[On the question of the second phase of car injury]

Traditionally identified phases of accidents prove to be insufficiently informative to explain car injuries to pedestrians in real road traffic accidents. The mechanisms of injuries differ significantly depending on the characteristics of the vehicle, e.g., the design of the hood or the inclination of the windshield, the speed of the vehicle, as well as the build and height of the pedestrian. The conducted study showed that the concept of «falling and hitting the hood», traditionally considered as the second phase of accidents, is often incorrect. In some cases, this phase may be completely absent in a frontal collision. Or, after the initial impact, multiple impacts of various parts of the pedestrian's body on the vehicle body are possible, which creates a complex picture of injuries that does not fit well into the framework of traditional concepts. Based on the obtained results, it is proposed to revise the terminology and designate the second phase of accidents as the phase of «contact interaction with the vehicle body», emphasizing the variability of events occurring between the initial collision and the moment of a complete stop or throwing of the pedestrian's body.