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Vehicle model year and crash outcomes: a CIREN study
Gabriel E Ryb1, Patricia C Dischinger, Shiu Ho
1The Charles C. Mathias, Jr. National Study Center for Trauma and EMS, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Traffic Injury Prevention
|November 17, 2009
Summary
Later model year vehicles with frontal airbags significantly reduce the risk of severe injury and death for front seat occupants in motor vehicle crashes. This study highlights improved safety over time.
Area of Science:
- Road Safety Research
- Trauma Biomechanics
- Vehicle Safety Engineering
Background:
- Motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death and severe injury.
- Vehicle model year (MY) is a potential indicator of evolving safety technologies.
- Frontal airbags have been standard in vehicles since 1994.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the impact of vehicle model year on severe injury and fatality risk.
- To assess trends in injury severity for occupants based on vehicle age.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of safety advancements in vehicles from different eras.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 1888 front seat occupant cases from the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) database.
- Vehicles grouped into three model year categories: 1994-1997, 1998-2004, and 2005-2007.
- Statistical comparison of mortality, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 3+ and 4+ injuries using chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, and t-tests, with logistic regression for confounder adjustment.
Main Results:
- A significant decrease in mortality rates was observed across model year groups (18% to 4%).
- Later model year vehicles showed a reduction in severe (AIS4+) injuries to the thorax and spine.
- Multivariate analysis confirmed a protective effect for later model years (MYG2 and MYG3) against death.
Conclusions:
- Occupants in later model year vehicles (MY 1998 onwards) experience a lower likelihood of severe thoracic and spinal injuries.
- Vehicle advancements over model years have demonstrably reduced the risk of fatality in motor vehicle crashes.
- The findings underscore the importance of model year as a predictor of occupant safety outcomes.
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