Analysis of Head Displacement during a Frontal Collision at a Speed of 20 km/h—Experimental Studies

Abstract

The aim of the research is to compare the head displacements of volunteers with the head displacements of the KPSIT C50 dummy, taking into account the change of vehicle seat belts. Unfortunately, sudden braking or collisions between vehicles is becoming more and more common, especially during traffic jams. There is considerable ignorance in the literature on the behavior of the human body during a low-speed collision, which motivates the development of low-speed crash test procedures in order to reduce the risk of cervical spine injuries. The tests were carried out at a teaching station designed to measure the forces in seat belts and the displacements of individual body elements (dummy or volunteer) during a low-speed crash test. The article is part of extensive research on crash tests using volunteers and KPSIT physical dummies. The study involved 150 volunteers who were divided into specific percentile groups. The article compares the head displacements of the constructed KPSIT C50 dummy with the head displacements of volunteers representing the 50th percentile group of the male population. The study conducted with volunteers was under control and was completely safe for people participating in the study. The research shows that the use of a bucket sports seat equipped with four-point or five-point seat belts significantly reduces the movement of the head during a low-speed collision. This type of vehicle seat is safer and provides a reduced risk of injury from hitting the head on the steering column in a low-speed collision when the airbag has not deployed. Moreover, research shows that standard seat belts placed in passenger vehicles allow the head to move freely forward in the event of an accident or low-speed collision. Therefore, if the speed is too low to deploy the airbag, there is a high probability that the driver and passengers will hit their heads against the cockpit of the passenger vehicle during a collision at a speed of 20 km/h.