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Occupant Restraint in Far-Side Impacts: Cadaveric and WorldSID Responses to a Far-Side Airbag

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Abstract

Previous studies indicate that seatbelts may require supplementary restraints to increase their effectiveness in far-side impacts. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, far-side-specific airbag in restraining and preventing injuries in far-side impacts, and to evaluate the WorldSID’s response to the presence of a far-side airbag. A series of tests with three Post-Mortem Human Subjects and the WorldSID was conducted in a vehicle-based sled environment equipped with a far-side airbag. Results of these tests were evaluated and compared to a previous test series conducted without the airbag. All of the PMHS retained the shoulder belt on the shoulder. The airbag significantly reduced PMHS injury severity and maximum lateral head excursion. While the WorldSID exhibited a similar decrease in lateral excursion, it was unable to represent PMHS thoracic deflection or injury probability, and it consistently slipped out of the shoulder belt. This indicates that the WorldSID is limited both in its ability to evaluate the effect of changes in the seatbelt system and in its ability to predict thoracic injury risk and assess airbag-related injury mitigation countermeasures.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank Autoliv for sponsoring the PMHS tests, and Honda Americas for sponsoring the WorldSID tests. However, it should be noted that the views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the sponsors. The authors would like to extend their gratitude to the cadaver donors, whose generosity was fundamental to this study.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Correspondence to Daniel Perez-Rapela.

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Associate Editor Estefanía Peña oversaw the review of this article.

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Perez-Rapela, D., Donlon, JP., Forman, J.L. et al. Occupant Restraint in Far-Side Impacts: Cadaveric and WorldSID Responses to a Far-Side Airbag. Ann Biomed Eng 49, 802–811 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-020-02614-w

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