[Distribution and causes of injuries in seat belt-wearing automobile passengers]

We analized 71 car head-on collisions with 100 persons involved wearing seat belts. All 31 passengers with faulty belt function (group II) suffered injuries, 7 of them fatal. 69 passengers with correct belt function were only slightly injured if at all (group I). The majority of the injuries in group I are those of the chest and lower extremities, in group II, however, of the head and lower extremities. The "absolute degree of trauma" revealed the maximal extent of trauma for group II in the region of head, chest and pelvis/abdomen. Increased deformation of the vehicle results in an increase of severe injuries especially in passengers of group II.