TY - JOUR
T1 - Protection against head injuries should not be optional
T2 - A case for mandatory installation of side-curtain air bags
AU - Stuke, Lance E.
AU - Nirula, Raminder
AU - Gentilello, Larry M.
AU - Shafi, Shahid
PY - 2010/10
Y1 - 2010/10
N2 - Background: More than 9,000 vehicle occupants die each year in side-impact vehicle collisions, primarily from head injuries. The authors hypothesized that side-curtain air bags significantly improve head and neck safety in side-impact crash testing. Methods: Side-impact crash-test data were obtained from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which ranks occupant protection as good, acceptable, marginal, or poor. Vehicles of the same make and model that underwent side-impact crash testing both with and without side-curtain air bags were compared, as well as the protective effect of these air bags on occupants' risk for head and neck injury. Results: Of all the passenger vehicles, 25 models have undergone side-impact crash testing with and without side-curtain air bags by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Only 3 models without side-curtain air bags (12%) provided good head and neck protection for drivers, while 21 cars with side-curtain air bags (84%) provided good protection (P < .001). For rear passengers, the added protection from side-curtain air bags was less dramatic but significant (84% without vs 100% with side-curtain air bags, P = .04). Conclusion: Side-curtain air bags significantly improve vehicle occupant safety in side-impact crash tests. Installation of these air bags should be federally mandated in all passenger vehicles.
AB - Background: More than 9,000 vehicle occupants die each year in side-impact vehicle collisions, primarily from head injuries. The authors hypothesized that side-curtain air bags significantly improve head and neck safety in side-impact crash testing. Methods: Side-impact crash-test data were obtained from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which ranks occupant protection as good, acceptable, marginal, or poor. Vehicles of the same make and model that underwent side-impact crash testing both with and without side-curtain air bags were compared, as well as the protective effect of these air bags on occupants' risk for head and neck injury. Results: Of all the passenger vehicles, 25 models have undergone side-impact crash testing with and without side-curtain air bags by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Only 3 models without side-curtain air bags (12%) provided good head and neck protection for drivers, while 21 cars with side-curtain air bags (84%) provided good protection (P < .001). For rear passengers, the added protection from side-curtain air bags was less dramatic but significant (84% without vs 100% with side-curtain air bags, P = .04). Conclusion: Side-curtain air bags significantly improve vehicle occupant safety in side-impact crash tests. Installation of these air bags should be federally mandated in all passenger vehicles.
KW - Safety
KW - Side-curtain airbags
KW - Side-impact crash
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U2 - 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2009.12.008
DO - 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2009.12.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 20887843
AN - SCOPUS:77957373567
SN - 0002-9610
VL - 200
SP - 496
EP - 499
JO - American journal of surgery
JF - American journal of surgery
IS - 4
ER -