European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Crash Mas the search for safer cars by Mark Bomster Baltimore evening Sun the human body in a car is like an egg in a lightly padded steel Box. Imagine that Box slamming into a Wall at 50 Mph or More. At the Shock trauma unit in Baltimore md., the Federal government is sponsoring the largest and most Complete study to Date of what happens to actual victims in a High Speed car crash. The study s preliminary findings suggest that current Federal crash standards Are insufficient to prevent devastating injuries costing billions of dollars each year. Those standards based on tests using special electronic dummies to simulate injuries Are developed using head on crashes at 30 Mph into a fixed Barrier. Real crashes often take place at an Angle or from the Side however undermining the relevance of a head on crash test. And the standards assume that All Drivers Are wearing seat belts a a risky Assumption at Best researchers say. A the real crashes Are quite a bit different from the arbitrary ones they re using for testing Quot says or. John h. Siegel who is heading up the new study at Shock trauma. As a result he says some of the governments standards Are either too Loose or simply irrelevant to the Type of injuries that occur on the Highway. So far the Shock trauma study has generated statistics from 55 victims of High Speed crashes who ended up in the emergency medical unit with injuries from head on or Side impacts. Those victims suffered a variety of traumatic injuries caused mainly by parts of the car that crush their Way into the passenger compartment and by parts of the passenger compartment itself. Many of those injured were Hurt in vehicles that when new met the current Federal crash test standards. Quot if people were fully aware of the devastation to family life and to people s personal dreams and Hopes none of us would drive around in the cars that Are made today a says social worker Kathleen m. Read who is assisting in the study. Auto Industry representatives respond that their vehicles meet the current Federal crash standards. But there is no arguing about the real human Cost of researchers use dummies in car crash tests. Not High Speed crashes which kill thousands of people and maim thousands More each year. Based on preliminary results Shock trauma researchers sketch this scenario of a High Speed crash involving an unbelted Driver in a split second your body is assaulted by Metal and Glass. Your head slams against the Windshield a or against the steel Quot a Quot pillar that supports the roof cracking your Skull and damaging your brain. Your Chest and Abdomen smash into the steering wheel and steering column. In a head on crash the front wheel crushes Back into the passenger compartment. The Quot toe pan Quot or floorboard smashes into your lower extremities fracturing your feet Ankles and lower legs a maybe trapping you in the wreckage. The control panel slams Forward into your Knees driving the Large Bones of your upper legs Back into your Pelvis and hips. In a lateral or Side crash the car door crushes in on you causing serious damage to your Chest and internal organs including the liver and spleen. Your head hits the a a Quot pillar supporting the roof or the Side window Frame. The resulting brain damage is Likely to be even More serious than if you hit the Windshield because the Side of the head houses parts of the brain responsible for speech hearing and coordinative functions. It May take 20 minutes or More for the Rescue team to Cut you out of the mangled vehicle. In the meantime the resulting blood loss compounds your brain injuries. If you live you face months of painful recovery staggering medical Bills and the Specter of Long term disability. Seat belts certainly help protect motorists from some upper body injuries and head injuries in frontal crashes Siegel says. But even they offer Little Protection to the Driver in a Side crash or to victims of any crash in which the passenger compartment collapses inward. In the study fewer than one in three of those involved in head on crashes a and Only about one in five of the Side crash victims a were wearing seat belts. What could be done to reduce the injuries that take place in a High Speed crash Siegel suggests a number of vehicle design changes based on the Shock trauma study s preliminary findings a a stronger toe pan and reinforced instrument panel to Cut Down on injuries to the lower extremities hips and Pelvis. A stronger doors and different placement of armrests and other features. Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes