Abstract
Road traffic accidents have become an increasingly important
element in maternal deaths. It is important to investigate the injury mechanisms
and injury levels that pregnant women may be subjected to in order to improve
transport safety.
The three dimensional computational model ‘Expecting’, which embodies a
detailed multi-body model of a fetus in a finite element model of uterus with a
placenta, is developed at Loughborough University. The model is designed to
simulate dynamic loading conditions that pregnant occupants may experience.
In this study, ‘Expecting’ is used to study the kinematics of pregnant occupants
to predict the injury levels to the pregnant driver in frontal crashes. The
implications of ‘No Restraint’, ‘Seat Belt Only’ and ‘Seat Belt and Airbag’
cases are investigated for various crash severities, from 15 to 45 kph. Crash
analysis injury criteria such as head injury criterion (HIC), 3 ms maximum,
combined thoracic index (CTI) and viscous criterion (max VC) are used. The
results suggest that the frontal airbag together with the correctly worn seatbelt
provide better protection for the pregnant drivers.
element in maternal deaths. It is important to investigate the injury mechanisms
and injury levels that pregnant women may be subjected to in order to improve
transport safety.
The three dimensional computational model ‘Expecting’, which embodies a
detailed multi-body model of a fetus in a finite element model of uterus with a
placenta, is developed at Loughborough University. The model is designed to
simulate dynamic loading conditions that pregnant occupants may experience.
In this study, ‘Expecting’ is used to study the kinematics of pregnant occupants
to predict the injury levels to the pregnant driver in frontal crashes. The
implications of ‘No Restraint’, ‘Seat Belt Only’ and ‘Seat Belt and Airbag’
cases are investigated for various crash severities, from 15 to 45 kph. Crash
analysis injury criteria such as head injury criterion (HIC), 3 ms maximum,
combined thoracic index (CTI) and viscous criterion (max VC) are used. The
results suggest that the frontal airbag together with the correctly worn seatbelt
provide better protection for the pregnant drivers.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3-13 |
| Journal | International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 1/2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2011 |
Keywords
- crash; modelling; simulation; expecting; pregnant driver; injury; seatbelt; airbag; head injury criterion; HIC; 3 ms; combined thoracic index; CTI; max VC.