The tolerance of the human body to automobile collision impact – a systematic review of injury biomechanics research, 1990–2009

• Published in: Accident analysis and prevention 2015-07, Vol.80, p.7-17
• Main Authors: Forman, Jason L., Lopez-Valdes, Francisco J., Duprey, Sonia, Bose, Dipan, del Pozo de Dios, Eduardo, Subit, Damien, Gillispie, Tim, Crandall, Jeff R., Segui-Gomez, Maria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Automobiles; Automotive accidents; Biomechanics; Central nervous system; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Human body; Humans; Infant; Injuries; Literature reviews; Male; Middle Aged; Prevention; Roads; Surveillance; Tolerances; Trauma; Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology; Wounds and Injuries - physiopathology; Wounds and Injuries - prevention & control; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0001-4575; 1879-2057
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2015.03.004

•To identify research priorities, it is necessary to periodically compare trends in injury tolerance research to technological advancements and characteristics of injuries occurring in the field.•Four hundred and eight experimental injury tolerance studies from 1990–2009 were identified from a reference index of over 68,000 papers.•Since 1989, substantial knowledge has been gained regarding the injury tolerances of the upper extremity, the joints and long-bones of the lower extremity, the face and eyes, the thorax, the abdomen, and the structure of the spine for adult automobile occupants.•Among other topics, information on pediatric injury, physiological injury, and injury to vulnerable road users remains lacking. Road traffic injuries account for 1.3 million deaths per year world-wide. Mitigating both fatalities and injuries requires a detailed understanding of the tolerance of the human body to external load. To identify research priorities, it is necessary to periodically compare trends in injury tolerance research to the characteristics of injuries occurring in the field. This study sought to perform a systematic review on the last twenty years of experimental injury tolerance research, and to evaluate those results relative to available epidemiologic data. Four hundred and eight experimental injury tolerance studies from 1990–2009 were identified from a reference index of over 68,000 papers. Examined variables included the body regions, ages, and genders studied; and the experimental models used. Most (20%) of the publications studied injury to the spine. There has also been a substantial volume of biomechanical research focused on upper and lower extremity injury, thoracic injury, and injury to the elderly – although these injury types still occur with regularity in the field. In contrast, information on pediatric injury and physiological injury (especially in the central nervous system) remains lacking. Given their frequency of injury in the field, future efforts should also include improving our understanding of tolerances and protection of vulnerable road users (e.g., motorcyclists, pedestrians).