in the driver and right front passenger positions. The barrier could be set

Federal Register 46 (January 8, 1981): 2064, 49 (July 17, 1984): 28962, 50 (August 23, 1985): 34152; Code of

Federal Regulations, Title 49, Parts 571.208 S4.1.3, 4.1.4 and S7.4

perpendicular to the line of travel of the vehicle or it could be set at any angle up to 30 degrees in

either direction to simulate an oblique crash. The performance criteria specified limits for injury

criteria for the head, chest, and femurs measured with 50

percentile male adult ATDs.

On May 12, 2000, the agency amended FMVSS No. 208 to phase in “advanced” air bags from

September 1, 2003, to September 1, 2006. Advanced air bags do not deploy at all for children

(“suppression”), deploy only at a low level of force (“low-risk deployment”), or track an

occupant’s motion and suppress the air bag if they are too close (“dynamic automatic

suppression”).

Furthermore the agency adopted an unbelted crash test requirement with a 50th

percentile adult male ATD that includes an oblique impact with a fixed rigid barrier. The

unbelted test may be conducted at any speed between 32 km/h (20 mph) and 40 km/h (25 mph)

into a barrier that is perpendicular to the line of travel of the vehicle or at any angle up to 30

degrees in either direction to simulate an oblique crash. Also for the first time, the standard

would require protection for small-stature adults represented by a belted 5th percentile female

Hybrid III ATD in a 48 km/h (30 mph) perpendicular-barrier test – in addition to a test with a

belted 50th percentile adult Hybrid III male ATD under the same conditions, that between

September 1, 2007, and September 1, 2010, would phase in to a 56 km/h (35 mph) speed. On

August 31, 2006, the agency further amended FMVSS No. 208 to increase the maximum test

speed for the belted perpendicular-barrier test using the 5th percentile female Hybrid III ATD

from 48 km/h (30 mph) to 56 km/h (35 mph). This amendment is to be phased in from

September 1, 2009, to September 1, 2012.

In addition to the implementation of new frontal safety requirements over the years, consumer

information programs such as the agency’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) and the

vehicle crash test ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have provided

an added incentive for manufacturers to improve vehicle crashworthiness.

The purpose of NCAP is to provide consumers with a measure of the relative safety potential of

vehicles in frontal crashes by comparing the frontal crashworthiness among new passenger

vehicles, and it has been a major contributor to the crashworthiness improvements in newer

vehicle designs. This program involves 56 km/h (35 mph) crash tests into a full-width rigid

barrier with instrumented 50

percentile male Hybrid III ATDs in the outboard front seat

locations. Of the model year 2000 vehicles tested, 17 percent of the drivers and 26 percent of

passengers earned a 5-star rating. By the 2007 model year, 68 percent of the drivers and 64

percent of the passengers earned 5-star ratings with just about all the rest earning 4 stars for both

seat locations.

The full-width barrier test has driven significant advances in restraint technologies, including the

installation of advanced dual-stage air bags, load-limiting retractors and seat belt pretensioners.

These technologies aid in ensuring the occupant is in position and properly restrained during a

crash and also help the occupant ride down the impact while minimizing injurious loads to their

body.

Federal Register 65 (May 12, 2000): 30679; Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 571.208 S14.

Federal Register 71 (August 31, 2006): 57168.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety initiated a frontal offset crash consumer information

program in 1995. In the Institute's 64 km/h (40 mph) offset test, 40 percent of the total width of

the front of the vehicle strikes a barrier on the driver side. The barrier's deformable face is made

of aluminum honeycomb, which makes the forces in the test similar to those involved in a frontal

offset crash between two vehicles of the same weight, each going just less than 40 mph. Injury

metrics are obtained from a 50th percentile male Hybrid III ATD in the driver’s seat.

According to the IIHS,

three main factors are evaluated in the frontal offset crash test:

structural performance, injury measures, and restraints/dummy kinematics. The various

measures are combined into each vehicle's overall frontal offset crashworthiness evaluation

(Poor, Marginal, Acceptable, or Good).

The IIHS crashworthiness evaluation is a less aggressive test of the restraint system when

compared to the agency’s full-width rigid barrier test. However, the IIHS test drives a stronger

occupant compartment, to reduce the amount of intrusion a vehicle may sustain in real-world

crashes, as well as energy-absorbing longitudinal rails, generally located on either side of the

engine to manage the energy in a crash event.

Vehicle results in the IIHS frontal test show a similar improvement over time as in the agency’s

NCAP program. About 25 percent of the 2000 model year vehicles tested by the IIHS earned the

top “Good” rating. However, by model year 2007, that number increased to almost 90 percent.

To address vehicle incompatibility between cars and LTVs, especially the larger pickup trucks

and SUVs, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of International

Automobile Manufacturers agreed in 2003 to enhance geometric alignment of the front energy-

absorbing structures of the fleet. Given the leadtime necessary to redesign vehicles, the

participants in the agreement will design 100 percent of their light truck fleet with primary or

secondary front structures that align with the 49 CFR Part 581 bumper zone of passenger cars by

September 1, 2009. The intent is to assure engagement of the energy-absorbing structure in

frontal crashes between small cars and large LTVs to reduce override and share more evenly the

crash forces.

As a result of enhancements to the regulatory requirements including testing with large and small

ATDs and manufacturers designing vehicles to perform well in consumer-information programs,

significant gains have been made in frontal occupant crashworthiness. Manufacturers are also

taking a systems approach to both side and frontal crash protection. Because of an industry

voluntary commitment, side-curtain head protection is widely available in the fleet. For instance,

side-curtain head-protection air bags were standard equipment in 52 percent of model year 2007

vehicles and increased to 74 percent for 2008. Some manufacturers today will deploy the side-

curtain air bags in a severe frontal crash as added head protection in case the occupant travels

toward the side windows or A-pillar during the event.

Even with the safety advances made in today’s fleet, this study has identified some crash

characteristics where front-seat occupants are at risk of sustaining fatal injuries.

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/frontal_test_info.html

CHAPTER 2

METHOD

2.1 CDS case selection

We wanted to study a census of frontal fatalities despite seat belt use and air bags in late-model-

year passenger vehicles in the Crashworthiness Data System of the National Automotive

Sampling System. That involved compromising between two conflicting needs:

 Obtaining enough cases for statistically meaningful results on the relative frequency of

the most important factors that made the crashes fatal, namely, a study of somewhat more

than 100 cases; and

 Limiting to vehicles new enough to largely exclude safety issues that have been resolved

and are no longer relevant to current vehicles.

There are 138 cases in CDS through 2007 of belted fatalities in frontal impacts at seats with air

bags in vehicles of model year 2000 or later, and because that is close to the targeted number of

cases, “MY 2000 and later” became the criterion for inclusion. One shortcoming of a strictly

model-year criterion is that vehicles often carry over the design of a previous year, and although

the VIN plate may say MY 2000+, the design could be, say, 1995 or in some cases even earlier.

This problem will be reflected in the fair number of instances of “vehicle did not perform well in

crash-safety rating programs” that show up in the study.

Now let us look at the detailed definitions in CDS. A “frontal” is a case vehicle whose

“principal” damage location GAD1 is F. A problem occasionally arises in multiple impacts.

CDS defines the “principal” impact as the one that created the most energy. However, the fatal

injury is sometimes attributable to one of the less energetic impacts. If so, the team subsequently

deleted that case from the initial 138 crashes. Section 2.2 has a more detailed discussion of the

17 cases deleted for this reason or other reasons.

CDS has to attribute the fatality to a motor vehicle crash (TREATMNT = 1). Fatalities explicitly

attributed to a pre-crash heart attack or suicide would not be included in the 138, as they can

hardly be “blamed” on the frontal impact. Here, too, though, there are some cases that the team

subsequently deleted because they appeared to be illness or suicide despite TREATMNT = 1.

CDS attributes some fatalities to disease rather than the crash, or bows to official sources (such

as medical examiners) if they attribute a fatality to disease (TREATMNT = 2). These cases were

also reviewed to see if, notwithstanding the official classification, the fatalities in some might

have been due to crash injury. There were 13 reported cases of this type for belted occupants (all

of them drivers) in MY 2000+ vehicles with GAD1 = F. In 10 of the cases, it was fairly evident

that the onset of the disease, typically a heart attack, began before the impact; that the driver was

already dead or dying, lost control of the vehicle, and subsequently hit something; and that the

impact itself resulted in at most minor injuries. In two cases, the team found evidence that the

driver was, in fact, unbelted. That left one case where a belted driver’s fatality should probably

have been attributed to crash injury; it was added to the other 138, for a total of 139 crash cases.

“Fatal despite air bags,” of course, limited the study to drivers and right-front passengers,

because other seats are not equipped with frontal air bags. We included any vehicle that would

have been equipped with air bags when it was new – and because all MY 2000+ passenger

vehicles were so equipped, all were included. That would include cases where an air bag was

present but did not deploy, or was switched off (intentionally or unintentionally), or was not

replaced after a previous crash (known or unknown to the driver). The rationales for including

them were (1) to find out how frequent non-deployment events are and to what extent, if any,

they contribute to the number of fatalities still occurring, and (2) these crashes are included in the

statistical analysis of effectiveness based on FARS (see Section 1.2). As it turns out, our 139

crashes did not include any cases of air bags not replaced after a previous collision.

By the same rationales, “seat belts” includes any occupant using a belt, whether properly or

improperly (and in these MY 2000+ vehicles, the belt supplied at the driver and RF positions is

always a manual 3-point belt), and including cases where the belt subsequently did not restrain

the occupant for some reason. Children in safety seats or booster seats, secured by a belt or

LATCH, were also to be included. MANUSE had to be 2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14 or 15. Actually, the

139 cases did not include any children in safety or booster seats (and only one person younger

than 16, a belted 10-year-old). Also, there were no improperly belted adults, e.g., people who

wore the shoulder harness behind their backs.

“Census” was the keyword for case selection. Including all frontals on CDS, and not limiting to

crashes of a particular type or severity range makes it possible to estimate the actual frequency of

the various factors that are making these crashes fatal across the United States.

2.2 Case analysis approach

The authors of this report were the review team, drawn from different offices within the agency,

including crashworthiness and biomechanical engineers, crash investigators, and a statistician.

Since the objective of the study required more detailed information than what could be extracted

from CDS coded variables alone, the team developed a case analysis strategy that could be

employed for each individual case review. As well as a review of coded variables, the strategy

involved examination of photographs, case summaries, injury patterns, vehicle crash

performance, and overall outcome of the crash. If the corresponding case was also one of

NHTSA’s special crash investigations (SCI), the SCI report was incorporated as well. In an

attempt to minimize subjectivity, a case review template was developed and a number of factors

and classifications were specified to capture the essence of the cases.

Each team member conducted the initial analysis on a subset of the cases and summarized them,

guided by the template, including detailed information about the vehicle, object contacted, and

fatal occupant, and highlighting the intrusions, injuries, reconstruction program results, and

electronic data recorder information (when available) that were relevant to the outcome.

Significant images and the results of the NCAP and IIHS crash tests were also included. The ΔV

estimate coded on CDS, computed by the WinSMASH program as it existed before 2008, was in

some cases supplemented by a second estimate computed by the WinSMASH 2008 program that

incorporates make-model-specific stiffness parameters derived from NCAP tests. The template

concluded with the reviewer’s short assessment of the crash and assignment of primary and

secondary factors, which will be discussed in section 2.3.

The entire group then discussed each individual case, using the initial reviewer’s summary as a

guide. Following subjective evaluation of the pre-crash period and thorough discussion of the

vehicle dynamics and occupant kinematics, the team reached a consensus judgment on the

various factors that led the crash being fatal for the occupant of interest. Once primary and

secondary factors were identified the cases were then assigned to one of six bins for final

grouping. Whereas a uniform review template and discussion structure minimized inconsistency

between cases, it must be stressed that the final conclusions on the factors and group-assignment

of each case are this team’s judgments and interpretation of the full case; they are not the product

of a mechanistic and repeatable algorithm operating only on the coded data elements.

During the case reviews, it became apparent that some of the cases did not fit the study criteria

and were thus deleted from the study. Examples include cases in which it was determined, after

careful review, that the fatality-inducing event was not a frontal impact. (Typically, these were

multiple-event crashes, including frontal and non-frontal impacts. If the fatality-inducing event

was a rollover that was a direct and instant consequence of a frontal impact, the case was not

excluded, but if the rollover occurred before or some time after the frontal, the case was

excluded.) The team dropped cases if they found evidence that the occupant was most likely not

wearing the manual belt restraint. Cases in which the occupant died immediately prior to the

crash due to illness or was apparently committing suicide were also deleted. Seventeen cases

were deleted from the original set, leaving 122 for analysis.

2.3 Definitions of primary and secondary factors

A crashworthiness or survivability “factor” is an event or condition present at or after the time of

the impact that probably and logically increased the likelihood that this specific impact would be

fatal to the occupant. For example, the condition that the occupant is obese is likely to be a

factor in many of the impacts where occupants bottomed out the air bag and had fatal thoracic

injuries. It is unlikely to be a factor in crashes where an exterior object hit the occupant in the

head. The list of factors did not include crash-avoidance technologies that could hypothetically

have prevented the collision or reduced its severity.

The list of crashworthiness and survivability factors was open-ended. Each member of the group

had permission to define new factors if they thought a case justified them. Later, when the group

reviewed one another’s cases, similar factors were sometimes merged – e.g., instrument-panel

intrusion, toe-pan intrusion, and floor-pan buckling. We checked that factor selection was

consistent across the team. For example, one team member originally listed the occupant’s

“short stature” as a separate factor on several cases. The team agreed it was a valid, separate

factor. Subsequently, “short stature” was added as a factor on other case reviews that had

specifically mentioned it.

The team explicitly distinguished between “primary” and “secondary” factors. That gave some

structure to what was most important and what was less important as a cause of fatalities. It also

encouraged the team to name as many relevant factors as needed per case – because by

designating the lesser factors “secondary” they would not bury what happened in an avalanche of

information.

The designation as primary or secondary was subjective, based on discussion and consensus of

the team. Two guidelines influenced the choice:



A primary factor more likely seems a necessary condition for a fatality. Take it away and

the crash would probably not have been fatal. Secondary factors increase risk, and may

even have been the last straw in a specific case, but not so evidently as a primary factor.

A primary factor tends to be an original cause; secondary factors may be consequences of

a primary factor. For example, if a car severely underrides a heavy trailer, upper-

compartment intrusion resulting in fatal head injuries is an almost inevitable

consequence. Underride is the primary factor; upper-compartment intrusion is the

secondary factor.

The above are just guidelines – the team designated the primary factors based on what they

believed best described what happened in a particular crash.

There can be two or more primary factors if both are necessary for the crash to be fatal. For

example, consider a centered impact with a tree, resulting in late deployment and fatal injuries to

an elderly driver. If this elderly driver would have likely survived a timely deployment, and a

30-year-old driver would have survived even this late deployment, then “impact with tall, narrow

object” and “occupant’s age” should both be primary factors (because if either of the two factors

had not been present, the crash would likely not have been fatal). If the driver had been even

older and would likely not have survived even a timely deployment, only “occupant’s age”

should be a primary factor (and “tall, narrow object” would have been secondary, because the

impact would likely have been fatal for this driver even with a wide object). But if the crash had

been more severe and even a 30-year-old driver would not have survived the late deployment,

only “impact with tall, narrow object” should be a primary factor (and “occupant’s age” would

have been secondary, because the crash would likely have been fatal even for the younger

driver). If the same crash had been yet even more severe, to the point where a 30-year-old driver

would not likely survive a timely deployment, “exceedingly severe crash” might become the

single primary factor (and “occupant’s age” and “tall, narrow object” would have become

secondary, because the crash would likely have been fatal without either of them). Of course,

nobody knows for sure exactly what the last straw was in the actual crash, let alone in the

hypothetical situations where one factor is removed, so all designations have to be based on the

team’s judgment and consensus.

2.4 The factors

Factors describing the crash configuration or partners

Exceedingly severe crash: the velocity change and acceleration are so great that it is not very

likely the occupant could ride down and survive in the time and space available, even if

structural engagement had been excellent, the vehicle had performed well in crash-safety rating

programs, the occupant was young, and the restraint system functioned well. Fundamentally, if

this had been a full-frontal impact, it would likely have been fatal to the driver and RF passenger;

if it had been an offset with 50 percent overlap, it would likely have been fatal to the occupants

of the impacted half. Typically, the time and space available for the restraint system, already

limited because of the high speed, is further reduced because the instrument panel intrudes and

the floor pan buckles at these force levels, even in vehicles that perform well in crash-safety

rating programs. In short, the restraint system is overwhelmed. “Exceedingly severe” is usually

a primary factor, but the team called it a secondary factor if a crash was just below that severity

level, and there were other risk-increasing factors.

Underride: the primary frontal longitudinal members of the case vehicle did not engage with the

structure of the other vehicle due to a height mismatch. This results in excessive damage depth

and compromise of the occupant compartment on the case vehicle. Underride becomes a

primary factor if an impact at the same velocity with good structural engagement would have had

a low fatality risk.

Trailer’s guard did not prevent underride: The case vehicle hit the rear of a semi-trailer or single-

unit truck equipped with an underride guard. Nevertheless, there was severe underride,

presumably because the vehicle ran under the guard or pushed the guard out of the way, upward

or sideways. This factor and the preceding one are not mutually exclusive; crashes where the

trailer’s guard did not prevent underride are also crashes with underride. But crashes with

underride do not necessarily involve the trailer’s guard – e.g., they could be collisions with a

vehicle not equipped with guards, or into the side of a trailer where there is no guard.

Limited horizontal structural engagement: the primary frontal longitudinal members of the case

vehicle did not engage with the structure of the other vehicle or object because the impact was

(1) on the corner of the case vehicle, (2) strongly offset to the point where the direct damage on

the case vehicle was outside the longitudinal member, and/or (3) with a narrow object that fits

between the longitudinal members. Intrusion of various components may increase and occupant

trajectory can be affected. Air bags may deploy late or not at all. It becomes a primary factor if

an impact at the same velocity with good structural engagement would have had a low fatality

risk.

Tall, narrow object: In addition to the risk-increasing factors associated with the narrow object’s

limited horizontal engagement, the height of the object, typically a tree or pole tends to push

components in front of it such as the instrument panel and steering assembly upwards and into

the compartment. The occupant’s head may contact the tree or pole.

Oblique crash: The direction of impact is sufficiently far away from longitudinal so as to affect

occupant trajectories (away from the air bag and not straight ahead into the seat belt).

Components may be displaced laterally or intrude longitudinally.

Front-to-front incompatibility: When the case vehicle hits a car or LTV head-on, and that other

vehicle is much stiffer and/or heavier, or has the frame rails located substantially higher, the case

vehicle may experience a disproportionate share of the damage and experience compartment

intrusion above and beyond what might be expected from the speed and degree of offset.

Anomaly: Unusual crash configuration or circumstances, such as being struck by an airborne or

rolling vehicle; hitting an unusually shaped vehicle or object; or experiencing multiple frontal

impacts, with the air bag deploying on the first severe impact, but the injuries attributable to a

subsequent, possibly more severe impact.

Multiple-event crash: Impact(s) prior to the main impact cause the air bag to deploy before it is

most needed, or displace the occupant out of position, or cause the occupant to load the belt

system and/or air bag from an angle other than straight-ahead.

Post-crash fire resulting in fatal burns: A frontal impact triggered the fire.

Out-of-position occupant: Includes people displaced out of position by small impacts or off-road

excursion prior to the main impact and, less frequently, people who were already out of position

before the crash (e.g., asleep). It can result in belted occupants coming too close to the air bag,

or to static components such as the side structure or steering assembly.

Factors describing performance of the restraint systems in the case vehicle

Poor occupant air-bag interaction: The occupant’s thorax does not hit the center of the air bag,

and as a result enjoys at best a limited portion of the energy-absorbing capability of the air bag.

This happens often as a direct consequence of oblique force or a vehicle rotation introduced by a

corner impact or strongly offset impact; as a result this factor is often secondary (because a

consequence) to “oblique crash” or “limited horizontal engagement.” It may also result from

delayed deployment, an occupant with unusual stature or out of position, and upward

displacement of the steering assembly.

Belt system did not adequately restrain: Includes one case where the belt anchorage tore loose.

Much more common are cases of excessive occupant excursion. The majority of them involve

shoulder belts integrated with the seat, where a large occupant exerted enough force to bend the

seatback and pull it forward. Excursion could also be increased by loosely worn belts without

pretensioners, or by a series of impacts.

Air bag bottomed out: This was quite common in this select group of often very severe crashes,

but it was always a secondary factor. It was a consequence of the impact’s severity and/or the

occupant’s weight. We did not see cases where the air bag bottomed out “for no particular

reason.” We also did not see cases where we were confident that a more capacious air bag

would have prevented the fatality, because most of these crashes were quite severe.

Air bag injured out-of-position occupant: These are the characteristic injuries when occupants

are too close to deploying air bag, such as atlanto-occipital cervical spine dislocation plus brain

injury plus abrasions of the neck and face. They are rare in our study of belted occupants in

vehicles with redesigned air bags (MY 1998+). But occupant excursion despite belt use (e.g.,

Multiple frontal impacts, per se, would not be an anomaly, and would just get the factor, “multiple-event crash.”

But if the air bag deploys on the first impact and the injuries are attributable to a later impact, this would be assigned

two factors, “multiple-event crash” and “anomaly.”

A load limiter that allowed excessive excursion would be included here; however, there were no instances of it as

a severity-increasing factor among the 122 fatality cases.

belts without pretensioners worn loosely) or multiple impacts can allow occupants to approach

the air bag before it deploys.

Air bag did not deploy: In a crash where a deployment would have typically been expected and

would likely have benefited the occupant. In other words, where this was the primary factor (one

case), the team believes a deployment would likely have prevented the fatality.

Belt-caused injury: Although CDS attributed injuries to the belt system in several cases, the team

only considered it a factor if these injuries were fatal, and of higher severity than would be

expected for this type of impact.

Factors describing performance of the structure or other components of the case vehicle

Roof, A-pillar or other upper-component intrusion: The roof, A-pillar, front header, roof side

rail, and/or striking vehicle/object entered the space of the occupant compartment from the front,

side, and/or top, resulting in fatal head injuries to the occupant. This is the single most frequent

factor in our study. However, it is usually a secondary factor, because it is a direct consequence

of what happened in the crash (underride; corner impact; tall, narrow object).

Excessive IP or toe-pan intrusion, or buckling of the floor pan: Instrument panel intrusion and

floor-pan buckling both reduce the space available between the occupant and the front interior

for ride-down by the restraint system. Severe IP intrusion can result in direct contact with the

belted occupant, and fatal thoracic injuries. Severe toe-pan intrusion can cause multiple leg

fractures; on rare occasions, these injuries can have life-threatening consequences.

Vehicle did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs: This usually refers to MY 2000+

vehicles that were likely carryovers from somewhat earlier designs, with poor or marginal

performance on the IIHS offset test, especially structural performance. These vehicles tend to

allow more IP, toe-pan or floor-pan intrusion and deformation than the latest designs. These

vehicles may also have not incorporated safety technologies such as seat belt pretensioners that

might have improved belt performance.

Seat did not adequately restrain: The seat tore loose from its track, or moved forward during the

track during impact, or moved up or down in response to intrusion. That reduced the occupant

space available for ride-down or caused the occupant to contact the front interior with a more

vulnerable body region (neck or abdomen rather than thorax).

Steering assembly moved upward: The upward motion of the steering assembly, in response to

the vehicle’s structural deformation, concentrated the impact of the steering wheel into the

driver’s chest. The phenomenon was a consequence of exceedingly severe impacts or tree

impacts, and not a primary, first-cause factor.

Factors describing intrinsic occupant vulnerability

Elevated occupant age: An impact resulted in fatal injuries to this occupant. The impact would

probably not have been fatal to a 30-year-old occupant, either because they would have sustained

a less severe type of injury than this occupant, or even if they had sustained the same injury, they

would probably have survived it. There is no specific minimum age for this factor; typically

these occupants are over 70, but in some of the more severe crashes, as young as 65 to 70 years

old.

Obese occupant: The occupant had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more and that increased

fatality risk because the occupant bottomed out the air bag, overtaxed the belt system or the seat,

increased impact force on the ribcage, or reduced the space between the occupant’s torso and the

steering assembly or instrument panel.

Pre-existing medical condition: The occupant was more vulnerable to impact trauma than the

average for his or her age due to an illness (which was not, itself, the cause of the fatality). The

occupant could not exit the vehicle, when that was necessary for survival, because of an illness.

Post-crash injury complications: An injury or combination of injuries that is rarely fatal became

fatal as a result of complications during the convalescence. Typically, the victim would be an

older person.

Short-stature occupant: Because of short stature, the occupant contacts the air bag with a

vulnerable body region (e.g., with the neck instead of the center of the chest). Because of short

stature, a driver sits closer to the air bag and reduces the space available for ride-down by the

restraint system or even becomes exposed to injury by the deploying air bag. There is no

specific height limit; this factor is assigned if, in the team’s judgment, it contributed to the

severity of the injuries.

Tall or large occupant (not obese): Usually advantageous, but could increase risk if the occupant

contacts upper-interior components despite being belted or overtaxes the seating system. The

only occupant in our study with this factor stood 6’4” and weighed 233 pounds.

Factors describing actions by people that increased somebody’s injury risk

Back-seat bullet: An back-seat occupant sat behind the victim and did not buckle up. During the

frontal impact this “back-seat bullet” contacted the back of the front seat, increasing the load on

the victim and/or reducing the space between the front seat and the instrument panel.

Air bag switched off: The case vehicle was factory-equipped with an on-off switch for the

passenger air bag (most of these are pickup trucks), and somebody had turned the switch off –

with or without the occupants being aware of it. (This could also apply to aftermarket switches

for drivers or passengers, but there were none among our cases.)

2.5 Assigning cases to crash-characteristic bins

The team assessed the crash data and determined for each case the primary and secondary factors

that explain why the occupant was killed in the event. Afterwards the primary factors were

analyzed for frequency and patterns for additional insight into the fatal frontal crash problem.

From this analysis, there emerged six high-level bins to which the 122 cases were then assigned.

These high-level bins characterize the crash event and may provide a basis for further study. The

bins are as follows:

Exceedingly severe crash and/or anomaly

Corner and/or oblique impact

Underrode rear/side of heavy vehicle

Vulnerable occupant

Tall, narrow object

Other

Exceedingly severe crash and/or anomaly: Cases where the primary factor was determined to

be either exceedingly severe and/or an anomaly were placed into this bin. The team believed,

given the severity or randomness of the event, the occupant and safety systems were

overwhelmed and it would not be reasonable to assume the crash was survivable or likely

addressable with advanced crashworthiness technologies.

Corner and/or oblique impact: Offset crashes where the primary factor was determined to be

limited horizontal structural engagement at the corners and/or the direction of the impact in the

crash was sufficiently far away from longitudinal to affect occupant trajectories and alter the

crush properties of the vehicle’s structure. Generally in these crashes there was insufficient

structural interaction at the corners of the vehicle in the event. Either the longitudinal structural

member were missed entirely in the impact or in the case of an oblique crash, the structure did

not experience a compressive, accordion type of collapse to absorb the energy but rather the

member just bent out of the way.

Underrode rear/side of heavy vehicle: Because of their frequency, cases where the primary

factors were determined to be excessive “Underride” and the “Trailer’s guard did not prevent

underride” are captured in this bin. Generally the subject vehicle also experienced “Roof, A-

pillar or other upper-component intrusion” as a secondary factor from the impact with trailer

leading to fatal head injuries.

Vulnerable occupant: Cases where the primary factor for the fatal event was attributed to the

occupant’s age, weight, size or medical condition making them vulnerable were placed into this

category. The occupant’s state, independent of the crash events, was considered to have made

them at risk for severe injury in a moderate to severe crash.

Tall, narrow object: This primary factor occurred with enough frequency to warrant a crash-

classification bin. In addition to the risk-increasing factors associated with the narrow object’s

limited horizontal engagement, the height of the object, typically a tree or pole tended to push

components in front of it such as the instrument panel and steering assembly upwards and into

the compartment. The vehicle crush and restraint performance was also sensitive to the locations

of the impact. For example air-bag timing could be adversely affected if the primary

longitudinal structure is not impacted, e.g., if the impact is between the frame rails. This could

also increase the amount of IP intrusion. The height of the object also tended to increase the

severity of the crush, particularly when the impact was at the corners.

Other: The remaining cases involved crash events that did not occur frequently enough to merit

separate bins (but were not exceedingly severe crashes nor so unusual as to seem “anomalous”).

They were all placed in the “Other” bin. An out-of-position occupant injured by a deploying air

bag would be an example of a case in the “Other” bin.

It should be noted that cases may be assigned to more than one bin. For example, the fatal

occupant in a case reviewed could have been elderly. The injuries to the occupant could have

been aggravated by an oblique impact with another vehicle resulting in poor restraint

performance. This particular case using our methodology would have been placed in the

“Vulnerable occupant” and the “Corner/oblique impact” categories if the occupant’s age and the

crash configuration both seemed essential to making the crash fatal.

To further illustrate the methodology, if a vehicle hit a tree or pole with its corner, the case might

be placed in both the “Corner/oblique impact” and “Tall, narrow object” bins. These two bins, in

particular, were not considered mutually exclusive and in many cases had similar crush patterns,

intrusion, and occupant dynamics.

Twelve of the 122 cases were assigned to two bins, while the other 110 each fit into single bins.

However, on each of the 12 two-bin cases, the team judged that one of the bins was “primary,” in

the sense that it captured the most salient feature of the crash, whereas the other bin was

“secondary” – a necessary condition for the crash to have been fatal, perhaps, but somehow not

the most characteristic feature of that crash.

There is no predetermined relationship between the bins and the factors in a particular case.

There is usually a primary factor closely corresponding to the bin to which the case is assigned.

For example, a case in the corner/oblique impact bin usually has the primary factor “limited

horizontal structural engagement” or “oblique crash” (or both). Cases assigned to two bins

typically have at least two primary factors, one corresponding to each bin. For example, a corner

impact with a tall, narrow object may have “corner impact” as the primary bin (if that is the most

salient characteristic of the crash) and “tall/narrow object” as the secondary bin, but “limited

horizontal structural engagement” and “tall/narrow object” might both be primary factors if both

seem necessary to make the crash fatal. However, there are exceptions to these patterns, because

in each case the assignment of bins and factors is based on judgment, not a deterministic

algorithm.

Appendix A summarizes the individual cases, including a description of the crash, the crash-

classification bin(s), and the primary and secondary factor(s); it also specifies the age, gender,

height, and weight of the victim; the collision deformation classification (CDC) of the vehicle;

and its ΔV (when an estimate is available).

Appendix B lists the case numbers belonging to each bin, specifying whether as the sole/primary

bin or as a secondary bin, and also specifying details of the bin membership – e.g., if the crash is

in the corner/oblique bin, it specifies whether the crash is a corner impact, an oblique impact, or

both. Appendix C lists the case numbers exhibiting each of the factors, specifying whether as a

primary or as a secondary factor. Appendices B and C are indexes, allowing the reader to find

the available examples of any particular bin or factor.

CHAPTER 3

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

3.1 Number of cases in each bin

49 Exceedingly severe crash and/or anomaly (single bin) 49

Exceedingly severe crash 34

Anomaly 13

Exceedingly severe crash and anomaly 2

29 Corner and/or oblique impact (single bin) 21

Corner impact

Oblique impact 12

Oblique corner impact 4

Corner Tall, narrow object secondary bin 5 /oblique primary bin,

Corner/ t (age) secondary bin 1 oblique primary bin,

Corner/oblique primary bin, Other

Vulnerable occupant

secondary bin 2

Corner plus incompatibility 1

Oblique plus underrode front of heavy truck 1

17 Underrode rear/side of heavy vehicle (single bin) 16

Underrode rear 14

Underrode side 2

Underrode , Corner rear/side primary bin /oblique secondary bin 1

15 Vulnerable occupant (single bin) 12

Age 7

Age and weight 3

Pre-existing medical condition 2

Vulnerable occupant (age) primary bin, Corner 2)/oblique ( (1) secondary 3

4 Tall, narrow object (single bin; centered impact) 4

8 Other (single bin) 8

Did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs 2

Air bag did not deploy 1

Air bag injured out-of-position occupant 1

Back-seat bullet 1

Belt anchor and seat track tore loose 1

Post-crash injury complications 1

Underrode front of heavy truck 1

___

122

Above are the bin assignments for the 122 cases in the study; 110 cases belong to a single bin.

Twelve cases belong to two bins, but one bin is considered primary and the other secondary, as

explained in Section 2.5 (the primary bin describes the most salient feature of that crash). In the

preceding table, the cases are subdivided according to their primary bin.

The largest bin consists of the exceedingly severe crashes and anomalies, 49 cases, accounting

for 40 percent of the 122 unweighted CDS cases (and 44% of the weighted cases). However, the

second largest bin comprises the corner and/or oblique impacts (29 cases where it is the primary

bin). The primary bin in 33 cases (27% of the unweighted cases, 23% of the weighted cases) is a

corner/oblique impact and/or an impact with a tall, narrow object. If we accept the FARS-based

statistic that there were an estimated 4,835 fatalities with belts and air bags in 2007, we could

infer that about 1,100 of them were primarily corner/oblique and/or tall-narrow-object impacts,

without being exceedingly severe. Underride of the rear or side of a heavy vehicle was the

primary bin 17 times (14% of unweighted cases, 10% of weighted cases). A vulnerable occupant

was the principal issue 15 times (12% of unweighted cases, 16% of weighted cases). Only 8 of

the 122 cases do not fit in those four bins, and constitute the “other” bin (7% of unweighted

cases, 7% of weighted cases).

Here are counts for the number of cases in each bin, if the cases in two bins are double-counted –

e.g., if “corner impact” is the primary bin and “tall, narrow object” is the secondary bin for a

particular case, that case is counted twice in the next table, once with the corner impacts, once

with the tall, narrow objects:

Exceedingly severe crash and/or anomaly 49

Exceedingly severe crash 34

Anomaly 13

Exceedingly severe crash and anomaly 2

Corner and/or oblique impact 33

Corner impact 15

Oblique impact 14

Oblique corner impact 4

Underrode rear/side of heavy vehicle 17

Underrode rear 14

Underrode side 3

16 Vulnerable occupant

Age 11

Age and weight 3

Pre-existing medical condition 2

Tall, narrow object 9

Corner impact 5

Centered impact 4

Other 10

Now let us review the bins one-by-one, identify the typical crash configurations (with examples)

and injury mechanisms, and try to explain why occupants with belts and air bags are still

experiencing fatalities in late-model vehicles. We will hold the discussion of the “exceedingly

severe” bin – where it is pretty obvious why crashes are fatal and there are few opportunities to

improve crashworthiness – and start with the next largest, the corner/oblique-impact bin. Next,

we will review the tall/narrow-object bin, because it resembles and substantially overlaps with

the corner/oblique bin. The two other large bins, underrides and vulnerable occupants, follow.

The corner/oblique-impact bin 3.2

The team identified 33 offset crashes where the primary factor was determined to be limited

horizontal structural engagement at the corners and/or the direction of the impact in the crash

was sufficiently far away from longitudinal to affect occupant trajectories: 15 corner impacts, 14

oblique impacts, and 4 oblique corner impacts. Generally in these crashes there was insufficient

structural interaction at the corners of the vehicle to absorb the energy in the event, resulting in

severe occupant compartment intrusion. In these crashes either the longitudinal structural

members were missed entirely or, in the case of an oblique crash, the structure did not experience

a compressive, accordion type of collapse to absorb the energy. In the oblique crashes the

longitudinal frame rails bent out of the way instead of crushing. The occupant in corner-type

crashes was exposed to intrusion from the IP, A-pillar and possibly even the door. In an oblique

impact, the occupant moved in the direction of the impact, which was toward the A-pillar or the

center of the IP and was not afforded the proper protection from the deploying air bag.

Limited horizontal structural engagement was coded when the front of the vehicle was loaded in

a way that failed to engage one of the two primary longitudinal frame rails in an effective

manner. Limited engagement shifts part of the energy-absorption responsibility to the occupant

compartment, and typically results in large intrusions that shrink the occupant ride-down space.

Limited horizontal engagement cases did not demonstrate good energy management with the

longitudinal frame rails of the vehicle and the result is usually severe occupant compartment

deformation. The struck object often peels away the front fender and then contacts the firewall

area resulting in large instrument-panel intrusions. Crashes with limited horizontal engagement

can be identified frequently as having Collision Deformation Classification (CDC)

designations

of FLEE or FREE. The “E” in the fourth position denotes 16 inches or less of direct damage,

located at a corner of the vehicle. It should also be mentioned, the WinSMASH ΔV estimated

for many of these crashes appears to be unreliable and underestimate the ΔV. This is consistent

with a study

that investigated the accuracy of WinSMASH as a function of crash mode, vehicle

type, and vehicle stiffness. The authors concluded WinSMASH underestimated longitudinal ΔV

by 29 percent for frontal overlap lower than 50 percent. The corner impacts identified in this

crash classification bin are well under that overlap. The median effective overlap (as defined in

Section 3.9) in the cases of this bin that had limited horizontal engagement as a primary or

secondary factor was 18 percent.

Collision Deformation Classification, 2009 SAE Handbook, Recommended Practice No. J224. (2009).

Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers.

Niehoff, P., & Gabler, H. (2006). The Accuracy of WinSMASH Delta-V Estimates: The Influence of Vehicle Type,

Stiffness, and Impact Mode. Paper No. 06B-306. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers.

Obliqueness in the direction of the impact force was also a factor in many crashes with a small

overlap as the principal direction of force was at enough of an angle from twelve o’clock to

affect occupant trajectories and the subsequent restraint interaction. It was found that occupants

sometimes did not receive the full protection of the air bag as they moved forward and laterally

in response to the impact. Depending on the seating position and the direction of the obliquity,

the occupant would move towards the A-pillar or center instrument panel. Large A-pillar

intrusions were common in oblique cases because of the less-than-optimal structural

engagement, and this would exacerbate the severity for the occupant by even further reducing

ride-down space.

The findings in this section are also consistent with recent studies identifying the severity and

frequency of vehicle crashes involving limited engagement of the vehicle’s structure. In an

analysis of fatal frontal crashes in Sweden, Lindquist et al.

found 34 percent of the belted

fatalities occurred in crashes where there was no involvement of the longitudinal frame rails

because of limited overlap. Based upon a review of NASS-CDS, Sherwood et al.

also found

small-overlap crashes increase the injury risk to frontal occupants because of occupant

compartment intrusion. The study identified that small-overlap crashes involved events with

narrow fixed objects and vehicle-to-vehicle crashes including oblique impacts. The study

concluded that, despite structural improvements, occupants are at risk to intrusion when a vehicle

is loaded outboard of the longitudinal members.

Here are some case histories of corner and oblique impacts. At this point, let it be reiterated (see

Section 2.2) that the conclusions on the sequence of events and causes of injury in each case are

the authors’ judgments and interpretation of the available evidence in the full case. In some of

the cases, there is much evidence, and the team sifted through it to find the best explanation, in

their judgment; in other cases, key evidence is unavailable, and the team had to infer what most

likely happened.

Also, in the photographs accompanying the case histories, some of the visible damage may be

due to post-crash efforts to extricate and save the occupant rather than impact forces. For

example, doors and roofs may be removed and steering assemblies twisted out of the way to

allow emergency medical technicians to extricate an occupant. The crash investigators on the

review team were able to identify damage that likely occurred during extrication efforts.

Case No. 2005-2-54 is a corner impact example between two similar vehicles, a 2004 Dodge

Neon (curb weight 2,584 lbs

), shown in Figure 3-1, and a 1997 Ford Escort (2,524 lbs), shown

in Figure 3-2. The CDC code was a 12FLEE6, the estimated ΔV was 15 mph (based on the pre-

2008 WinSMASH algorithm) and the posted speed was 55 mph. (The ΔV estimates for the cases

discussed in the text of this report are the ones coded on CDS, computed by the WinSMASH

program as it existed before 2008, unless the text explicitly specifies they were computed by the

WinSMASH 2008 program that incorporates make-model-specific stiffness parameters derived

Lindquist, M., Hall, A., & Bjornstig, U. (2004). Car Structural Characteristics of Fatal Frontal Crashes in

Sweden, International Journal of Crashworthiness, Vol. 9, pp. 587-597.

Sherwood, C., Nolan, J., & Zuby, D. (2009). Characteristics of Small Overlap Crash, Proceedings of the Twenty-

First International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles, Paper No. 09-0423. Washington, DC:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Vehicle weights in this report are the curb weights specified in the CDS data.

from NCAP tests or they were extracted from an EDR.) In this crash, for both vehicles, there

was no engagement of the longitudinal structural elements. Both vehicles overrode the front left

wheel, and intrusion in the driver’s occupant compartment included A-pillar deformation.

The air bags in the Neon did deploy; however, the driver of the Neon (age 60, weight 300 lbs)

sustained fatal chest injuries from the steering wheel, which intruded 13 inches. The Neon

driver also sustained chest injuries attributed to the door panel. Another characteristic of many

corner crashes is door damage sustained as the striking vehicle pivots into the side of the struck

vehicle. According to the information in the case, the 29-year-old male driver of the Escort

survived the event with incapacitating lower leg injuries.

Neither vehicle performed well in the IIHS offset test. However, those are not primary factors,

because the damage patterns are consistent with other corner impacts with limited horizontal

engagement, even in the most recent vehicle designs.

Figure 3-1

Case No. 2005-2-54

Dodge Neon

(Note the narrow overlap and lack of

engagement of longitudinal structural

member)

Figure 3-2

Case No. 2005-2-54

Ford Escort

(Note the narrow overlap and lack of

engagement of longitudinal structural

member)

Case 2004-50-32 involved a 2001 Subaru Forester in which the right front passenger was killed

as a result of an extreme right offset pole impact. The air bags deployed in the event. The pole

contacted the right front of the vehicle, outboard of the longitudinal member, and caused the

instrument panel, toe pan, and windshield header to intrude into the occupant’s seating position.

Instrument panel intrusion was measured as 2 feet 8 inches for the right front seating position.

The CDC was 12 FRAE9 with an unknown ΔV. The right front passenger received multiple

abdominal lacerations as well as multiple chest, hip, and leg fractures including a crushed pelvis

from the door trim. It should be noted that in many corner impacts, the striking object pockets

itself into the door, resulting in injuries normally associated with a side impact.

Figure 3-3

Case 2004-50-32

Subaru Forester

Corner Impact With a Pole

Case No. 2006-75-23 involved a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer (2,771 lbs) into a 1998 Chevrolet

Suburban (5,399 lbs) in which the air bags deployed in both vehicles. The CDC code was

12FLEE7, the estimated ΔV was 35 mph, and the posted speed limit was 40 mph. The 22-year-

old male driver of the Lancer sustained fatal blunt trauma to the head attributed to contact with

the A-pillar, which had intruded deeply. The driver of the Suburban sustained minor injuries to

the lower legs from the intruding toe pan.

Figure 3-5 shows that the corner impact resulted in a minimal engagement of the primary

longitudinal structural frame rails. There was also a mass discrepancy between the vehicles that

was almost 2-to-1 and a ride-height discrepancy. In this case, the large physical height of the

Suburban induced crush in the Lancer consistent with a corner impact with a pole or tree (See

Case 2004-50-32, above; note similarity of damage in Figure 3-3 and Figure 3-4).

Figure 3-4

Case No. 2006-75-23

Mitsubishi Lancer

Corner Impact

Figure 3-5

Case No. 2006-75-23

Mitsubishi Lancer (left side, toward front)

(Note limited structural engagement)

Figure 3-6

Case No. 2006-75-23

Chevrolet Suburban

(Note A-pillar intrusion)

Compared to Case No. 2005-2-54 (Neon versus Escort), the intrusion into the subject vehicle

was aggravated by the mass and height of the Suburban. Because of the physical height of the

vehicle, the Lancer experienced a substantial amount of occupant compartment intrusion. It

should also be noted that because of the lack of horizontal structural engagement between the

vehicles, the Suburban also experienced A-pillar intrusion and IP intrusion. However, the

amount of intrusion was not recorded because the researcher investigating the case was only

given quite limited access to the vehicle.

Case No. 2004-49-168, which involved a 2004 Mercedes S430, is an example of a crash with an

oblique impact as the primary factor. This vehicle was struck by a 1999 Toyota Camry at a 40

degree PDOF, a CDC of 11FREW2 (i.e., somewhat wider than a FREE), and a total

WinSMASH-estimated ΔV of 19 mph (30 km/h). In this crash the frontal structure did not

absorb the energy by collapsing but bent in the direction of the impact. A 56-year-old female

died from head injuries associated with the crash.

The team reviewed all the available information for this case and believes the right front

passenger most likely moved forward and to the right in response to the impact. Thus, the

occupant’s head did not fully engage the deployed frontal air bag, striking the A-pillar instead

and causing serious head injuries. Because of the oblique intrusion and the occupant’s trajectory,

she did not benefit from the frontal air bag or the side curtain air bag that also deployed in this

crash. The team’s assessment is that the head injuries were caused by a direct contact with the

A-pillar and the chest injuries were associated with loading the seat belt.

Intrusion measurements were not taken for this case. From photos such as Figure 3-8, it is

apparent that there was a severe amount of occupant compartment intrusion on the right side.

The intrusion likely altered the trajectory of the deployed passenger air bag during the event.

Large intrusions of the roof, A-pillar, windshield header, and instrument panel were frequently

identified in this study for oblique impacts at the corners. In most cases, these large intrusions

were the result of poor structural engagement or extreme crash severity. In these types of

crashes it was determined the intrusions may have caused the injuries; however, it was secondary

to the lack of structural engagement.

Figure 3-7

Case No. 2004-49-168

Mercedes Benz S430

Oblique Corner Impact

Figure 3-8

Case No. 2004-49-168

Mercedes Benz S430

Right-Side IP and A-Pillar Intrusion

An example of an oblique corner impact is Case No 2007-47-61, involving a 2005 Honda CRV

and a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado. The Silverado’s frontal plane contacted the front of the CRV

and then rotated counter-clockwise. The CRV rolled over after the initial frontal impact. This

vehicle was struck with a 350-degree PDOF, the CDC code for the first event was 12FYAW9,

the posted speed limit was 55 mph, and a ΔV could not be estimated.

The male driver of the CRV died from head injuries attributed to direct contact injury with the

hood of the Silverado. It appears the driver of the CRV moved toward the A-pillar because of

the oblique nature of the crash and then hit the top of the Silverado’s hood when it hit the door.

It appears the side impact was not of a sufficient force to deploy the curtain bags during this

stage of the event. According to photos, the curtain bags did deploy. The CRV was equipped

with a rollover sensor and the side curtain air bags likely deployed during the rollover. The side

curtain air bags when deployed cover almost the entire window except for a small area at the

lower A-pillar. If the side air bags had deployed prior to the rollover, the driver’s head would

have likely not hit the hood of the Silverado.

The CRV’s A-pillar intruded into the occupant compartment 10 inches (see Figure 3-10). The

primary longitudinal structure of the CRV was not engaged and the upper longitudinal structural

element over the front wheel, connecting to the lower A-pillar (appears to protect against A-

pillar intrusion under axial loading) was bent toward the centerline of the vehicle, exposing the

occupant compartment.

Figure 3-9

Case No 2007-47-61

Honda CRV

Oblique Corner Impact

Figure 3-10

Case No 2007-47-61

Honda CRV

A-Pillar Intrusion

Table 3-1 tallies the primary and secondary factors in the 33 crashes of the corner/oblique bin.

The factors were defined in Section 2.4. As explained in Section 2.3, each case must have at

least one primary factor and many have more than one. A case need not have any secondary

factors but most of them have more than one. The 33 crashes in this bin involve a total of 53

primary factors and 86 secondary factors. The predominant factors are limited horizontal

engagement; oblique force; tall, narrow objects; upper-compartment intrusion; and poor

occupant-air bag interaction. Excessive IP intrusion is common as a secondary factor.

Table 3-1: Primary and Secondary Factors

Contributing to Corner/Oblique Impact Fatalities

Primary Secondary FACTOR

17 5 Limited horizontal structural engagement

16 2 Oblique crashes

5 1 Tall, narrow object

4 14 Roof, A-pillar, or other upper-compartment intrusion

3 10 Poor occupant-air bag interaction

3 6 Elevated occupant age

2 4 Underride, limited vertical structural engagement

1 10 Excessive IP or toe pan intrusion, or buckling of floor pan

1 5 Front-to-front incompatibility between two passenger vehicles

1 4 Exceedingly severe crash

0 7 Vehicle did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs

0 6 Obese occupant (BMI ≥ 30)

0 4 Air bag bottomed out

0 2 Belt system did not adequately restrain

0 2 Short-stature occupant

0 2 Seat did not adequately restrain

0 1 Out-of-position occupant

0 1 “Back-seat bullet”

The tall/narrow-object bin 3.3

The team identified nine cases involving a crash with a tall or narrow object such as a tree or

pole: five corner impacts and four centered impacts. Hitting a tall/narrow object can lead to

excessive intrusion and diminished restraint performance even in vehicles that perform well in

crash-safety rating programs. The location of the impact on the vehicle and the size of the object

are also important to how a vehicle performs. For example, if a vehicle hits the tall/narrow

object at its corner or at the centerline of the vehicle, there is little structure to absorb the energy

of the crash and that will result in excessive intrusion into the occupant compartment. The

height of the object is also important, because in some cases the object would intrude at the roof

header. In many ways, this crash-characteristic bin could be a subset of the corner/oblique bin

when the point of impact is at the corners of the vehicle.

For example, in Case No. 2002-2-114, the driver of a 2000 Ford Ranger fell asleep, ran off the

road, and hit three large diameter trees on the driver’s side of the frontal plane. The posted speed

limit was 55 mph, while the estimated WinSMASH ΔV was 11 mph and the CDC code was

12FLEE2. This vehicle had earned an acceptable rating in the IIHS frontal offset test.

The 68-year-old male driver sustained fatal head injuries, attributed to contact with the A-pillar

or left side IP. The driver also received thoracic injuries from the steering wheel. The air bag

deployed during the event and the IP intruded nine inches rearward.

The crush deformation to the Ranger is similar to the 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer that hit a taller

1998 Chevrolet Suburban in Case No. 2006-75-23, discussed in the Corner/oblique section of

this report. Because of the similarities in intrusion and occupant kinematics, this case was also

included in the corner/oblique crash-characteristic bin.

Figure 3-11

Case No. 2002-2-114

Ford Ranger

Corner Impact with a Tall/Narrow Object

Figure 3-12

Case No. 2002-2-114

2000 Ford Ranger

Side-Door Damage

Case No. 2002-49-100 is an example of an impact with a tall/narrow object that is slightly closer

toward the center of the vehicle and appears to have at least partial engagement of a frame rail.

In this case, a 2000 Chrysler Town & Country left the roadway and hit a medium-size tree. The

CDC code was 12FYEW6. The posted speed limit was 35 mph and the WinSMASH-estimated

ΔV was 49 mph. As in other crashes of this type, the ΔV estimate does not appear to be reliable,

because of lack of crush of the longitudinal frame rails and the localized nature of the impact.

From photos such as Figure 3-13, it appears there was partial engagement of the primary

longitudinal structure. Because of the reduced amount of energy absorbed by the front structure,

the tree reached the firewall and displaced the IP two feet into the occupant compartment, also

displacing the steering assembly, as shown in Figure 3-14. The 66-year-old female driver died

from thoracic injuries including rib fractures and a lacerated aorta from contact with the steering

wheel.

Figure 3-13

Case No. 2002-49-100

Chrysler Town & Country

Offset Impact with a Tree

Figure 3-14

Case No. 2002-49-100

Chrysler Town & Country

IP Intrusion

Case No. 2006-41-64 is an example of an impact directly between the frame rails. In this case

the driver of a 2005 Lexus ES330 veered off a suburban residential road into a tree. The posted

speed limit was 30 mph, and WinSMASH estimated a ΔV of 42 mph. However, because the

primary structures did not absorb much of the energy, the estimated ΔV may not accurately

reflect the true ΔV, as in Case No. 2002-49-100.

Exterior damage is extensive because it occurred in a relatively soft area between the frame rails.

The only major component in this section of the vehicle is the power train. From Figure 3-15, it

appears the frame rails bent toward the centerline and did not absorb the energy by crushing

longitudinally as intended. That must have resulted in a soft initial crash pulse. The team infers

that the soft pulse, in turn, likely delayed the deployment of the air bag to some extent. That

probably diminished its protective effect: the driver hit and deformed the steering assembly,

sustaining fatal thoracic injuries. The occupant’s age (78) and, to a lesser extent, obesity

contributed to the severity of the thoracic injuries.

Unlike Case No. 2002-49-100, the occupant compartment structure performed well (see Figure

3-16). The IP intruded into the passenger compartment only one inch.

Figure 3-15

Case No. 2006-41-64

Lexus ES330

Center Impact With a Tree

(Note Frame Rail Not Compressed)

Figure 3-16

Case No. 2006-41-64

Lexus ES330

Minor IP, Toe Pan, and Steering Wheel

Intrusion

Case No. 2006-75-22 is a more severe crash than the preceding ones, but it, too, is a good

illustration of what can happen when a vehicle impacts a narrow object with no engagement of

the longitudinal frame rails to absorb the energy. In this example, a 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse

departed the roadway, impacting a tree directly between the frame rails. The CDC code was

12FZAW6. At the location of the crash, the posted speed limit was 30 mph and the estimated

WinSMASH-2008 ΔV (with make-model-specific stiffness parameters) was 53 mph. Because

the frame rails were not hit, it is not known how well WinSMASH estimated the ΔV.

As is evident from the photos, the tree hit the soft engine compartment and did not engage the

front longitudinal frame rails. As a result, the tree penetrated the engine compartment up to the

firewall, pushing the IP 25 inches toward the occupant. That is substantially more intrusion than

would typically occur at a similar ΔV in a full frontal or an offset frontal with good structural

engagement. It likely altered the trajectory of the deployed air bag and reduced the ride-down

space for the passenger. The right-front, 27-year-old male passenger died due to a lacerated heart

attributed to direct contact with the IP.

Figure 3-17

Case No. 2006-75-022

Mitsubishi Eclipse

Center Impact with a Tree

(Note Crush up to Firewall)

Figure 3-18

Case No. 2006-75-022

Mitsubishi Eclipse

(Note No Engagement of Longitudinal

Frame Rails Though they Appear to Be Bent

in Towards the Center of the Car)

Figure 3-19

Case No. 2006-75-022

Mitsubishi Eclipse

25 Inches of Intrusion on Right-Side IP

Table 3-2 tallies the primary and secondary factors in the 9 crashes of the tall/narrow-object bin.

As explained in Section 2.3, crashes may have multiple primary and secondary factors. The 9

crashes in this bin involve a total of 19 primary factors and 24 secondary factors.

Understandably, “tall, narrow object” and limited horizontal engagement are the most important

factors.

Table 3-2: Primary and Secondary Factors in Fatalities

in Impacts with Tall/Narrow Objects

Primary Secondary FACTOR

9 0 Tall, narrow object

6 0 Limited horizontal structural engagement

2 4 Elevated occupant age

1 5 Excessive IP or toe pan intrusion, or buckling of floor pan

1 2 Roof, A-pillar, or other upper-compartment intrusion

0 3 Vehicle did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs

0 2 Obese occupant (BMI ≥ 30)

0 2 Air bag bottomed out

0 1 Exceedingly severe crash

0 1 Poor occupant-air bag interaction

0 1 Belt system did not adequately restrain

0 1 Out-of-position occupant

0 1 Seat did not adequately restrain

0 1 Steering assembly moved upward

The heavy-vehicle-underride bin 3.4

The team identified 17 cases that involved the subject vehicle impacting the rear, side or corner

of a large truck, trailer or bus. Fourteen of those cases involved rear-end impacts with a large,

heavy vehicle such as a semi-trailer or truck; the other three were side impacts. Because of their

frequency, cases where the primary factors were determined to be excessive “Underride” and the

“Trailer’s guard did not prevent underride” are captured in this crash-characteristic category.

Generally the subject vehicle also experienced “Roof, A-pillar or other upper-component

intrusion” as a secondary factor from the impact with the truck/trailer, leading to fatal head

injuries. The following examples provide insight into the severity of the case vehicle’s damage

and assess causes of the fatal injuries.

What could not be assessed in the majority of these cases was the heavy vehicle that was hit.

Heavy vehicles are not CDS case vehicles; inspections and photos are not available. To

reconstruct what happened in the event, reliance was placed on the photos of the subject vehicle.

The difficulty was trying to determine if an underride guard was present on the struck vehicle

and, if so, how did the guard and vehicle interact. What characterizes this crash bin is the

severity of the upper-body intrusion. It would appear that in these crashes, if an underride guard

was present, it could not withstand the force of the crash, leading to the rear of the heavy vehicle

interacting with the A-pillar and upper compartment of the striking vehicle. Generally, these

impacts lead to severe head and chest injuries from direct contact caused by intrusion of the

steering wheel and/or roof components. Furthermore, the outcome of the crash can be similar for

both small and large passenger vehicles.

For example, Case No. 2003-42-61 is a typical midsized passenger car impacting the rear end of

a stopped truck. A 2002 Volkswagen Jetta was traveling on a six-lane divided highway hit the

rear of a stopped 2000 Mitsubishi Fuso heavy truck that was parked in a travel lane, blocking

traffic. At the location of the crash the posted speed limit was 55 mph. The CDC code was

32FDEW2. ΔV could not be estimated for this case; in general, ΔV can usually not be estimated

with WinSMASH in collisions between passenger vehicles and heavy vehicles. The principle

direction of force for the Jetta was at 10 degrees. The Jetta’s dual frontal air bags deployed as a

result of the impact.

The driver of the vehicle survived the event with minor injuries. The 47 year-old right front

passenger in the Jetta, who was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 205 pounds, sustained fatal chest

injuries.

From photos such as Figure 3-20, it is apparent there was no structural engagement of the Jetta’s

primary longitudinal frame rails with the rear end of the parked truck. As a result the Jetta

underrode the rear end of the truck causing severe deformation of the A-pillar/windshield on the

right side of the vehicle (Figure 3-21). The greater damage to the passenger side of the vehicle

likely explains why the driver survived. The passenger’s head injuries are sourced to the roof

header and the chest injuries sourced to the instrument panel on the right side.

The Mitsubishi truck was a non-CDS vehicle and there were no photos available for post-crash

assessment of that vehicle. Therefore, it is unknown what sort of interaction there was between

the rear-underride guard, if present, and the Jetta.

Figure 3-20

Case No. 2003-42-61

2002 VW Jetta

Front Right Corner View

Figure 3-21

Case No. 2003-42-61

2002 VW Jetta

Passenger Side Interior

Another example, Case No. 2004-73-165 involves an SUV, a taller vehicle than the Jetta in the

preceding case. A 2002 Ford Explorer hit the rear end of a stopped trailer, the second of two

trailers pulled by a 2005 Mack heavy truck. The crash occurred on a two-lane one-way divided

expressway with a posted speed limit of 60 mph. The CDC code was 12FDAA6 and the ΔV

could not be estimated.

As a result of the impact, the dual front airbags in the Explorer deployed. The driver of the

Explorer was 52 years old, 6 feet 1 inch tall, and weighed 300 pounds. He sustained catastrophic

head and neck injuries from the intruding windshield and steering wheel.

From Figure 3-22, it is evident the front longitudinal frame rails of the Explorer were barely

damaged in the event. The primary impact was higher on the subject vehicle, and the rear end of

the trailer hit the firewall, pushing the instrument panel and A-pillars into the occupant

compartment. According to the case data, the steering-wheel assembly moved rearward toward

the driver six inches (see Figure 3-23). The fatal internal chest injuries are sourced to the

steering wheel.

The trailer was a non-CDS vehicle and there were no photos available for post-crash assessment

of that vehicle. Therefore, it is unknown what sort of interaction there was between the rear-

underride guard, if present, and the Explorer.

Figure 3-22

Case No. 2004-73-165

2002 Ford Explorer

Front

Figure 3-23

Case No. 2004-73-165

2002 Ford Explorer

IP Intrusion

Case No. 2005-9-189 involves a crossover SUV impacting the rear of a school bus, which is not

required to have a rear underride guard. A 2005 Ford Escape was traveling on a four-lane

divided roadway with a posted speed of 55 mph. The vehicle proceeded to impact the rear end

of a stopped 1997 International school bus. The CDC code was 12FDAW9 and the ΔV could

not be estimated.

The 43-year-old, 6 feet 2 inch, and 262-pound driver sustained fatal head injuries sourced to the

roof header and chest injuries sourced to the steering wheel.

From Figure 3-24, it is evident the front longitudinal frame rails of the Escape were barely

damaged in the event. The primary impact was higher, where it appears the Escape drove under

the bus causing the windshield header to intrude 6 feet into the occupant compartment, as may be

seen in Figure 3-25. Some of the injury sources may be direct contact with the rear end of the

bus as opposed to case vehicle components, particularly the head and chest injuries.

As in the other cases discussed there are no photos available of the bus, because it is a non-CDS

vehicle.

Figure 3-24

Case No. 2005-9-189

2005 Ford Escape

Front

igure 3-25

ase No. 2005-9-189

005 Ford Escape

P Intrusion

The majority of the cases involved a rear-end impact with a heavy vehicle. However Case No.

2006-78-62 was one of three where the impact was to the side or corner of a trailer. A 2000

Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab was traveling eastbound on a two-lane roadway approaching an

intersection with a posted speed of 55 mph. A 2005 Kenworth tractor/trailer was traveling

southbound approaching the intersection. The left side of the Ram struck the right-rear trailer

wheel/tires and then went under the trailer. The Ram experienced an engine fire and the vehicle

was completely destroyed by fire. The CDC code was 69FDAW6 and the ΔV could not be

estimated.

The driver and front passenger of the pickup truck extricated themselves and were found by the

emergency crew on the ground, some distance away from the burning vehicle. The 50-year-old

female driver died a few hours after the event. The driver died of neck and chest injuries. CDS

sourced the fatal injuries to the steering wheel and left interior surface. The restrained passenger

was hospitalized with a sternum fracture.

Consistent with the other underride cases discussed, from photos such as Figure 3-26 it is evident

the front longitudinal frame rails of the Ram were barely damaged in the crash. The photos

indicate this led to significant intrusion into the upper occupant compartment; however, intrusion

measurements were not coded. Even though the impact was to the side of the trailer, the

intrusion patterns and occupant injuries were consistent with those found in the impacts to the

rear of a trailer, because of the extensive override.

Photographs were not available of the struck non-CDS vehicle. However, given the impact was

on the trailer’s side, it is unlikely there was an underride guard.

Figure 3-26

Case No. 2006-78-68

2000 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup

Front

Figure 3-27

Case No. 2006-78-68

2000 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup

Driver’s Side Interior

Table 3-3 tallies the primary and secondary factors in the 17 crashes of the heavy-vehicle-

underride bin. Crashes may have multiple primary and secondary factors. The 17 crashes in this

bin involve a total of 32 primary factors and 21 secondary factors. Of course, underride and the

trailer’s guard are the two major primary factors. As explained in Section 2.4, these two factors

are not mutually exclusive; an impact where the guard failed to prevent underride will also be an

impact where there was underride. On the other hand, an impact into the side of a trailer can be a

case of underride, but performance of the guard is not a factor, because there is no guard.

Upper-compartment intrusion is a common secondary factor; it is usually secondary because it is

an inevitable consequence of the underride.

Table 3-3: Primary and Secondary Factors in Underrides of Rear/Side of Heavy Vehicles

Primary Secondary FACTOR

15 1 Underride, limited vertical structural engagement

13 0 Trailer’s guard did not prevent underride

2 10 Roof, A-pillar, or other upper-compartment intrusion

2 0 Limited horizontal structural engagement

0 2 Exceedingly severe crash

0 2 Excessive IP or toe pan intrusion, or buckling of floor pan

0 2 Vehicle did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs

0 1 Belt system did not adequately restrain

0 1 “Back-seat bullet” – rear-seat occupant increased the load on

the front seat and contributed to seat failure

0 1 Air bag bottomed out

0 1 Tall or large occupant (not obese)

The vulnerable-occupant bin 3.5

Sixteen cases were identified as fatalities due to some kind of occupant vulnerability that

increased the risk of sustaining fatal injuries in what was not considered an overly severe crash:

in 11 cases, the occupant’s age was the primary factor, in 3 cases age and weight, and in 2 cases

a pre-existing medical condition. It is known that injury tolerance tends to decrease as a person

ages, but there is no specific age threshold at which injury risk markedly increases, as it depends

on a number of factors and is unique to each individual. In addition to being more susceptible to

any number of specific injuries, an elderly crash victim’s body may have a poor response to

multi-system trauma – meaning that their body’s ability to cope with multiple crash injuries is

diminished, leading to an overall increase in fatality risk. Certain medical conditions also

decrease injury tolerance and the ability for an occupant to respond to multi-system trauma. In

some cases, information pertaining to pre-existing medical conditions helped the team determine

whether such conditions were relevant to the fatality.

Other occupant-related vulnerabilities were related to occupant size – both obesity and short

stature can act to increase injury risk. Occupants with significantly higher body mass or girth

tend to challenge restraint systems and require a larger volume of space for ride-down. When an

occupant’s height is much less than that of an average-size male, the occupant may have to sit

very close to the steering wheel or the occupant’s body may otherwise not interact with the

Table 3-3 indicates one case among the 17 where underride was not a factor. A pickup truck drove into the side

of a semi-trailer, but immediately hit the rear axles of the trailer, with fatal consequences, rather than further

entering the space beneath the trailer. This case was included in the “side underride” bin because it closely

resembled the other side-underride cases, except for the point of impact.

restraints and interior structures in an optimal manner. Weight or height was a primary or

secondary factor in a number of these cases.

As an example of a case in which the occupant’s age was deemed critical, see Case No. 2004-50-

147, in which the 80-year-old driver sustained a number of thoracic injuries leading to her

demise. CDS did not report any pre-existing medical conditions. The crash was not very severe

with a coded ΔV of 22 mph (25 mph by make-model-specific WinSMASH-2008), and it did not

result in any intrusions into the occupant’s space. The team did not see signs of contact with the

steering wheel and concluded that her numerous thoracic injuries were caused by loading from

the shoulder belt. She suffered a number of fractured ribs and a heart laceration; the thoracic

cage typically shows a greater tendency to sustain fracture with elevated age. Given that the

chest injuries were responsible for her demise, and that this crash was not severe, the team felt

that her age was a critical element leading to her death.

Figure 3-28

Case No. 2004-50-147

Honda Civic

Vulnerable Occupant (Age)

Case No. 2002-75-53 is an example of a fatality that was likely due to the occupant’s pre-

existing medical condition. The minor frontal crash, with a ΔV of 14 mph, of the Toyota

4Runner led to the death of the right-front passenger, who suffered from advanced lung cancer

that had metastasized to the liver.

Figure 3-29

Case No. 2002-75-53

Toyota 4Runner

Occupant with Medical Condition

Her injuries included a heart laceration, a subdural hematoma and a cervical spine fracture.

Although an older occupant (71 years old) who was of smaller stature (4’11”), she was in the

right front passenger seat, making it unlikely that she was sitting close to the IP (as may be the

case for a driver of her stature). In fact, the seat was noted to be in the mid-to-rear track position,

so interaction with a deploying bag was unlikely and there would be little reason for her type of

injuries to occur in a typical adult. Due to her advanced cancer, the team concluded that her

body’s condition was weakened, making her exceptionally fragile and more susceptible to injury

in this minor crash. The two other occupants in this vehicle were either not injured or only

suffered minor contusions – suggesting that the pulse of this crash should not be injurious to a

normal belted occupant.

The final example of occupant vulnerability is in Case No. 2004-79-244, where a Cadillac

DeVille Touring Sedan struck a Ford Escape in a right-offset manner. The impact was not very

severe, as evidenced by a ΔV of 23 mph, and the right front passenger of the Cadillac survived

with a femur fracture and some other minor injuries. The driver, a 70-year-old male weighing

300 pounds, suffered serious thoracic injuries from the impact. He likely, due to his weight,

challenged the belt and the air bag. The occupant’s loading also caused the seat to deform. His

age was also likely to have contributed to the severity of his injuries.

Figure 3-30

Case No. 2004-79-244

Cadillac DeVille Touring Sedan

Vulnerable Occupant (Obesity and Age)

Table 3-4 tallies the primary and secondary factors in the 16 crashes of the vulnerable-occupant

bin. As explained in Section 2.3, crashes may have multiple primary and secondary factors. The

16 crashes in this bin involve a total of 20 primary factors and 29 secondary factors. The

occupant’s age is by far the dominant primary factor (13 times); then obesity and pre-existing

medical conditions. Short stature is never a primary factor, but it is a secondary factor in four

cases. Poor occupant-air bag interaction and oblique force are also common as secondary

factors.

Table 3-4: Primary and Secondary Factors in Fatalities to Vulnerable Occupants

Primary Secondary FACTOR

13 2 Elevated occupant age

3 1 Obese occupant (BMI ≥ 30)

2 0 Pre-existing medical condition

1 2 Limited horizontal structural engagement

1 0 Post-crash injury complications

0 4 Short-stature occupant

0 4 Poor occupant-air bag interaction

0 3 Oblique crashes

0 2 Vehicle did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs

0 2 Out-of-position occupant

0 2 Air bag injured out-of-position occupant (e.g., SCI case)

0 2 Air bag bottomed out

0 1 Front-to-front incompatibility between two passenger

vehicles (cars or LTVs)

0 1 Multiple event crash

0 1 Belt system did not adequately restrain

0 1 Air bag switched off

0 1 Belt-caused injury

Exceedingly severe and/or anomaly cases 3.6

Exceedingly severe and/or anomaly cases made up the largest of the six bins in the study, with

49 cases. Of these, 34 were considered exceedingly severe, 13 were anomalies, and 2 fatalities

were exceedingly severe with an additional anomaly.

Thirty-four of the fatalities were attributed primarily to the crash being exceedingly severe.

While there were no quantitative criteria (ΔV, crush, etc.) used to determine whether a crash was

exceedingly severe, this factor was typically selected when it was apparent that the amount of

crash-energy absorbed was much higher than that at typical crash-test speeds. In these cases, it

was understood that the vehicle structure and restraint systems were taxed beyond their

reasonable design capabilities. Previous review of crash data, such as one by Viano and Ridella

in 1996, also noted a high share of exceedingly severe crashes among belted fatalities.

“Exceedingly severe” was applied as a primary factor more than any other factor, and it was

frequently the only primary factor coded. In an exceedingly severe crash, it is expected that

secondary effects may include large occupant-compartment intrusions and air bags that bottom

out when loaded by the occupant. There were some cases in which “exceedingly severe” was

considered a secondary factor. In these cases, the high level of crash energy was felt to play a

role in the occupant’s demise, but other factors such as structural engagement or crash direction

were deemed more directly responsible.

Viano, D. C., & Ridella, S. (1996). Crash Causation: a Case Study of Fatal Accident Circumstances and

Configurations, 1996 SAE Transactions, Paper No. 960458. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers.

One example of a case considered exceedingly severe was Case No. 2007-74-107, in which a

2000 Ford Taurus hit a 2000 Buick Park Avenue in a full-frontal configuration, resulting in

fatality to the three front-seat occupants of the two cars. This crash of two similarly-sized

passenger vehicles occurred on a highway where one vehicle was traveling in the wrong

direction, so both vehicles were traveling at a high rate of speed immediately prior to the impact.

The distributed impact resulted in a ΔV of 59 mph for the Taurus, which had received a 5-Star

NCAP rating and a Good IIHS frontal offset rating. The high level of crash energy led to

instrument-panel intrusion. The driver bottomed out the air bag, as evidenced by deformation of

the steering wheel rim.

While not irrelevant to the study of the fatal frontal crash problem, the exceedingly severe

crashes can be separated from the rest of the fatalities based on the difficulty associated with

addressing crashes of such severity. Building vehicles to withstand high-energy crashes would

require trade-offs, so designing structures and restraints for good performance in these rare

crashes may not be feasible. The team felt that the exceedingly severe crashes would be more

appropriate to look at from a crash-avoidance or crash-severity-mitigation perspective, and thus

segregated them from the other cases when discu

ssing potential research areas.

Figure 3-31

Case No. 2007-74-107

2000 Ford Taurus

Exceedingly Severe Impact

Figure 3-32

Case No. 2007-74-107

2000 Ford Taurus

Exceedingly Severe Impact

Thirteen anomalies were included in this bin, encompassing a wide variety of crash scenarios.

4 Struck by rolling or airborne vehicle

3 Hit unusual vehicle structure, or object

2 Died due to burns, not crash injuries

1 Went airborne and struck another vehicle

1 Hit object while rolling

1 Multiple event crash

1 Air bag deployed prior to highest ΔV

An example of an anomaly is Case No. 2003-8-23, a 2000 Ford E-150 cargo van that sustained a

moderate impact with a pole, rolled one-quarter turn, and then burned. The driver’s impairment

and his possible medical condition hindered his exit from the vehicle. Another anomaly example

was Case No. 2003-11-18, a 2001 Subaru Forester struck by an airborne snowmobile. Although

these cases met the criteria for inclusion in the study they are outside the scope of potential

crashworthiness research areas.

Figure 3-33

Case No. 2003-8-23

2000 Ford E-150 Cargo Van

Hit Pole, Rolled ¼ Turn, and Burned

Figure 3-34

Case No. 2003-11-18

2001 Subaru Forester

Struck by Airborne Snowmobile

Table 3-5 tallies the primary and secondary factors in the 49 crashes of the exceedingly

severe/anomaly bin. Crashes may have multiple primary and secondary factors. The 49 crashes

in this bin involve a total of 63 primary factors and 117 secondary factors. All of them have

“exceedingly severe” and/or “anomaly” as a primary factor. Underride is not unusual as a

primary or a secondary factor. Common as secondary factors, because they are consequences of

the crash being so severe, include upper-compartment intrusion, bottoming out of the air bag, IP

intrusion, or belts not adequately restraining. There were also numerous cases where the

occupant’s age or obesity, or the relatively poor structural performance of the less up-to-date

vehicles was a factor, but secondary to the overall crash severity.

Table 3-5: Primary and Secondary Factors in Exceedingly Severe Crashes/Anomalies

Primary Secondary FACTOR

36 1 Exceedingly severe crash

16 0 Anomaly (unusual crash circumstance)

5 8 Underride, limited vertical structural engagement

2 0 Post-crash fire resulting in fatal burns

1 19 Roof, A-pillar, or other upper-compartment intrusion

1 6 Oblique crashes

1 4 Front-to-front incompatibility between two passenger

vehicles (cars or LTVs)

1 0 Multiple event crash

0 16 Air bag bottomed out

0 13 Excessive IP or toe pan intrusion, or buckling of floor pan

0 13 Obese occupant (BMI ≥ 30)

0 12 Vehicle did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs

0 6 Elevated occupant age

0 5 Belt system did not adequately restrain

0 4 Poor occupant-air bag interaction

0 3 Limited horizontal structural engagement

0 2 Trailer’s guard did not prevent underride

0 2 Steering assembly moved upward

0 1 Seat did not adequately restrain

0 1 Pre-existing medical condition

0 1 Short-stature occupant

The all-other-crashes bin 3.7

The final, “All Others” bin involved crash events that didn’t occur frequently enough to justify

their own category or fit into one of the other five bins. There was no predominant factor; the 10

cases in this bin had 16 different primary factors and 10 different secondary factors listed.

Some of the cases in the “All Other” bin contain areas for potential future research, but appear to

be much less common than the crashes in the four large bins. Some example scenarios are air

bags injuring out-of-position occupants and underride in a not-too-severe head-on crash with a

heavy vehicle.

For example, Case No. 2004-43-291 involved a 2003 Dodge Caravan struck by an oncoming

heavy truck that crossed a median and entered the Caravan’s lane. This crash was not

exceedingly severe; however, the underride caused 22 inches of header intrusion and 13 inches

of IP intrusion, producing fatal chest injuries. The 33-year-old female driver was wearing the

three-point belt equipped with a pretensioner and a force limiter. The advanced frontal air bag

deployed during the impact. The primary factors coded to this crash were underride and limited

horizontal structural engagement. Supporting the “not exceedingly severe” designation, two

children seated in child restraints in the second row escaped virtually unharmed. Head-on

crashes with heavy vehicles were not included in the “underrode rear/side of heavy vehicle” bin

because (1) performance of existing rear-impact guards or potentially available side-impact

guards is not an issue; and (2) most fatal head-on crashes with heavy vehicles are exceedingly

severe, whereas most of our rear and side impacts are not that severe, aside from the underride.

Figure 3-35

Case No. 2004-43-291

2003 Dodge Caravan

(Note limited bumper engagement)

The remaining cases in this bin are less germane to future crashworthiness research. Some

involved relatively old vehicle designs, carryovers from pre-2000 models. The structural

performance of these models has already been improved in the intervening years. Another case

involved an unrestrained back-seat occupant who hit the front seatback.

An example of relatively older vehicle design as a critical issue is Case No. 2007-12-180, which

was a 2000 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab involved in an angled full-frontal collision with a Ford

F-250, causing critical chest injuries to the 56-year-old female driver. As discussed in Section

2.4, the primary factor, “vehicles did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs” usually

refers to vehicles that were carryovers from earlier designs with poor or marginal performance in

the IIHS offset test. The 2000 Dakota is fundamentally a carryover from the 1997 redesign; the

Dakota was again redesigned in 2005. The 1997-to-2004 2-door Dakota received a Poor IIHS

offset rating (frontal structural performance would probably be similar for the Quad Cab). The

other primary factor in the crash was excessive IP and toe-pan intrusion. WinSMASH-2008

calculated a ΔV of 38mph and barrier equivalent speed of 32mph. Secondary factors in the crash

included the driver’s obesity, short stature, and poor occupant-air bag interaction.

Figure 3-36

Case No. 2007-12-180

2000 Dodge Dakota

Table 3-6 tallies the primary and secondary factors in the 10 crashes of the all-others bin.

Crashes may have multiple primary and secondary factors. The 10 crashes in this bin involve a

total of 20 primary factors and 15 secondary factors. There was no predominant factor. The

most common primary factors, coded in two cases each in this bin were excessive instrument

panel or toe pan intrusion, underride, limited horizontal structural engagement, and vehicle did

not perform well in crash-safety rating programs. The secondary factors seen most often were

exceedingly high crash severity, and the air bag bottomed out, each occurring three times.

Table 3-6: Primary and Secondary Factors in Other Crashes

Primary Secondary FACTOR

2 1 Excessive IP or toe pan intrusion, or buckling of floor pan

2 0 Underride, limited vertical structural engagement

2 0 Limited horizontal structural engagement

2 0 Vehicle did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs

1 1 Oblique crashes

1 1 Elevated occupant age

1 1 Belt system did not adequately restrain

1 0 Anomaly (unusual crash circumstance)

1 0 Front-to-front incompatibility between two passenger vehicles

1 0 Multiple event crash

1 0 Out-of-position occupant

1 0 Seat did not adequately restrain

1 0 Air bag injured out-of-position occupant (e.g., SCI case)

1 0 “Back-seat bullet”

1 0 Air bag did not deploy

1 0 Post-crash injury complications

0 3 Exceedingly severe crash

0 3 Air bag bottomed out

0 2 Roof, A-pillar, or other upper-compartment intrusion

0 1 Obese occupant (BMI ≥ 30)

0 1 Poor occupant-air bag interaction

0 1 Short-stature occupant

3.8 Summary tally of primary and secondary factors in our 122 cases

Table 3-7 tallies the primary and secondary factors in the 122 fatality cases. There are a total of

186 primary factors and 265 secondary factors in these cases. The single most common primary

factor was exceedingly high crash severity (37 primary occurrences). But the next three factors,

underride, limited horizontal engagement, and oblique force, all sharing the characteristic of poor

structural engagement, appeared a combined 60 times as primary factors. Anomalous crash

circumstances, elevated occupant age, the trailer’s underride guard and tall, narrow objects are

also frequent primary factors.

The single most common factor in our 122 crashes, appearing 6 times as primary and 43 times as

secondary, for a total of 49, is upper-compartment intrusion. It is usually only a secondary factor

because it is a consequence of “first-cause” factors, the severity or the configuration of the

impact. Excessive IP intrusion, the occupant’s obesity, poor occupant-air bag interaction, and

the air bag bottoming out were common secondary factors (the last, never a primary factor).

Many vehicles in the study, although model year 2000 or newer, were actually pre-2000 designs,

and their relatively poor structural performance was often a severity-increasing factor, but

usually a secondary factor. Front-to-front incompatibility between passenger vehicles and the

occupant’s short stature were also fairly common as secondary factors.

Table 3-7: Primary and Secondary Factors in All Crashes

Primary Secondary FACTOR

37 10 Exceedingly severe crash

23 13 Underride, limited vertical structural engagement

20 8 Limited horizontal structural engagement

17 11 Oblique crashes

17 0 Anomaly (unusual crash circumstance)

16 15 Elevated occupant age

13 2 Trailer’s guard did not prevent underride

9 1 Tall, narrow object

6 43 Roof, A-pillar, or other upper-compartment intrusion

4 27 Excessive IP or toe pan intrusion, or buckling of floor pan

3 21 Obese occupant (BMI ≥ 30)

3 18 Poor occupant-air bag interaction

2 23 Vehicle did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs

2 10 Front-to-front incompatibility between two passenger

vehicles (cars or LTVs)

2 1 Pre-existing medical condition

2 1 Multiple event crash

2 0 Post-crash injury complications

2 0 Post-crash fire resulting in fatal burns

1 10 Belt system did not adequately restrain

1 3 Out-of-position occupant

1 3 Seat did not adequately restrain

1 2 Air bag injured out-of-position occupant (e.g., SCI case)

1 2 “Back-seat bullet” – rear-seat occupant increased the load on

the front seat and contributed to seat failure

1 0 Air bag did not deploy

0 27 Air bag bottomed out

0 8 Short-stature occupant

0 3 Steering assembly moved upward

0 1 Air bag switched off

0 1 Belt-caused injury

0 1 Tall or large occupant (not obese)

3.9 Roles of heavy vehicles, degree of offset, occupant age, and occupant size

Heavy vehicles: Thirty-three fatalities, accounting for 27 percent of the 122 unweighted CDS

cases (and 24% of the weighted cases) involved collisions with tractor-trailers, heavy trucks or

buses. In 18 of the fatalities, the case vehicle frontally hit the rear of the heavy vehicle; in 15,

the front or the side of the heavy vehicle. Underride was a factor in 16 of the 18 front-to-rear

cases and a primary factor in 14 (and “trailer’s guard did not prevent underride” was also a

primary factor in all those cases, except for one in which the struck vehicle was a school bus, not

equipped with an underride guard). Underride was a factor in 11 of the 15 front-to-front/side

cases, primary in 8.

89 Did not involve a heavy truck or bus

14 Front of case vehicle hit rear of trailer, truck, or bus; underride a primary factor

2 Front-to-rear; underride a secondary factor

2 Front-to-rear; underride not a factor

8 Front of case vehicle hit front or side of tractor, trailer, truck, or bus; underride a

primary factor

3 Front-to-front/side; underride a secondary factor

4 Front-to-front/side; underride not a factor

Fixed objects: In 27 of the 122 fatalities (22% of the unweighted cases, 23% of the weighted

cases), the principal impact was with a fixed object.

Offset: One way to define the percentage of overlap in a frontal impact is the width of direct

damage (DIRDAMW on CDS) divided by the width of the front end (UNENDW). However,

this might overstate the amount of effective overlap if the direct damage is shallow across most

of its width and then tapers off strongly to one side. For example, both of these cars have direct

damage approximately halfway across the front, but the car on the left has extensive engagement

while the car on the right has damage more nearly resembling a corner impact.

The team defined the “effective overlap” as follows from CDS data elements:

Step 1: Compute actual % of the front end with direct damage DIRDAMW/UNDENDW

Step 2: Compute extent to which front-end damage tapers off to one side,

2a Take average of C

, … , C

(the C

are squared because energy absorbed is

approximately proportional to the square of the crush depth)

2b Divide it by the maximum of C

, … , C

2c Multiply by 100, and in the few cases where L ≠ UNDENDW, multiply also by

L/UNDENDW

Step 3: Take the smaller of the two numbers and round to the nearest integer. This is the

“effective overlap,” the proportion of the front end that has real damage.

The graph of the cumulative distribution of effective overlap shows that 25 percent of the

impacts had effective overlap of 30 percent or less, 50 percent had effective overlap of 48

percent or less, and 75 percent of the impacts had effective overlap of 60 percent or less.

Let us categorize overlap of 67 percent or more a “full frontal,” 25 to 66 percent an “offset

frontal,” and less than 25 percent a narrow frontal. The distribution for our 122 impacts is

20 Effectively full-frontal: “effective overlap” 67-100

66 Effectively offset damage on the occupant’s side of the vehicle: “effective

overlap” 25-66, (and not FLEE or FREE)

18 Effectively corner damage on the occupant’s side of the vehicle: CDC is FLEE or

FLAE

(for driver) or FREE or FRAE (for passenger), and/or “effective overlap”

0-24

7 Centered impact on narrow, fixed object as evidenced by CDC (FCEW, FCEN,

FYEN, FZEN) or by little or no damage at both corners

5 No damage to front end of vehicle (e.g., underride so extreme that only

greenhouse is damaged, or vehicle hit greenhouse)

6 Effectively offset or corner damage, but the damage is concentrated on the side

away from the fatality

Only 20 of our 122 cases are effectively full frontals, and only 6 have frontal damage

concentrated on the side away from the occupant’s seat (i.e., right side for driver, left side for

passenger).

Occupant age: In 46 of our 122 cases (38%), the occupant’s age or pre-existing medical

condition was a factor and/or the occupant was 60 years old or older. In 18 of these cases it was

a primary factor. (The 13 cases where the occupant was 60+ years old but age is not a factor are

crashes so severe that even a young person would not likely have survived – or they involved a

type of head injury where vulnerability does not increase too much with age.)

76 Not an older occupant; medical condition not a factor

18 Occupant age or pre-existing medical condition a primary factor (can be any age)

15 Occupant age or medical condition a secondary factor (can be any age)

13 Occupant age 60+, but age not a factor in the crash

Occupant BMI, weight, or height: The occupant’s obesity or size was judged to be a primary

factor increasing fatality risk in three cases, and a secondary factor in 27 cases. For these

judgments, as explained in Section 2.4, there is no specific weight or height limit; the factor is

assigned if it contributed to the severity of the injuries. In an additional 26 cases, the occupants’

obesity or size was judged not to be a primary or secondary factor, but the occupant was beyond

the following limits: obese (BMI ≥30), tall (≥6’2”), short (≤5’2”), large (≥250 pounds), or small

(≤100 pounds). Thus, in a total of 56 of our 122 fatalities, the occupants’ obesity or size was a

primary or secondary factor, and/or exceeded the above limits.

66 Not an obese, tall, short, big, or small occupant

3 Occupant obesity or size a primary factor

27 Occupant obesity or size a secondary factor

26 Occupant obese (BMI ≥30), tall (≥6’2”), short (≤5’2”), large (≥250 pounds), or

small (≤100 pounds), but none of these a factor in the crash

A FLAE or FRAE is a corner impact (E in fourth position) with damage not only below the beltline but also above

it and up into the greenhouse area of the passenger compartment (A in third position rather than E).

Comparison of CDS and FARS distributions: The 2007 FARS file has information on crash type,

occupant age and driver height/weight that may be compared to the weighted distributions of our

CDS cases. The national proportions of front-seat occupant fatalities in cars and LTVs that

involved a collision with a heavy truck were:

12 percent of fatalities in all crashes;

16 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes;

19 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes with belt use and at seats equipped with air bags;

and

20 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes, with belts and air bags, in MY 2000+ vehicles.

The proportions where the most harmful event was a collision with a fixed object were:

27 percent of fatalities in all crashes;

38 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes;

28 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes with belt use and at seats equipped with air bags;

and

28 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes, with belts and air bags, in MY 2000+ vehicles.

Of our 122 CDS cases, weighted by the national sampling factor RATWGT, 24 percent were

collisions with heavy trucks and 23 percent were collisions with fixed objects. These are similar

to the FARS proportions in late-model vehicles for occupants protected by belts and air bags

(20% and 28%, respectively). However, it is noteworthy that on FARS, belted occupants of late-

model vehicles have a higher proportion of collisions with heavy trucks and a lower proportion

of collisions with fixed objects than other victims of frontal crashes.

The proportions of fatalities age 60 or greater were as follows:

21 percent of fatalities in all crashes;

24 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes;

32 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes with belt use and at seats equipped with air bags;

and

34 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes, with belts and air bags, in MY 2000+ vehicles.

The last percentage is similar to our weighted CDS cases, where 38 percent of the fatalities were

60 or older. Here, too, the proportion of older occupants on FARS grows as the data are limited

to frontal crashes, with belts and air bags, and in late-model vehicles.

FARS has information on the height and weight of drivers, but not passengers. The proportion

of driver fatalities who were obese (BMI ≥30), tall (≥6’2”), short (≤5’2”), large (≥250 pounds),

or small (≤100 pounds) does not vary much in 2007 FARS:

33 percent of fatalities in all crashes;

35 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes;

37 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes with belt use and at seats equipped with air bags;

and

36 percent of fatalities in frontal crashes, with belts and air bags, in MY 2000+ vehicles.

Among our weighted CDS cases, a quite similar 31 percent of the drivers were obese, tall, short,

large, or small.

In summary, the CDS cases have a high percentage of heavy-truck impacts and older occupants

when they are compared to the entire national population of crash fatalities. But when the

national population is limited to similar crash conditions – belted occupants of late-model

vehicles (all equipped with air bags) in frontal impacts – the CDS and FARS distributions are

fairly similar.

CHAPTER 4

CRASH TYPES WE SAW INFREQUENTLY OR NOT AT ALL

As previously discussed, certain primary and secondary factors and crash configurations were

common in the study. So now let us take a look at the factors and crash configurations that were

not observed as often.

Early in the study it became apparent that very few of the crashes in the study resembled

FMVSS, NCAP, or IIHS crash tests. Seat belts, air bags, and energy-absorbing frontal structures

are accomplishing their goal in frontal crashes resembling the crash tests. The fatalities that

occurred in full frontal or offset-frontal configurations typically had additional issues such as

underride, a vulnerable occupant, or exceedingly high severity.

Another situation not encountered often was front-to-front height- or stiffness-incompatibility

between two passenger vehicles. It was listed as a primary factor in only two of the 122 cases,

Case Nos. 2004-45-113 and 2006-75-98. Both involved a passenger car hitting an SUV; the first

was a corner impact and the second exceedingly severe (ΔV = 63 mph). Incompatibility was a

secondary factor in 10 cases. Typically, incompatibility appeared as a secondary factor in

combination with corner/oblique crashes where there was less structural engagement. In all 12

cases where incompatibility was a primary or secondary factor, the “other” vehicle was not yet

designed to the industry’s voluntary commitment to geometrically align the front energy-

absorbing structure with the bumper zone of passenger cars (discussed in Section 1.4).

Air bags, in general, did not seem to be a large problem in the study. Issues relating to air bags

were rarely a primary factor. No cases were found in which an air bag had not been replaced.

Case No. 2001-12-116 was the only one where an air bag failed to deploy and that was the

primary factor. It is unknown why the air bag did not deploy; however, it is known that the case

vehicle had a low-severity frontal impact with one car just before its high-severity head-on

collision with another car. An air bag injuring an out-of-position occupant was a primary factor

in Case No. 2006-11-220 – a multiple-event crash where an SUV crossed a ditch, throwing the

driver out of position, then hit a pole, deploying the air bag – and a secondary factor in two

others.

The only air-bag-related issues that showed up in considerable numbers in the study were poor

occupant-air bag interaction and bottoming out of the air bag. Poor occupant-air bag interaction

was indicated as the primary factor in 3 cases, Nos. 2001-81-117, 2002-42-34, and 2004-49-168.

All 3 were oblique impacts, where the occupants’ trajectory was not straight ahead into the air

bags. It was a secondary factor in 18 crashes: 12 of these were oblique and/or corner impacts, 3

were multiple-event crashes, and 3 involved short-stature occupants in vehicles that were not yet

required to meet a test with a 5

-percentile-female ATD. Bottoming out of the air bag was not

determined to be a primary factor in any of the cases, but was listed as a secondary factor in 26

cases. The majority of those cases, 14, were categorized in the exceedingly severe/anomaly

crash-characteristic bin. The air bag bottoming out was also observed in conjunction with obese

occupants and back-seat-bullet cases.

Seat belt misuse was not found to be a primary or a secondary factor. The misuse of an on-off

switch for air bags was never a primary factor.

Case No. 2000-12-137 was the only crash where the unexpected performance of the belt and seat

was rated a primary factor. In that crash, which involved two frontal impacts, the belt anchorage

tore loose and the seat tore loose from its track, apparently on the second impact. On the other

hand, there were 10 cases in which belt excursion or poor fit were secondary factors; 7 of those

10 were integrated belt systems, and in 5 cases the occupant’s obesity (BMI 31.3 to 47.0) or size

(6’4” and 233 pounds) were also rated a secondary factor. Nevertheless, belt performance was

only a secondary factor in these 10 cases; 5 were exceedingly severe crashes, and the rest were

underrides, corner/oblique impacts, elderly occupants, or multiple-event crashes. There were 3

cases in which the seat’s movement within its track during impact was a secondary factor: 1

exceedingly severe crash and 2 corner impacts (1 involving an obese occupant).

Two cases, Nos. 2002-48-222 and 2005-4-119, were judged to have post-crash injury

complications as a primary factor. The occupants died 4 to 10 days after the crash from

complications of injuries that a younger person in excellent health would normally survive. But

even in these 2 cases, as well as all others, proper medical procedures were followed at the site

and in the hospital, as far as could be determined. Delayed arrival of EMS did not appear to be

an issue in any of the crashes. For example, in Case No. 2002-48-222, the driver had a history of

heart disease and stroke. The crash itself was not caused by these conditions and it resulted in

severe but normally survivable injuries such as lung contusions; however, the patient

subsequently died in the hospital from circulatory disorders – triggered by the crash injuries but

most likely also by the pre-existing illness.

“Did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs” was determined to be a secondary factor

in 23 cases. But it was selected as a primary factor only twice: Case Nos. 2000-8-226 and

2007-12-180 (see Section 3.7 and Figure 3-36). Almost all of these 25 vehicles were carry-overs

from pre-2000 designs and allowed more IP and toe-pan intrusion than the latest models. In

Case No. 2007-12-180, the absence of a seat belt pretensioner (a device often present in the latest

models) was judged to have allowed forward excursion of the belted driver that, in combination

with IP intrusion, contributed to the severity of the driver’s contact with the steering assembly.



APPENDIX A

CASE LISTING: BINS, PRIMARY FACTORS, AND SECONDARY FACTORS

CDSCASENUMBER2000‐8‐226DRIVER42yomale5’11’’174lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000NISSANALTIMA12FYEW5

DESCRIPTION Hitbridgepier(BES49mph),manyfractures,died10dayslater;‘marginal’IIHSoffset

performance

OTHER:DIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMSCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSEXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS

SECONDARYFACTORSEXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT



CDSCASENUMBER2000‐11‐30DRIVER33yofemale5’3’’134lbs

CAS

EVEHICLE2000HONDAODYSSEY11FDAW9

DESCRIPTION Head‐onwithtractor‐trailer,underridethroughtheoccupantcompartment

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSEXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE

SECONDARYFACTORINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

CDSCASEN

UMBER2000‐11‐30(sameas

previous)RFPASSENGER10yo

female4’7’’112lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000HONDAODYSSEY11FDAW9

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSEXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

UNDERRIDE(

LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

SECONDARYFACTORINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

Head‐onwi

thtractor‐trailer,underridethroughtheoccupantcompartment

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE

CDSCASENUMBER2000‐12‐78DRIVER45yomale5’10’’189lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000GMCSIERRA2500PICKUP12FDEW4

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSAI

RBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

BELTORINTEGRATEDSEATBELTDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN

Hitrearoftractor‐trail

erwithoutunderride( V=54mph)Δ

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE



CDSCASENUMBER2000‐12‐137DRIVER62yomale6’1’’202lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000SATURNLS1FDEW3,ΔV=29mph



DESCRIPTION HitLeSabre(ΔV=17mph,deployment);thenhitLumina(ΔV=29,anchor&seattracktore

loose)

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSANOMALY:MULTIPLEFRONTALIMPACTS

BELTORINTEGRATEDSEATBELTDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN

MULTIPLE‐EVENTCRASH

SEAT(EXCLINTEGRATEDSEATBELT)DIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN

SECONDARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(62)

OTHER:SEATBELTANCHORANDSEATTRACKTORELOOSE

CDSCASENUMBER2000‐43‐24

3DRIVER51yofemale5’2’’130lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000CHRYSLERVOYAGER12FDGW8

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLA

ROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

SECONDARYFACTORSnone

Minivanwentundersideofsemi‐trailer

UNDERRODESIDEOFHEAVYVEHICLE





CDSCASENUMBER2000‐49‐254DRIVER41yomale6’4’’233lbs

 2000DODGERAM3500PICKUP12FDAA7

 Rear‐endedsemi‐trailer;fatalheadinju

ries

CASEVEHICLE

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARY

FACTORS 

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLE 

  UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

SECONDARYFACTORSAIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

BELTORINTEGRATEDSEATBELTDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS

TALLORBIGOCCUPANT(NOTOBESE

)



CDSCASENUMBER2000‐76‐139DRIVER54yomale5’5’’161lbs

ΔV estimates throughout Appendix A are the estimates encoded in CDS, based on pre-2008 WinSMASH,

converted to miles per hour and rounded to the nearest integer.

CASEVEHICLE2000GMCYUKON12FLAE9

DESCRIPTION Cornerimpactwitholder‐modelFordF‐250

CORNERIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

SECONDARYFACTORSnone



CDSCASENUMBER2000‐78‐80DRIVER71yomale5’7’’229lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000DODGEINTREPID92FYAW4

DESCRIPTION Offsetfront‐to‐frontimpactwithmed/heavytrucktowin

gbackhoe

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

ELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(71)

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

CDSCASENUMBER2001‐11‐178DRIVER45yofemaleunknownheight205lbs

CAS

EVEHICLE2000MERCURY

COUGAR11FDEW4ΔV=50mph

DESCRIPTION OffsetfrontalwithOldsBravada(

V=55mph);fataltobothdrivers

 Δ

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSFRONT‐TO‐FRONTINCOMPATIBILITY

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT



CDSCASENUMBER2001‐12‐116DRIVER41yomaleunknownheight&weight

CASEVEHICLE2000GMCSONOMAPICKUP12F

YEW5ΔV=41mph

DES

CRIPTION Strucka1989OldsDelta88head‐on

OTHER:AIRBAGDIDNOTDEPLOYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORAIRBAGDIDNOTDEPLOY

SECONDARYFACTORSOBLIQUECRASH

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

CDSCASENUMBER2001‐13‐181DRIVER61yomale5’6’’240lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002SUBARUIMPREZA

1FYAW2

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORANOMALY:HITUNUSUALVEHICLESTRUCTURE

SECONDARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONT

ALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

Struckaprotrudingportionofatruck

ANOMALY

CDSCASENUMBER2001‐45‐114DRIVER49yofemale5’7’’211lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001CHRYSLERTOWN&COUNTRY0FDGW9

DESCRIPTION Struckavehiclethatwasroll

ingover

ANOMALYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORANOMALY:STRUCKBYAROLLINGVEHICLE

SECONDARYFACTORINTRUSIONOFROOF,

A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH



CDSCASENUMBER2001‐41‐143RFPASSENGER36yomale5’10’’150lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000CHEVROLETBLAZER

DESCRIPTION Frontallyimpactedbarrels;thenranovermorebarrelsando

verturned;fatalinjuriesfrom

therollover

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:rolloverprimary



CDSCASENUMBER2000‐49‐245DRIVER35yomale5’8’’189lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000DODGEDURANGO

DESCRIPTION 96mphonanurbanroad,intoabridgepier,noevasivemaneuverorlossofcontrol:

apparentlyintentional

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:apparentsuicide



CDSCASENUMBER2001‐75‐113DRIVER53yomale5’7’’220lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001TOYOTAAVALON12FDEW4ΔV=48mph

DESCRIPTION Obliqueimpactwith1996HondaAccord;obesedriverwentoverthesteeringwheeland

bottomedoutairbag

OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSOBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

CDSCASENUMBER2001‐76‐111DRIVER56yomale5’3’’134lbs

CASEVEHICLE

2001NISSANSENTRA92FYEW4ΔV=50mph

DESCRIPTION Obliqueimpactwith1994FordExplorer;muchIP,toepanandA‐pillarintrusion

OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHSECONDARYFACTORS

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

SHORT‐STATUREOCCUPANT



CDSCASENUMBER2001‐81‐117DRIVER52yomale6’185lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002TOYONTATUNDRAACCESSCAB4X412FYEW3ΔV=28mph

DESCRIPTION Obliqueoffsetimpactwith1999FordE‐250van;muchIP,toepan,andA‐pillarintrusion;

seatdeformationanddriver’strajectorycausedpoorairbaginteraction

CORNERANDOBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

OBLIQUECRASH

LIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION



SECONDARYFACTORS



CDSCASENUMBER2002‐2‐114DRIVER68yomale6’5’’268lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000FORDR

ANGERSUPERCAB4X412FLEE2ΔV=11mph

DESCRIPTION Cornerimpactswithseveraltrees;muchIPandtoepanintrusion;obeseelderlydriverwas

likelyoutofposition

CORNERIMPACT TALL,NARROWOBJECT(1)  ;(2) CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS

 TALL,NARROWOBJECT

RS INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

 ELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(68)

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

OUT‐OF‐POSITIONOCCUPANT



CDSCASENUMBER2002‐3‐9DRIVE

R48yomale6’1’’216lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000HONDAACCORD12FDEW3

DESCRIPTION Thedriver’sinjuriesandthelackofintrusionondriver’ssideindicatetheintoxicated

driverwasnotbuckled;RFpassengersurvived

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:unbelted



CDSCASENUMBER2002‐9‐25DRIVER66yomale5’3’’183lb

s

CASEVEHICLE2001FORDWINDSTAR0FDAW9

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

CDSCASENUMBER2002‐9‐43DRIVER55yomale5’10’’141lbs

CASEVEHICLE

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS



SECONDARYFACTOR



2001CHEVROLETCAPRICE12FYHW5

Struckrearofsemi‐trailer;underridesevere;headcontacttorearoftrailer

A1998FordExplorerwentairborneandwhileinvertedlandedontheoccupantcompartment

ofWindstar

SECONDARYFACTO





LIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

ANOMALY

ANOMALY:STRUCK

BYANAIRBORNEVEHICLE

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLE

CDSCASENUMBER2002‐9‐131DRIVER33yomale5’5’’174lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001FORDTAURUS92FYEW6ΔV=33mph

DESCRIPTION ObliqueimpactwithCaprice,littlestructuralengagement;driver’sheadhitsteering

wheel

UNDERRIDE(

LIMITEDVERTICAL

ENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUA

RDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

OBLIQUECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

FRONT‐TO‐FRONTINCOMPATIBILITY

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

CDSCASENUMBER2002‐12‐186DRIVER60yomale5’7’’200lbs

CASEVEHICLE

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

RSELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(60)

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)



CDSCASENUMBER2002‐12‐186(sameasprevious)RFPASSENGER60yofemale5’6’’260lbs

CASEVEHICLE

2000PONTIACSUNFIRE91FDEW4EDRΔV=51mph

DESCRIPTION HitLumina( V=51mphEDR),brainstemlaceration



CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

RYFACTORSELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(60)

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

SECONDA



VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS

SECONDARYFACTO



2000PONTIACSUNFIRE91FDE

W4EDRΔV=51mph

HitLumina( V=51mphEDR),flailchest

EVEEXCEEDINGLYSEVERE

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2002‐42‐25RFPASSENGER29yofemale5’4’’139lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002JAGUARX‐TYPE11FDEW4

DESCRIPTION High‐speedfullfrontalwithAerostarminivan(ΔV=64mph);IPintrusionwithseat

deformation

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSAIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

SEATDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN



CDSCASENUMBER2002‐42‐34DRIVER33yofemale5’194lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001DODGEINTREPID11FLEE9

DESCRIPTION ObliqueFLEEimpactwithInfinitiG20;poorrestraintinteractionduetove

hicle

deformatio

nandobesity

CORNERANDOBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

OBLIQUECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

SEAT(EXCLINTEGRATEDSEATBELT)DIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN

CDSCASENUMBER2002‐42‐34(sa

measprevious)RFPASSENGER61yofemale5’2’’227lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001DODGEINTREPID11FLEE9

DESCRIPTION ObliqueimpactwithInfinitiG20;pooroccupantinteractionwithairbagandseatbelt

OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

OBLIQUECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)



CDSCASENUMBER2002‐45‐16DRIVER35yomale5’9’’200lbs

CASEVEHICLE

2000CHEVROLETS‐10PICKUP11FDEW6EDR V=49

mph

StruckExplorer(EDR



DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORS AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

 VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS

ΔV=49mph);significantcrushofcompartment

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE

CDSCASENUMBER2002‐45‐39DRIVER32yofemale5’8’’145lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001PONTIACBONNEVILLE12FDEW4

DESCRIPTION Departedroad,struck7t

rees:5sideswipes,then2frontals;teambelievesdriver’shead

wasnearoroutsidewindowandstruckatreebeforethecarstruckanythingfrontally

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:sideswipeprimary



CDSCASENUMBER2002‐45‐135DRIVER16yomale5’7’’150lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000MAZDA62612FZEW4ΔV=42mph

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORBACK‐SEATBULLET

SECONDARYFACTORSEXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

CASENUMBER2002‐47‐39DRIVER44yofemale5’169lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000FORDTAURUS12FDEW5ΔV=53mph

HitHondaAccordhead‐on;crashkilled6peoplein3vehicles

Hittree;driverdied,5otherssurvived;unrestrainedoccupantbehinddriver

OTHER:BACK‐SEATBULLET 







CDS





DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSOBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE 









CDSCASENUMBER2002‐47‐134DRIVER61yomale5’8’’189lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002CHEVROLETASTROCARGOVAN92FDAW7ΔV=70mp

h

DESCRIPTION Hitbridgepier( V=70mph)

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSEXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS

CDSCASENUMBER2002‐48‐222DRIVER

62yofemale5’4’’134lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001HONDAACCORD12FDEW3ΔV=38mph

DES

CRIPTION HitLeBaron(ΔV=38mph);62yodriverwithheartdisease&previousstroke;AIS4chest

injury;died10dayslaterfromhemorrhagic&cardiogenicshock

VULNERABLEOCCUPANTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS



 



PRE‐EXISTINGMEDICALCONDITION

POST‐CRASHINJURYCOMPLICATIONS

SECONDARYFACTORSELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(62)

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

SHORT‐STATUREOCCUPANT



CDSCASENUMBER2002‐49‐100DRIVER66yofemale5’6’’167lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000CHRYSLERTOWN&COUNTRY12FYEW6ΔV=49mph(?)

DESCRIPTION Mostly‐centeredtreeimpact,muchIPandsteeringassemblyintrusion

TALL,NARROWOBJECTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(66)

TALL,NARROWOBJECT

SECONDARYFACTORSEXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

STEERINGCOLUMNMOVEDUPWARD

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2002‐75‐53RFPASSENGER71yofemale4’1

1’’119lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000TOYOTA4RUNNER4X411FDEW2ΔV=14mph

DESCRIPTION Hitacar(ΔV=14mph);passengerwithlungandlivercancersustainedfatalheadand

chestinjuries

VULNERABLEOCCUPANTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORPRE‐EXISTINGMEDICALCONDITION

SECONDARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH

CDSCASENUMBER2002‐76‐97RFPASSENGER18yomale5’11’’180lbs

CASE

VEHICLE2001CHEVROLETCAVALIER1FDEW5ΔV=53mph

DESCRIPTION Offsetfrontalwith1992PontiacBonneville( V=68

mph)

 Δ

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSOBLIQUECRASH

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2003‐2‐141DRIVER39yomale6’185lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000HONDACIVIC12FDEW5ΔV

=53mph

DESCRIPTION Head‐onwithKiaSportage( VΔ =62mph)

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSFRONT‐TO‐FRONTINCOMPATIBILITY

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2003‐8‐223DRIVER49yomale5’11’’200lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000

FORDE‐150CARGOVAN12FZE

W2

DESCRIPTION Moderateimpactwithpole,thenrolledan

dburned;impaireddriverdidnotexitburning

vehicle

ANOMALY



CDSCASENUMBER2003‐9‐47DRIVER27yomale5’4’’165lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001FORDF‐150PICKUP32FDAW6

DESCRIPTION Headonwi

thheavyNavistartruck;fataltoall3occupantsoftheFord

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSANOMALY:TRAPPEDINBURNINGVEHDUETOROLL,BAC,MEDICALCONDITION

POST‐CRASHFIRE,FATALBURNS

PRE‐EXISTINGMEDICAL

CONDITION



SECONDARYFACTOR

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSUNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2003‐11‐18DRIVER49yom

ale5’8’’130lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001SUBARUFORESTER0FDAW9

Snowmobilewentairborneands

truckgreenhouseofForester

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORA

NOMALY:STRUCKBYANAIRBORNEVEHICLE

SECONDARYFACTORINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

ANOMALY



CDSCASENUMBER2003‐42‐61RFPASSENGER47yomale5’5’’205lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002VWJETTA32FDEW2

DESCRIPTION StrucktherearofaMitsubishiFusosin

gle‐unittruck

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

SECONDARYFACTORINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

CDSCASENUMBER2003‐48‐158RFPASSENGER81yofemale5’7’’161lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002TOYOTATACOMAXTRACABPICKUP11FDEW3ΔV=29mph

DESCRIPTION Front‐to‐frontwithFordF‐150(ΔV=28mph);81yofemalepassengerwiththoracic

injuriesfromsidesurfaces

VULNERABLEOCCUPANTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(81)

AIRBAGSWITCHEDOFFSECONDARYFACTOR



CDSCASENUMBER2003‐49‐158RFPASSENGER16yomale6’1’’117lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001CHEVROLETMALIBU

DESCRIPTION 2right‐sideand1frontalimpact;passenger’sfatalinjuriesfromright‐sidesurface

s

attributabletothesideimpacts

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:sideimpactprimary



CDSCASENUMBER2003‐73‐59DRIVER63yomale6’1’’200lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001CHEVROLETMONTECARLO

DESCRIPTION Frontallyimpactedpole;thenranoffembank‐mentandoverturned;fatalheadinjuries

occurredduringtherollover

CRA

SHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:rolloverprimary



CDSCASENUMBER2003‐76‐134DRIVER46yomale5’10’’194lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001DODGEINTREPID11F9AW9

 Struckatractor‐trailerhead‐on;underridewithmassiveintrusionDESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS 

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE  

  EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH







CDSCASENUMBER2003‐79‐139DRIVER18yomale5’5’’141lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000CHEVROLET3500CARGOVAN12FDAW7

DESCRIPTION Struckrearofstoppedse

mi‐trailer;severeunderridecausedsignificantIP,toepan,and

A‐pillarintrusion

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

SECONDARYFACTORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

OBLIQUECRASH

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSUNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

 TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

SECONDARYFACTORS INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION



CDSCASENUMBER2003‐81‐41DRIVER46yomale5’11’’185lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003CHEVROLETS‐10MAXICABPICKUP12FDEW6

DESCRIPTION Head‐onimpactwitharmoredtruck;intoxicateddriverwasfleeingthesceneofearlier

minorimpactwithothervehicle

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSUNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT



CDSCASENUMBER2003‐81‐44DRIVER19yomale

5’10’’132lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003DODGENEON12FLEE8

DESCRIPTION Hittreewithfrontleftcorner;damagecontinuedalongleftsideasv

ehiclerotated

aroundtree;intrudingtreestruckdriver’shead

CORNERIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

POOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTE

RACTION

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

TALL,NARROWOBJECT



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐2‐62DRIVER81yofemale5’10’’169lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000HONDAACCORD12FLEE2ΔV=14mph

DES

CRIPTION Cornerimpactwithfrontof1989DodgeDynasty;81yodriverhadbelt‐causedfatalchest

injuries

SECONDARYFACTORS



(1)VULNERABLEOCCUPANT;(2)CORNERIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(81)

SECONDARYFACTORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

LIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

CDSCASENUMBER2004‐2‐74DRIVER58yofemale5’2’’141lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003CHEVROLETMALIBU0FDGW9

DESCRIPTION Vehiclewentofftheroadandrolled¼t

urntotheright;thenitfrontallyimpacteda

tree;roofintrusioncausedfatalinjuries

ANOMALYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORANOMALY:STRUCKTREEWHILEROLLINGOVER

SECONDARYFACTORINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

CDSCASENUMBER2004‐9‐62DRIVER70yomale5’11’’211lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001TOYOTAAVALON81FYEW5ΔV=44mph

DESCRIPTION Hittree;driverdiedofchestinjuriesattributedtosteeringwheelresultingfromIP

intrusion

TALL,NARROWOBJECTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORTALL,NARROWOBJECT

ELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(70)

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

SECONDARYFACTOR



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐9‐224DRIVER19yofemale5’4’’119lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000CHEVROLETCAVALIER

DESCRIPTION Vehiclerolleddownembankment

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcas

e:rolloverprimary



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐11‐119DRIVER65yomale6’293lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002CHEVROLETTRACKER0FDAW7

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTOR

ToyotaCorollarolledintotheTracker,impactingA‐pillar

ANOMALY

ANOMALY:STRUCKBYAROLLINGVEHICLE

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐41‐15RFPASSENGER78yofemale5’7’’130lbs

CAS

EVEHICLE2000TOYOTACOROLLA11FYEW3ΔV=28mph

DESCRIPTION RFpassengerdiedfromchestinjuriesattributedtotheseatbelt(ΔV=23mph);oblique,

offsetcrashwithanEclipse

VULNERABLEOCCUPANTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(78)

SECONDARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐42‐113DRIVER23yomale5’10’’200lbs

CASE

VEHICLE2004DODGESTRATUS12FLAA9

DESCRIPTION Struckrearofsemi‐trailer;underrideseverewithnoengagementofprimarystructure

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSUNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

SECONDARYFACTORINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐43‐253DRIVER31yomale5’10’’194lbs

CASE

VEHICLE2004HONDAACCORD11FDAA7

DESCRIPTION Struckfro

ntofheavytruck;obliquitytaxedstructureanddiminishedrestraint

performance

OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

LIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐43‐291DRIVER

33yofemale5’3’’176lbs

CASEVEHICLE2

003DODGECARAVAN12FDEW3

DESCRIPTION Offsetfront‐to‐frontimpactwithheavytruck;underride;substantialdeformationofIP

andsteeringcolumn

OTHER:UNDERRODEFRONTOFHEAVYTRUCKCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

SECONDARYFACTORSnone



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐45‐113DRIVER37yomale6’4’’180lbs

CAS

EVEHICLE2000HONDACIVIC1FYEW4ΔV=26mph

DESCRIPTION StruckDodgeDurangowithcorner;largegreenhouseintrusion;headinjury

(1)CORNERIMPACT;(2)OTHER:INCOMPATIBILITYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

FRONT‐TO‐FRONTINCOMPATIBILITY

SECONDARYFACTORSINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐47‐83RFPASSENGER76yofemale5’6’’180

lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003CHEVROLETSILVERADOPICKUP12FREW5

DESCRIPTION Offroadandintolargetree;majorIPintrusionandseatdeformationforRFP

(1)CORNERIMPACT;(2)TALL,NARROWOBJECTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

TALL,NARROWOBJECT

SECONDARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

ELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(76)

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

INTEGRATEDSEATBELTDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN

SEATDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN



CDSCASEN

UMBER2004‐48‐58DRIVER36yomale6’189lbs

CASE

VEHICLE2002GMCDENALI11FDAW6ΔV=22mph

DESCRIPTION StruckaboveframerailsbyairborneChevroletLumina;substantialIPintrusionofthree

feet

ANOMALYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSUNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

ANOMALY:STRUCKBYANAIRBORNEVEHICLE

none



SECONDARYFACTORS



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐49‐106DRIVER30yomale5’6’’183lbs

CASEVEHICLE2004FORDMUSTANG21FDAW7ΔV=52mph

DESCRIPTION Head‐onwithF‐250carryingsteelpipesonitsroof

EXCEEDINGLYSEVEREANDANOMALYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSEXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

ANOMALY:PIPESONOTHERVEHENTEREDCASEVEH

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH



SECONDARYFACTOR



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐49‐106(sameasprevious)RFPASSENGER26yofemal

e4’9’’125lbs

CASEVEHICLE2004FORDM

USTANG21FDAW7ΔV=52mph

DESCRIPTION Head‐onwithF‐250carryingsteelpipesonitsroof

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSEXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

ANOMALY:PIPESONOTHERVEHENTEREDCASEVEH

SECONDARYFACTOR INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

EXCEEDINGLYSEVEREANDANOMALY



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐49‐168RFPASSENGER56yofemale5’6’’189lbs

CASEVEHICLE2004MERCEDESS4301FREW2ΔV=19mph

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIR

BAGINTERACTION

OBLIQUECRASH

ObliqueimpactwithCamry( VΔ =19mph);passenger’sheadhitA‐pillar

OBLIQUEIMPACT

SECONDARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(56)



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐50‐32RFPASSENGER65yofemale5’2’’145lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001SUBARUFORESTER12FRAE9

DESCRIPTION Hitpolewithrightcorner;muchIPand

sidestructureintrusion

(1)CORNERIMPACT;(2)TALL,NARROWOBJECTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

TALL,NARROWOBJECT

SECONDARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(65)

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

CDSCASENUMBER2004‐50‐147DRIVER

80yofemale5’2’’119lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001HONDACIVIC12FDEW2

DES

CRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS



Hitacar(ΔV=25mph);80‐year‐old5’2’’driverhadbelt‐causedfatalchestinjuries

VULNERABLEOCCUPANT

ELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(80)

BELT‐CAUSEDINJURIES

SHORT‐STATUREOCCUPANT



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐73‐147DRIVER58yomale5’8’’165lbs

CASEVEHICLE

2002PONTIA

CMONTANA12FDAW6ΔV=59mph

DESCRIPTION ImpactwithbedofpickuptruckcausingA‐pillarimpactwithframeofstruckvehicle

ANOMALYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐73‐16

5DRIVER52yomale6’1’’299lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002FORDEXPLORER12FDAA6

DESCRIPTION Struckrearofsemi‐trailer;underridesevere;driverdiedofheadandchestinjuries

sourcedtosteeringwheel

ANOMALY:STRUCKBEDOFYAWINGPICKUPTRUC

K

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

SECONDARYFACTORSEXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

CDSCASENUMBER2004‐73‐241DRIVER52yomale5’11’’154lbs

CAS

EVEHICLE2004NISSANALTI

MA11FLEE8ΔV=30mph

DESCRIPTION Hitbody‐on‐framepassengercar(11FLEE),driversustainedheadinjuriesfromintrudingA‐

pillar

CORNERANDOBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

OBLIQUECRASH

POOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

FRONT‐TO‐FRONTINCOMPATIBILITY



SECONDARYFACTORS



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐76‐57DRIVER19yofemale5’5’’220lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002CHEVROLETCAVALIER91FYEW4EDRΔV=62mph

DESCRIPTION Hitaconcreteporch( VΔ =62mphEDR);19‐year

‐olddriverhadfatalheadinjuries

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐76‐157DRIVER68yomale5’6’’185lbs

CASEVEHICLE

2002CHEVROLETCAVALIER12FDEW5EDRΔV=53mph

DES

CRIPTION StruckaFordExplorer(ΔV=53mphEDR);68yodriversustainedchestinjuriesfrom

steeringwheel

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORFRONT‐TO‐FRONTINCOMPATIBILITY

ELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(68)

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐79‐49DRIVER72yofemale5’1’’330lbs

CASEVEH

ICLE2001TOYOTACAMRY12FYAW6

DESCRIPTION StruckaF

ordvan(ΔV=18mph);minimalintrusiontooccupantcompartment;driver

sustainedbrokenribs

VULNERABLEOCCUPANTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(72)

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

POOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

SHORT‐STATUREOCCUPANT



SECONDARYFACTORS

CDSCASENUMBER2004‐79‐244DRIVER70yomale5’9’’299lbs

CASE

VEHICLE2003CADILLACDeVILLE12FDEW4

DESCRIPTION StruckaFordE

scape(ΔV=23mph);passenger‐sideoffsetcrash;driversustainedfatal

chestinjuriesfromsteeringwheel

VULNERABLEOCCUPANTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(70)

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

SECONDARYFACTORSnone



CDSCASENUMBER2004‐82

‐16RFPASSENGER25yofemale5’3’’117lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000VWJETTA12FZAW9

DESCRIPTION Frontrightcornerimpactedtheleftrearcornerofaparkedtrailer

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

SECONDARYFACTORSnone



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐2‐54DRIVER60yofemale5’6’’299lbs

CASE

VEHICLE2004DODGENEON12FLEE6ΔV=16mph

DESCRIPTION HitEscort,relativelylow‐speedcornerimpact(FLEE);driver(age60,weight300)

sustainedchestinjuriesfromsteeringwheel

(1)CORNERIMPACT;(2)VULNERABLEOCCUPANTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

ELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(60)

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS

SECONDARYFACTORS





CDSCASENUMBER2005‐4‐119DRIVER86yomale

6’189lbs

CASEVEH

ICLE2003CHEVROLETIMPALA1FDEW3ΔV=23mph

DESCRIPTION StruckHyundaiElantra(ΔV=23mph);minimalintrusion;86yodriverfracturedfemur;

died85hourslater

OTHER:POST‐CRASHINJURYCOMPLICATIONSCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(86)

POST‐CRASHINJURYCOMPLICATIONS

SECONDARYFACTORSnone



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐9‐64RFPASSENGER24yomale

6’205lbs

CASEVEHICLE2004BMWM332FDEW4

DESCRIPTION Struckmultipletreeswithrightside,thenalargetre

ewithfront

ANOMALYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORANOMALY:MULTIPLEEVENTSPITCHEDOCCTOWARDA‐PILLAR

SECONDARYFACTORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

CDSCASENUMBER2005‐9‐189DRIVER43yomale6’2’’262lbs

CASEVEHICLE2005FORDESCAPE4X412FDAW9

DESCRIPTION Rear‐endedschoolbus;severeunderride

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

none



SECONDARYFACTORS



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐43‐231DRIVER31yomale6’200lbs

CASEVEHICLE2

000JEEPCHEROKEE11FLEE9

DESCRIPTION Hittreewithleftcorner,the

nrolled;severeroofandtoepanintrusion(characteristic

corner‐to‐treedamage)

(1)CORNERIMPACT;(2)TALL,NARROWOBJECTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

TALL,NARROWOBJECT

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



SECONDARYFACTORS



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐45‐116RFPASSENGER87yofemale4’7’’97lbs

CAS

EVEHICLE2003DODGENEON12F

DES

CRIPTION Struckaculver

(4’7’’)

REE2 V=14mph

(

ΔV=14mph);87yopassenger;likelypoorbeltfitduetoshortstature

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS



VULNERABLEOCCUPANT



ELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(87)

POOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

BELTDIDNOTADE

QUATELYRESTRAIN

AIRBAGINJUREDOUT‐OF‐POSITIONOCCUPANT

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS

SHORT‐STATUREOCCUPANT



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐45‐142DR

IVER63yofemale5’7’’125lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003ACURATL12FYEW5ΔV=44mph

DESCRIPTION Offsetfrontalwith1984Chevroletcargovan( V=51mph)Δ

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSOBLIQUECRASH

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐45‐196DRIVER69yomaleunknownheight224lbs

CASEVEHICLE2005CHEVROLETIMPALA12FDEW3ΔV=24mph

DESCRIPTION Obliqueimpactwithfrontof2005NissanMurano;69yodriverhadbelt‐causedinjuriesand

died16dayslater(unbelted67yoRFpassengersurvived)

(1)VULNERABLEOCCUPANT;(2)OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(69)

SECONDARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐47‐102DRIVER22yomale5’10’’229lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001FORDF‐150CREWCABPICKUP92FYEW6

DESCRIPTION Severeoffsetimpactwith1992FordExplorer;muchIP,toep

an,andA‐pillarintrusion;

driverwasobese

CORNERIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

FACTORSINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



SECONDARY





CDSCASENUMBER2005‐47‐13

4DRIVER44yofemale5’4’’114lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002PONTIACFIREBIRD12FLEW3ΔV=34mph

DESCRIPTION Obliqueimpactwith2000FordExplorer;stiffnessandheightmismatchbetween2passenger

vehiclescontributedtoIPintrusion

OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH

FRONT‐TO‐FRONTINCOMPATIBILITY

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS

SECONDARYFACTORS

CDSCASENUMBER2005‐47‐137DRIVER

19yofemale5’3’’114lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001FORDMUSTANG11FDAW6

DESCRIPTION Struckrearofstoppedsemi‐tr

ailer;impactspeedhigherthanthisstudy’stypicalrear

impactwithatrailer;severeintrusion

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSUNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH



SECONDARYFACTORS





DSCASENUMBER2005‐49‐205DRIVER44yomale5’11’’220lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001FORDT

AURUS

DESCRIPTION Sideswipe+frontalpoleimpact+rollover;insufficientinjury/contactdatatodetermine

ifthefrontalwasthecriticalevent,orwhatprimaryfactorswereinvolved

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:insufficientinformation



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐50‐125DRIVER41yomale5’1’’194lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002PONTIACGRANDPRIX12FYEW6ΔV=53mph

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS



StruckLexusLS430( V=53mph);sustainedlargeIPintrusion;thoracictrauma

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

STEERINGCOLUMNMOVEDUPWARD



VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS

CDSCASENUMBER2005‐72‐36DRIVER35yomale5

’10’’198lbs

CASE

VEHICLE2004CHEVROLETCAVALIER12

FDAW9

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORT

RAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

INTRUSIONOFROO

F,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

SECONDARYFACTORS



Struckrearoftrailerandunderrode;su

stainedseverewindshieldheaderintrusion

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLE



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐74‐138DRIVER47yofemale5’3’’161lbs

CASEVEHICLE2005TOYOTACOROLLA12FDEW6ΔV=60mph

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

SECONDARYFACTORS

OffsetfrontalwithMercedesS320( VΔ =60mph);thoracictrauma

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐75‐170DRIVER64yofemale5’1’’150lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002FORDMUSTANG12FDAW9

DESCRIPTION Offsetfrontalwithmotorcoach;largeIPintrusion;ne

ckandthoracictrauma

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

SECONDARYFACTORS





CDSCASENUMBER2005‐79‐139DRIVER74yofemale5’4’’134lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000HONDAACCORD12FYEN3

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(74)

SECONDARYFACTORSAIRBAGINJUREDOUT‐OF‐POSITIONOCCUPANT

OUT‐OF‐POSITIONOCCUPANT

MULTIPLE‐EVENTCRASH

Jumpedcurbandstrucklightpole;74yofemalehadthoracicinjuriesfromairbag

VULNERABLEOCCUPANT



CDSCASENUMBER2005‐81‐69DRIVER22yofemale5’5’’224lbs

CASEVEHICLE2005ACURARSX

DESCRIPTION Hitbycarinf

rontandbytractor‐trailerinLside;fatalinjuriesattributedtoleft‐

sidesurfacesduringthesideimpact

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:sideimpactprimary



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐3‐121DRIVER76yofemale5’3’’112lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003HONDAACCORD

DESCRIPTION 76yodriverapparentlyd

iedfromdiseasewithonsetpriortolow‐speedcrashonquiet

cul‐de‐sac

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:diedprecrash



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐4‐45DRIVER19yofemale5’3’’130lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001SATURNSC91FDEW3

DESCRIPTION Struckapproachingtractor‐trailerwhilemakingaleftturn;obliquei

mpactwith

underride;headerandIPintrusion

(1)OBLIQUEIMPACT;(2)OTHER:UNDERRODEFRONTOFHEAVYTRUCKCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS



SECONDARYFACTOR

CDSCASENUMBER2006‐9‐59DRIVER35yomale5’2’’

194lbs

CASEVEHICLE2006FORDESCAPE4X492FYEW4ΔV

=38mph

DESCRIPTION Struck2003ChevroletMalibu;obliqueimpactresultedinA‐pillar,header,androof‐rail

intrusion

OBLIQUECRASH

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

SHORT‐STATUREOCCUPANT

CDSCASENUMBER2006‐11‐150RFPASSENGER17yofemale5’9’’147lbs







CASEVEHICLE2002CHEVROLETTRAILBLAZER12FDEW4

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRID

SECONDARYFACTORBACK‐SEATBULLET

Struckatractor‐trailerintherear;fatalheadinjury

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLE

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

E





CDSCASENUMBER2006‐11‐163DRIVER35yomale5’11’’163lbs

CASEVEHICLE2006LINCOLNZEPHYR12FDAA9

Struckrearofsemi‐trailer;i

mpactnottoosevere;underridesevere

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATI

PRIMARYFACTORSUNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLE

SECONDARYFACTORINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐11‐220DRIVER70yofemale5’10’’161lbs

CASEVEHICLE2004GMCYUKONXL12FDEW4

DES

CRIPTION Crossedditch,throwingdriveroutofposition;thenhitpole

OTHER:AIRBAGINJUREDOUT‐OF‐POSITIONDRIVERCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS AIRBAGINJUREDOUT‐OF‐POSITIONOCCUPANT



OUT‐OF‐POSITIONOCCUPANT

SECONDARYFACTORBELTORINTEGRATEDSEATBELTDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐12‐161DRIVER30yomale6’1’’244lbs

CASEVEHICLE2

005CHRYSLERTOWN&COUNTRY12FDEK5

DESCRIPTION ObliqueoffsetimpactwithSilverado;damagecontinuedalongleftsideasvehiclesrotated

OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH

SPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

SECONDARYFACTOR



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐41‐64DRIVER78yofemale5’4’’183lbs

CASEVEHICLE2005LEXUSES‐30012FDEW4

DES

CRIPTION Centeredtreeimpact( VΔ ≈30mph)apparentlydelayeddeploy

mentoftheairbag

TALL,NARROWOBJECTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

ELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(78)

TALL,NARROWOBJECT

SECONDARYFACTORSOBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

CDSCASENUMBER2006‐41‐132DRIVER73yomale5’11’’183lbs

CASEVEHICLE2006TOYOTAHIGHLANDER

DESCRIPTION Chaincoll

ision‐butallthemajorinjuriesattributabletotherearimpact

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:rearimpactprimary



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐45‐59DRIVER23yofemale5’6’’141lbs

CASEVEHICLE2005FORDFOCUS12FDEK5

DESCRIPTION ObliqueoffsetimpactwithLexusIS‐300;driver’strajectoryintointr

udingcenterIP

OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH

POOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

SECONDARYFACTORS





CDSCASENUMBER2006‐49‐23DRIVER26yofemale5’2’’304lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003NISSANALTIMA

DESCRIPTION Teambelievesseatbeltswerestowedatthetimeoftheimpa

ct;theylockedinthat

positionandpretensionerfired,butthedriverwasn’twearingthem

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:unbelted



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐49‐137DRIVER19yomale5’3’’119lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002PONTIACAZTEK12FLAE7ΔV=34mph

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

TALL,NARROWOBJECT

SECONDARYFACTORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROG

StruckpolewithLFcorner;severeIPandheaderintrusion

(1)CORNERIMPACT;(2)TALL,NARROWOBJECT



RAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐49‐201DRIVER52yofemale5’2’’257lbs

CASEVEHICLE2006KIARIO12FDEW4

DESCRIPTION Rear‐endedsemi‐trailer(BES52mph);goodperformanceoftrailer’sunderrideguard,but

impactjusttoosevere

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSOBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

BELTDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN

SHORT‐STATUREOCCUPANT



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐50‐83DRIVER28yomale5’2’’110lbs

CASEVEHICLE

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCL

ASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS



SECONDARYFACTORS



VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐72‐142DRIVER25yomale5’11’’174lbs

CAS

EVEHICLE2006FORDMUSTANG

DESCRIPTION Sideimpactwithpoleandfrontalimpactwithbarrier;driverhitheadonpoleduring

side‐impactevent

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:si

deimpactprimary



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐73‐71DRIVER65yomale5’11’’229lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003JEEPG

RANDCHEROKEE12FREW4ΔV=28mph

DESCRIPTION HitrearofSaturnLS,thenhitpole;airbagdeployedonfirstimpact;highestDeltaVon

poleimpact

2000HYUNDAITIBURON12FLAE9ΔV=18mph

Cornerimp

actwithJeepGrandCherokee

CORNERIMPACT

LIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGA

GEMENT

ERIOROBJ/VEH

MENT)

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXT

FRONT‐TO‐FRONT

INCOMPATIBILITY

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGE

ANOMALYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSANOMALY:MULTIPLEFRONTALIMPACTS

MULTIPLE‐EVENTCRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐75‐22RFPASSENGER27yomale6’4’’189lbs

CASEVEHICLE

2

006MITSUBISHIECLIPSE12FZAW6

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSTALL,NARROWOBJECT

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

SECONDARYFACTORSnone

Centeredimpactwithtree;impactmissedcar’sframerails;severeintrusion

TALL,NARROWOBJECT 



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐75‐23DRIVER22yomale5’5’’139lbs

CASEVEHICLE2005MITSUBISHILANCER12FLEE7ΔV=34mph

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS



SECONDARYFACTORS



CornerimpactwithGMCSuburban;headandneckinjuries

CORNERIMPACT

LIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

FRONT‐TO‐FRONTINCOMPATIBILITY

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐75‐96DRIVER31yomale5’8’’134lbs

2000CHRYSLERCONCORDE12FYEW4ΔV=24mph

Obliqueimpactwith2006ToyotaSolara;muchIPandtoepanintrusion;seatdeformeddue

to‘back‐seatbullet’

CASEVEHICLE

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSOBLIQUECRASH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

BELTORINTEGRATEDSEATBELTDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN

BACK‐SEATBULLET

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



SECONDARYFACTORS



OBLIQUEIMPACT



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐75‐98DRI

VER25yofemale5’8’’161lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001CHEVROLETMALIBU11FDAW7ΔV=63mph

DESCRIPTION High‐speedobliqueimpactwith1994JeepCherokee(ΔV=63mph);stiffnessandheight

mismatchcausedmuchIPandtoepanintrusion

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS



SECONDARYFACTORS

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

FRONT‐TO‐FRONT

INCOMPATIBILITY

OBLIQUECRASH

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐78‐62DRIVER50yofemale5’6’’114lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000DODGERAMQ

UADCABPICKUP69FDAW6

DESCRIPTION Strucktherightreartiresofasemi‐trailerandunderrodeit;severeintrusion;post‐

crashfire

UNDERRODESIDEOFHEAVYVEHICLECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORUNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

SECONDARYFACTORVEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐78‐132DRIVER66yofemale5’5’’130lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003FORDF‐250CREWCAB4X4PICKUP12FDAW6

DESCRIPTION Severeobliquefront‐to‐frontimpactwithKen

worthtractorpullingasemi‐trailer;

underridecausedmuchIPintrusion

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORS



SECONDARYFACTORS



EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENG

AGEMENT)

POOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

OBLIQUECRASH

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION



CDSCASENUMBER2006‐81‐39RFPASSENGER62yomale5’11’’220lbs

CAS

EVEHICLE2006TOYOTACOROLLA31FDEW4ΔV=24mph

DESCRIPTION Frontallyimpactedembankment,rolled3quarterturns,andlandedonitsrightside;

passengerwas62yoandobese

ANOMALYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS

ANOMALY:STRUCKUNUSUALOBJECT&OVERTURNED

ELEVATEDOC

CUPANTAGE(62)

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

CDSCASENUMBER2006‐82‐4DRIVER47yomale5’5’’222lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003CHEVROLETSILVERADOPICKUP12FDEW4EDRΔV=51mph

DESCRIPTION Severehead‐onimpactwith2003FordF‐250carrying2,000lbs.ofcargo(EDRΔV=51mph);

muchIPandtoepanintrusion

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSEXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

ANOMALY:2000POUNDSCARGOINOTHERVEHICLE

SECONDARYFACTORSOBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

BELTORINTEGRATEDSEATBELTDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐2‐13

9DRIVER79yofemale5’7’’150lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001NISSANSENTRA12FYEW5ΔV=24mph

DESCRIPTION Offsetimpactwith2001JeepCherokee;79yodriversatclosetosteeringwheelas

evidencedbyairbagrelatedinjuries

VULNERABLEOCCUPANTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(79)

SECONDARYFACTORSFRONT‐TO‐FRONTINCOMPATIBILITY

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐5‐21DRIVER48yofemale5’9’’191lbs

CASEVEHICLE2006HONDAPILOT

DESCRIPTION Contactpointsandinjurypatterns(roof,steeringwheel,Lside)morechar

acteristicof

anunbeltedthanabelted5’9”driver

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:unbelted



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐9‐63DRIVER60yomale6’5’’279lbs

CASEVEHICLE2006TOYOTAAVALON12FDAA8

DESCRIPTION Struckatractor‐trailerintherear;extensiveheaderandIPintrusion

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSUNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

SECONDARYFACTORINTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

CDSCASENUMBER2007‐11‐39DRIVER64yomale5’10’’249lbs

CASEVEHICLE2006SUBARUOUTBACK12FYAA9

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS



High‐speedimpa

ctintotherightrearcornerofamedium‐heavytruck(U‐haultype)

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐11‐72DRIVER18yomale5’9’’136lbs

CASEVEHICLE

DES

CRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS



2002HONDAACCORD72FDAW6ΔV=85mph



Struckatree( VΔ =85mph)



 EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

 EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSI

ON

 STEERINGCOLUMNMOVEDUPWARD



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐11‐135DRIVER80yomale5’10’’150lbs

CASEVEHICLE2004CHEVROLETMALIBU12FCEW3

DESCRIPTION Ranoffroadandstruck3trees;probablyout‐of‐positionpriortomainimpact;contacted

steeringwheelrim

VULNERABLEOCCUPANTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(80)

OUT‐OF‐POSITIONOCCUPANTSECONDARYFACTOR



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐12‐180DRIVER56yofemale5’3’’180lbs

CAS

EVEHICLE2000DODGEDAKOTAQUADCABPICKUP81FDEW4ΔV=42mph

DESCRIPTION Head‐onwithFordF‐250;IPintrusion,nopretensioners,shortdriver;fatalchestinjury

fromsteeringassembly

OTHER:DIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMSCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSEXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS

RSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

SHORT‐STATUREOCCUPANT



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐41‐61DRI

VER57yofemale5’7’’251lbs

CASEVEHICLE2002HONDAACCORD

DESCRIPTION 57yo,obesedriverhadaheartattackshortlybeforethisminorfront‐to‐rearimpactwith

astoppedBMW

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:diedofdisease



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐42‐9DRIVER46yoma

le5’10’’222lbs

CASEVEHICLE2004INFINITIFX3512FDAW9

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS



Highspeedfrontalimpactwiththerearcornerofamotorhometriggeredarollover;

driversustainedfatalchestinjuriesfromthesteeringwheel



SECONDARYFACTO



EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

POOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

TRAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐47‐61DRIVER58yomale5’10’’299lbs

CASEVEHICLE2005HONDACRV1

2FYAW9

DESCRIPTION CornerimpactwithSilverado2500;pickuptruckpocketedtheHonda’sdoor;driverhithead

onitshood

CORNERANDOBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

UNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

SECONDARYFACTORSOBLIQUECRASH

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐47‐119DRIVER36yomale5’9’’180lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001DODGERAM1500QUADCABPI

CKUP81FDAW6

DESCRIPTION High‐speedobliqueimpactintothesideofaheavytrailercomingfromtheopposite

direction

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSOBLIQUECRASH

INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

VEHICLEDIDNOTPERFORMWELLINCRASH‐SAFETYRATINGPROGRAMS



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐48‐186DRIVER

66yomale5’6’’150lbs

CASEVEHICLE2003TOYOTATACOMADOUBLECABP

ICKUP11FDEW4ΔV=40mph

DESCRIPTION ObliqueimpactwithLincolnTownCar(ΔV=40mph);8’’ofsteeringwheelandIP

intrusion;fatalheadandchestinjuriesfromsteeringwheel

OBLIQUEIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOROBLIQUECRASH

ORSPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

ELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE

SECONDARYFACT



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐49‐165DRIVER50yomale6’

240lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001FORDTAURUS12FZEN3ΔV=27mph

DESCRIPTION Frontallyimpactedaconcretebarrierandtrees,resultinginafire;driverdiedfrom

burns,notimpacttrauma

ANOMALYCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSANOMALY:POST‐CRASHFIRE

POST‐CRASHFIRE,FATALBURNS

SECONDARYFACTORLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐49‐180RFPASSENGER57yomale5’8’’134lbs

CASEVEHICLE2006CHRYSLERPTCRUISER

DESCRIPTION RoaddebrissetinmotionbyanothervehiclepenetratedthewindshieldandkilledRF

passenger;nof

rontalimpactorothercrashevent

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:projectileflewintovehicle



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐72‐101DRIVER71yofemale5’11’’255lbs

CASEVEHICLE2001BUICKLeSABRE12FYEW2

DESCRIPTION Hit2carsand3treesatlowseverity/minimalinteriorintrusion;chestinjuriesprobably

frombeltload

VULNERABLEOCCUPANT

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(71)

OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

SECONDARYFACTORPOOROCCUPANT‐AIRBAGINTERACTION

CDSCASENUMBER2007‐72‐126DRIVER82yomale6’200lbs

CASEVEH

ICLE2005FORDFOCUS12FLEE5ΔV=23mph

DESCRIPTION Strucklargetreewithcorner;82yomaledriver

(1)VULNERABLEOCCUPANT;(2)CORNERIMPACTCRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORELEVATEDOCCUPANTAGE(82)

SECONDARYFACTORLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐73‐37DRIVER46yomale6’2’’246lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000TOYOTACELLICA12FDAW9

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSUNDERRIDE(LIMITEDVERTICALENGAGEMENT)

T

RAILERGUARDDIDNOTPREVENTUNDERRIDE

SECONDARYFACTOR INTRUSIONOFROOF,A‐PILLAROREXTERIOROBJ/VEH

Struckrearoftrailerwithrightfront;underridewith>61cmheaderintr

usion

UNDERRODEREAROFHEAVYVEHICLE

CDSCASENUMBER2007‐73‐137DRIVER52yomale5’11’’145lbs

CASEVEHICLE2005DODGESTRATUS1FYAW7ΔV=51mph

DES

CRIPTION Offsetfrontal(Δ

E

V=51mph)withChevroletBlazer;

severeintrusionandobliquity

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORSOBLIQUECRASH

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

RSLIMITEDHORIZONTALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

FRONT‐TO‐FRONTINCOMPATIBILITY

EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION



SECONDARYFACTO

CDSCASENUMBER2007‐74‐107,VEHICLENO.1,DRIVER20yofemale5’4’’161lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000FORDTAURUS12FDEW5Δ

=59mph

DESCRIPTION Full‐frontalhead‐on( V=59mph)

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOREXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

SECONDARYFACTORSEXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

CDSCASENUMBER2007‐74‐147(sameasprevious),VEHICLENO.2,DRIVER62yomale6’2’’330lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000BUICKPARKAVENUE12FDEW5ΔV=47mph

DESCRIPTION Full‐frontalhead‐on( V=47mph);all‐belts‐to‐seatwithobeseoccupants

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS



AIRBAGBOTTOMEDOUT

INTEGRATEDSEATBELTDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE 

 EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH

 OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

 EXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION







CDSCASENUMBER2007‐74‐147(sameasprevious2),VEHICLENO.2,RFPASSENGER62yofemale5’7’’200lbs

CASEVEHICLE2000BUICKPARKAVENUE12FDEW5ΔV=47mph

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTOR

SECONDARYFACTORS

Full‐frontalhead‐on( VΔ =47mph);all‐belts‐to‐seatwithobeseoccupan

ts

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERE

EXCEEDINGLYSEVERECRASH



OBESE(BMI30ORMORE)

INTEGRATEDSEATBELTDIDNOTADEQUATELYRESTRAIN



CDSCASENUMBER2007‐78‐24DRIVER27yomale5’1’’130lbs

CASE

VEHICLE

2000NISSANFRONTIERPICKUP1FYAW9

Crossedcenterlineandimpactedsideoftrail

ernearwheel/axleassembly

DESCRIPTION

CRASHCLASSIFICATION

PRIMARYFACTORLIMITEDHORIZONT

ALSTRUCTURALENGAGEMENT

SECONDARYFACTOREXCESSIVEIPORTOEPANINTRUSION

CDSCASENUMBER2007‐81‐57DRIVER35yomale5’9’’191lbs

CASEVEHICLE2006FORDF‐150SUPERCAB4X4PICKUP

DESCRIPTION Truckranoffr

oad,leaningandyawing;right‐frontfendercontactedsignpostathigh

speed;postcutthruenginecompartment

CRASHCLASSIFICATIONdroppedcase:sideimpactprimary

(1)UNDERRODESIDEOFHEAVYVEHICLE;(2)CORNERIMPACT

APPENDIX B

INDEX OF CASES IN EACH BIN

Exceedingly severe crash and/or anomaly

As the only bin:

Exceedingly severe crash 2000-11-30 (2 fatalities), 2000-12-78, 2000-78-80,

2001-11-178, 2002-12-186 (2 fatalities), 2002-42-25, 2002-45-16, 2002-47-39,

2002-47-134, 2002-76-97, 2003-2-141, 2003-9-47, 2003-76-134, 2003-81-41,

2004-76-57, 2004-76-157, 2005-45-142, 2005-50-125, 2005-74-138, 2005-75-170,

2006-49-201, 2006-75-98, 2006-78-132, 2006-82-4, 2007-11-39, 2007-11-72, 2007-42-9,

2007-47-119, 2007-73-137, 2007-74-107 (3 fatalities)

Anomaly 2001-13-181, 2001-45-114, 2002-9-25, 2003-8-223, 2003-11-18, 2004-2-74,

2004-11-119, 2004-48-58, 2004-73-147, 2005-9-64, 2006-73-71, 2006-81-39,

2007-49-165

Exceedingly severe crash and anomaly 2004-49-106 (2 fatalities)

Corner and/or oblique impact

As the only or primary bin:

Corner impact 2000-76-139, 2002-2-114, 2003-81-44, 2004-45-113, 2004-47-83,

2004-50-32, 2005-2-54, 2005-43-231, 2005-47-102, 2006-49-137, 2006-50-83,

2006-75-23,

Corner and oblique impact 2001-81-117, 2002-42-34 (driver), 2004-73-241, 2007-47-61

-75-113, 2001-76-111, 2002-9-131, 2002-42-34 (RF passenger),

2004-43-253, 2004-49-168, 2005-47-134, 2006-4-45, 2006-9-59, 2006-12-161,

2006-45-59, 2006-75-96, 2007-48-186

As the secondary bin: 2004-2-62, 2005-45-196, 2007-72-126, 2007-78-24

Oblique impact 2001

Underrode rear/side of heavy vehicle

As the only or primary bin:

Underrode rear of heavy vehicle 2000-49-254, 2002-9-43, 2003-42-61, 2003-79-139,

2004-42-113, 2004-73-165, 2004-82-16, 2005-9-189, 2005-47-137, 2005-72-36,

2006-11-150, 2006-11-163, 2007-9-63, 2007-73-37

Underrode side of heavy vehicle 2000-43-243, 2006-78-62, 2007-78-24

Vulnerable occupant

As the only or primary bin: 2002-48-222, 2002-75-53, 2003-48-158, 2004-2-62, 2004-41-15,

2004-50-147, 2004-79-49, 2004-79-244, 2005-45-116, 2005-45-196, 2005-79-139,

2007-2-139, 2007-11-135, 2007-72-101, 2007-72-126

As the secondary bin: 2005-2-54

Tall, narrow object

As the only or primary bin: 2002-49-100, 2004-9-62, 2006-41-64, 2006-75-22

As the secondary bin: 2002-2-114, 2004-47-83, 2004-50-32, 2005-43-231, 2006-49-137

Other

As the only or primary bin:

Did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs

Seat belt anchor and seat track tore loose

Air bag did not deplo

Back-seat bull

Underrode front of heavy truck

Post-crash injury complication

Air bag injured out-of-position driver

2000-8-226, 2007-12-180

000-12-137

y 2001-12-116

et 2002-45-135

2004-43-291

s 2005-4-119

006-11-220

As the secondary bin: 2004-45-113, 2006-4-45

APPENDIX C

INDEX OF CASES EXHIBITING EACH FACTOR

Factors describing the crash configuration or partners

Exceedingly severe crash

As a primary factor: 2000-11-130 (2 fatalities), 2000-12-78, 2000-78-80, 2001-11-178,

2002-12-186 (2 fatalities), 2002-42-25, 2002-45-16, 2002-47-39, 2002-47-134, 2002-76-97,

2003-2-141, 2003-9-47, 2003-76-134, 2003-81-41, 2004-49-106 (2 fatalities), 2004-76-57,

2004-76-157, 2005-45-142, 2005-47-102, 2005-50-125, 2005-74-138, 2005-75-170,

2006-49-201, 2006-75-98, 2006-78-132, 2006-82-4, 2007-11-39, 2007-11-72, 2007-42-9,

2007-47-119, 2007-73-137, 2007-74-107 (3 fatalities)

As a secondary factor: 2000-8-226, 2001-12-116, 2001-76-111, 2002-45-135, 2004-47-83,

2004-73-147, 2004-73-165, 2004-73-241, 2005-47-137, 2007-48-186

Underride

As a primary factor: 2000-11-130 (2 fatalities), 2000-43-243, 2000-49-254, 2002-9-43,

2003-42-61, 2003-76-134, 2003-79-139, 2004-42-113, 2004-43-291, 2004-48-58, 2004-73-165,

2004-82-16, 2005-9-189, 2005-47-137, 2006-4-45, 2006-11-150, 2006-11-163, 2006-78-62,

2006-78-132, 2007-9-63, 2007-47-61, 2007-73-37

As a secondary factor: 2000-78-80, 2001-11-178, 2001-81-117, 2002-9-25, 2002-9-131,

2003-9-47, 2003-81-41, 2005-72-36, 2006-50-83, 2006-75-23, 2006-75-98, 2007-11-39,

2007-42-9

Trailer’s guard did not prevent underride

As a primary factor: 2000-49-254, 2002-9-43, 2003-42-61, 2003-79-139, 2004-42-113,

2004-73-165, 2004-82-16, 2005-47-137, 2005-72-36, 2006-11-150, 2006-11-163, 2007-9-63,

2007-73-37

As a secondary factor: 2007-11-39, 2007-42-9

Limited horizontal structural engagement

As a primary factor: 2000-76-139, 2002-2-114, 2002-9-13

1, 2002-42-34 (driver), 2003-81-44,

2004-43-291, 2004-45-113, 2004-47-83, 2004-50-32, 2004-73-241, 2004-82-16, 2005-2-54,

2005-43-231, 2005-47-102, 2006-41-64, 2006-49-137, 2006-50-83, 2006-75-23, 2007-47-61, 2007-78-24

As a secondary factor: 2001-13-181, 2001-81-117, 2002-42-34 (RF passenger), 2004-2-62,

2004-43-253, 2007-49-165, 2007-72-126, 2007-73-137

Tall, narrow object

As a primary factor: 2002-2-114, 2002-49-100, 2004-9-62, 2004-47-83, 2004-50-32,

2005-43-231, 2006-41-64, 2006-49-137, 2006-75-22

As a secondary factor: 2003-81-44

Oblique crash

As a primary factor: 2001-75-113, 2001-76-111, 2001-81-117, 2002-9-131, 2002-42-34 (2

fatalities), 2004-43-253, 2004-49-168, 2004-73-241, 2005-47-134, 2006-4-45, 2006-9-59,

2006-12-161, 2006-45-59, 2006-75-96, 2007-48-186, 2007-73-137

As a secondary factor: 2001-12-116, 2002-75-53, 2002-76-97, 2003-76-134, 2004-41-15,

2005-45-142, 2005-45-196, 2006-75-98, 2006-78-132, 2007-47-61, 2007-47-119

Front-to-front incompatibility

As a primary factor: 2004-45-113, 2006-75-98

As a secondary factor: 2001-11-178, 2002-9-131, 2003-2-141, 2004-73-241, 2004-76-157,

2005-47-134, 2006-50-83, 2006-75-23, 2007-2-139, 2007-73-137

Anomaly

As a primary factor: 2000-12-137, 2001-13-181, 2001-45-114, 2002-9-25, 2003-8-223,

2003-11-18, 2004-2-74, 2004-11-119, 2004-48-58, 2004-49-106 (2 fatalities), 2004-73-147,

2005-9-64, 2006-73-71, 2006-81-39, 2006-82-4, 2007-49-165

Multiple-event crash

As a primary factor: 2000-12-137, 2006-73-71

As a secondary factor: 2005-79-139

Post-crash fire resulting in fatal burns

As a primary factor: 2003-8-223, 2007-49-165

Out-of-position occupant

As a primary factor: 2006-11-220

As a secondary factor: 2002-2-114, 2005-79-139, 2007-11-135

Factors describing performance of the restraint systems in the case vehicle

Poor occupant-air bag interaction

As a primary factor: 2001-81-117, 2002-42-34 (RF passenger), 2004-49-168

As a secondary factor: 2002-42-34 (driver), 2003-76-134, 2003-81-44, 2004-2-62, 2004-43-253,

2004-73-241, 2004-79-49, 2005-9-64, 2005-45-116, 2006-9-59, 2006-12-161, 2006-45-59,

2006-49-137, 2006-78-132, 2007-12-180, 2007-42-9, 2007-48-186, 2007-72-101



Belt system did not adequately restrain

As a primary factor: 2000-12-137

As a secondary factor: 2000-12-78, 2000-49-254, 2004-47-83, 2005-45-116, 2006-11-220,

2006-49-201, 2006-75-96, 2006-82-4, 2007-74-107 (2 fatalities in one vehicle)

Air bag bottomed out

As a secondary factor: 2000-8-226, 2000-12-78, 2000-49-254, 2000-78-80, 2001-11-178,

2001-75-113, 2001-76-111, 2002-42-25, 2002-45-16, 2002-45-135, 2002-47-39, 2002-48-222,

2002-49-100, 2003-2-141, 2003- 9-47, 2003-81-41, 2004-45-113, 2005-74-138, 2005-75-170,

2006-41-64, 2006-49-201, 2006-75-96, 2006-75-98, 2006-82-4, 2007-2-139, 2007-74-107 (both

drivers)

Air bag injured out-of-position occupant

As a primary factor: 2006-11-220

As a secondary factor: 2005-45-116, 2005-79-139

Air bag did not deploy

As a primary factor: 2001-12-116

Belt-caused injury

As a secondary factor: 2004-50-147

Factors describing performance of the structure or other components of the case vehicle

Roof, A-pillar or other upper-component intrusion

As a primary factor: 2000-43-243, 2000-76-139, 2005-9-189, 2006-49-137, 2006-50-83,

2006-75-23

As a secondary factor: 2000-11-130 (2 fatalities), 2000-78-80, 2001-13-181, 2001-45-114,

2001-76-111, 2002-2-114, 2002-9-25, 2002-9-43, 2002-9-131, 2002-42-34 (driver only),

2002-76-97, 2003-11-18, 2003-42-61, 2003-79-139, 2003-81-44, 2004-2-74, 2004-11-119,

2004-42-113, 2004-43-253, 2004-45-113, 2004-49-106 (2 fatalities), 2004-73-147, 2004-73-165,

2004-73-241, 2004-76-57, 2005-9-64, 2005-43-231, 2005-45-142, 2005-47-102, 2005-47-137,

2005-72-36, 2006-4-45, 2006-9-59, 2006-11-163, 2006-12-161, 2006-78-132, 2007-9-63,

2007-11-39, 2007-47-61, 2007-47-119, 2007-73-37

Excessive IP or toe-pan intrusion, or buckling of the floor pan

As a primary factor: 2000-8-226, 2006-75-22, 2006-75-96, 2007-12-180 

As a secondary factor: 2001-76-111, 2001-81-117, 2002-45-135, 2002-47-39, 2002-47-134,

2002-49-100, 2002-76-97, 2003-79-139, 2004-9-62, 2004-43-253, 2004-47-83, 2004-50-32,

2005-47-102, 2005-50-125, 2005-74-138, 2005-75-170, 2006-12-161, 2006-45-59, 2006-49-137,

2006-75-98, 2006-78-132, 2006-82-4, 2007-11-72, 2007-73-137, 2007-74-107 (both drivers),

2007-78-24

Vehicle did not perform well in crash-safety rating programs

As a primary factor: 2000-8-226, 2007-12-180

As a secondary factor: 2000-49-254, 2002-12-186 (2 fatalities), 2002-45-16, 2002-47-134,

2002-49-100, 2002-76-97, 2003-2-141, 2003-9-47, 2004-76-57, 2004-76-157, 2005-2-54,

2005-43-231, 2005-45-116, 2005-47-102, 2005-47-134, 2005-50-125, 2006-49-137, 2006-50-83,

2006-73-71, 2006-75-96, 2006-78-62, 2007-47-119

Seat did not adequately restrain

As a primary factor: 2000-12-137

As a secondary factor: 2002-42-25, 2002-42-34, 2004-47-83

Steering assembly moved upward

As a secondary factor: 2002-49-100, 2005-50-125, 2007-11-72

Factors describing intrinsic occupant vulnerability

Elevated occupant age

As a primary factor: 2002-49-100, 2003-48-158, 2004-2-62, 2004-41-15, 2004-50-147,

2004-79-49, 2004-79-244, 2005-4-119, 2005-45-116, 2005-45-196, 2005-79-139, 2006-41-64,

2007-2-139, 2007-11-135, 2007-72-101, 2007-72-126

As a secondary factor: 2000-12-137, 2000-78-80, 2002-2-114, 2002-12-186 (2 fatalities),

2002-48-222, 2004-9-62, 2004-47-83, 2004-49-168, 2004-50-32, 2004-76-157, 2005-2-54,

2006-73-71, 2006-81-39, 2007-48-186

Obese occupant

As a primary factor: 2004-79-49, 2004-79-244, 2007-72-101

As a secondary factor: 2000-78-80, 2001-11-178, 2001-75-113, 2002-2-114, 2002-12-186 (2

fatalities), 2002-42-34 (2 fatalities), 2004-76-57, 2005-2-54, 2005-47-102, 2006-41-64,

2006-49-201, 2006-73-71, 2006-81-39, 2006-82-4, 2007-12-180, 2007-42-9, 2007-74-107 (2

fatalities in one vehicle)

Pre-existing medical condition

As a primary factor: 2002-48-222, 2002-75-53

As a secondary factor: 2003-8-223

Post-crash injury complications

As a primary factor: 2002-48-222, 2005-4-119

Short-stature occupant

As a secondary factor: 2001-76-111, 2002-48-222, 2004-50-147, 2004-79-49, 2005-45-116,

2006-9-59, 2006-49-201, 2007-12-180

Tall or large occupant (not obese)

As a secondary factor: 2000-49-254

Factors describing actions by people that increased somebody’s injury risk

Back-seat bullet

As a primary factor: 2002-45-135

As a secondary factor: 2006-11-150, 2006-75-96

Air bag switched off

As a secondary factor: 2003-48-158

September 2009

DOT HS 811 202