Occupant injury experience in rollover crashes: an in-depth review of NASS/CDS data

National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) crash statistics were examined to understand injury patterns of belted occupants in rollover crashes and determine accuracy / completeness of selected NASS-coded variables. A comprehensive statistical study, followed by detailed engineering reviews of 278 NASS cases, is in progress. The primary objective is to understand rollover crash characteristics and their influence on rollover injury severity. Focus was on cases with "roof contact" as the injury source. Two groups- significant roof deformation with no injury, and significant injury with minimal roof deformation-are discussed, as are crash characteristics such as "arrested roll." Also, based on evaluation of existing NASS codes, recommendations are made to enhance NASS coding of rollover-related variables.