[Pelvic fractures of seat belted car occupants]

From November 1974 to June 1978 60 severely injured car-occupants wearing seatbelt were treated at the department of surgery, University of Kiel. Ten of them sustained pelvic fractures. The cause of the injury was a direct pelvic trauma from the crashed car in 6 passengers. The maximum load on the pelvis was exceeded by the seatbelt during the delay of the car only in 4 patients. Contrary to the trauma by the lap-belt with abdominal-, lumbar spine, and pelvic injuries (seatbelt-syndrome by Garrett and Braunstein [5]) we found car-occupants with a threepoint-seatbelt injuries of the thorax, of the head with facial fractures and rarely with cerebral trauma, and of the legs with tarsal fractures. In our cases and in the literature pelvic fractures of car-passengers, who are wearing threepoint-seatbelts, are rare.