Head Injuries in Vehicle-Pedestrian Impact

Abstract
In vehicle-pedestrian impacts, the kinematics and severity of pedestrian injuries are affected by vehicle front shapes. Accident analyses and multibody simulations showed that for mini vans the injury risk to the head is higher, while that to the legs is lower than for bonnet-type cars. In mini-van pedestrian impacts, pedestrians ran high risks of a head impact against stiff structures such as windshield frames. When pedestrians are struck by a car with a short hood length, their heads are likely to strike into or around the windshield. The injury risks to the head by such an impact were examined by head form impact tests. The HIC rises from contact with the cowl, windshield frame or A pillar, and it lessens with increasing distance from these structural elements.

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