Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

A Test Bed to Examine Helmet Fit and Retention and Biomechanical Measures of Head and Neck Injury in Simulated Impact
07:30

A Test Bed to Examine Helmet Fit and Retention and Biomechanical Measures of Head and Neck Injury in Simulated Impact

Published on: September 21, 2017

Head impact contact points for restrained child occupants

Kristy B Arbogast1, Samantha Wozniak, Caitlin M Locey

  • 1Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children’sHospital of Philadelphia, 34th and CivicCenter Blvd, Suite 1150, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. arbogast@email.chop.edu

Traffic Injury Prevention
|March 31, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Head and face injuries are common in children during car crashes. This study mapped vehicle contact points causing these injuries for rear-seated children, identifying the seat back and B-pillar as key impact areas.

Area of Science:

  • Trauma research
  • Biomechanics
  • Vehicle safety engineering

Background:

  • Head injuries are the most frequent injuries in children involved in motor vehicle crashes.
  • Previous research highlighted occupant interaction with seat backs and side structures for rear seat occupants.
  • Understanding specific contact points is crucial for developing effective countermeasures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To create a contact map of vehicle interior components associated with head and face injuries.
  • To analyze injury causation for rear-seated, restrained children in frontal motor vehicle crashes.
  • To inform the development of safety interventions for child occupants.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN).
  • Included rear-seated, restrained children (ages 0-15) with head/face injuries (AIS2+) in frontal crashes.
  • Developed a contact point map to identify injury causation scenarios.

Main Results:

  • Analyzed 21 cases involving children in various restraints (child seats, booster seats, belts).
  • Identified the B-pillar as a common contact point for left rear occupants, indicating leftward movement.
  • Found the passenger seat back as a frequent contact point for right rear occupants, suggesting forward movement.

Conclusions:

  • Delineated head/face injury contact points for restrained children in frontal crashes.
  • Head/face injuries were often the most severe, emphasizing the need for mitigation strategies.
  • Contact with the first-row seat back and B-pillar were most common; curtain airbags may help reduce impact energy.
Abstract

More Related Videos

Modified Drop Tower Impact Tests for American Football Helmets07:08

Modified Drop Tower Impact Tests for American Football Helmets

Published on: February 19, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Impact01:30

Impact

Impact occurs when two bodies collide, leading to the application of impulsive forces between them. Analyzing impact mechanics involves considering two colliding particles moving along a line known as the line of impact, which passes through their centers and is perpendicular to the contact plane.
When particles with different initial velocities collide, they induce deformation by applying equal and opposite impulses. At the point of maximum deformation, the particles move together with...
Types of Impact01:30

Types of Impact

Impacts can be classified in various forms, primarily under two subgroups: central impact and oblique impact. A central impact occurs when two objects collide head-on, possessing opposite velocities aligned along the line of impact. Conversely, an oblique impact occurs when two objects collide at an angle, resulting in a modification of both direction and velocity.
The coefficient of restitution is a metric for understanding the dynamics of impacts. It quantifies the ratio of relative velocity...
Impulse01:13

Impulse

According to Newton’s second law of motion, the rate of change of the momentum of an object is the net external force acting on it. The total change in momentum between two timepoints thus depends on both the external force acting on it and the time over which it acts. Describing this mathematically, the total change of an object’s motion is proportional to the force vector and the time over which it is applied. This product is called impulse.
Additionally, it can be shown that the total...
Impact: Problem Solving01:26

Impact: Problem Solving

In an experiment conducted during a Mars mission, a rover propels a projectile with an initial velocity, and the projectile rebounds after colliding with the Martian surface. To ascertain the maximum height attained by the projectile after this collision, the known restitution coefficient and acceleration due to gravity are employed.
By designating the launch point as the origin and utilizing kinematic equations, the vertical component of the projectile's velocity at the point of impact is...
Types of Collisions - II01:19

Types of Collisions - II

When two or more objects collide with each other, they can stick together to form one single composite object (after collision). The total mass of the object after the collision is the sum of the masses of the original objects, and it moves with a velocity dictated by the conservation of momentum. Although the system's total momentum remains constant, the kinetic energy decreases, and thus such a collision is an inelastic collision. Most of the collisions between objects in daily life are...
Types Of Collisions - I01:04

Types Of Collisions - I

When two objects come in direct contact with each other, it is called a collision. During a collision, two or more objects exert forces on each other in a relatively short amount of time. A collision can be categorized as either an elastic or inelastic collision. If two or more objects approach each other, collide and then bounce off, moving away from each other with the same relative speed at which they approached each other, the total kinetic energy of the system is said to be conserved. This...