AN INVESTIGATION OF OCCUPANT INJURY IN ROLLOVER: NASS-CDS ANALYSIS OF INJURY SEVERITY AND SOURCE BY ROLLOVER ATTRIBUTES. IN: OCCUPANT AND VEHICLE RESPONSES IN ROLLOVERS

This chapter on occupant injury is from a comprehensive text on occupant and vehicle responses in rollovers. In this chapter, the authors report on a study that investigated the circumstances surrounding vehicle rollover and the injuries resulting from same. The study used data from the National Automotive Sampling System/Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) database for the years 1997-2000. The frequency of rollover events was examined by vehicle type, model year, occupant position, number of quarter turns, direction of roll, roll initiation source, roll location relative to the roadway, and extent of roof intrusion. Rollover occupants were examined by distribution of MAIS (Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale), safety belt usage, extent of ejection, and proximity to the roll direction. Occupant injuries are examined by safety belt usage, body region injured, injuring contact or source, and extent of roof intrusion. Results show that head injuries (including face and brain) account for 45% of all AIS 3+ injuries. Head injuries associated with roof contact were the most frequent injury-source combination for all vehicle types. For unbelted occupants, exterior contacts are the primary injury source. Much of the data is presented in tabular format.