Injuries in heavy trucks and the effectiveness of seat belts

The paper describes heavy truck accidents, injuries resulting from these accidents and their distribution over the body. The accidents have been investigated by Volvo Truck Corporation's Accident Investigation Group. The report covers 124 accidents, with personal injuries to occupants of Volvo trucks in which six people have been killed and 125 injured. Half of these accidents were single accidents and a third were collision with another truck. In 80% of the accidents the truck involved is a forward control type of truck. As forward controlled trucks are responsible for 82% of the traffic work in Sweden the risk for injury per driven kilometer is the same as in a normal controlled truck. In 66% of the accidents the most severe injury was not more than AIS 1. Another 18% were AIS 2 and 8% AIS 3. The remaining 7% are AIS 4-6. The fatal injuries are either head or abdominal injuries. The steering wheel is the single item which has caused the most injuries and suggestions are given for technical solutions to this problem. The distribution of steering wheel injuries over the body is shown. A three point safety belt could decrease the severity of the injuries in as many as 74% of the cases. A technical solution for a three-point retractor belt in combination with a suspension seat is described.