Analysis of Side Impact Airbag Performance in NASS CDS

Abstract

Recently the traffic accidents fatality is reducing, but still the fatality of vehicle occupants is large part of them. Vehicle occupants are protected with seatbelt and airbag in frontal crashes and the large effects of them are reported by many researchers, but the report about the side airbag effect was not plentiful, because there was insufficient side impact accident data with new protection device Now almost all cars equipped side airbags and rollover air curtains, and more accident data with side airbags becomes available. The author analyzed US NASS CDS data to investigate the effect of side airbags and head protection rollover air curtains in nearside impact. Results shows the most frequent injury is to the torso regardless of whether the side air bag deployed or not. More study is needed about the effect of rollover air curtain for head/neck injury, and torso air bag has some effect, but it is not the level of seatbelt in frontal crash.