SAFETY BELT RESTRAINTS AND COMPARTMENT INTRUSIONS IN FRONTAL AND LATERAL MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES: MECHANISMS OF INJURIES, COMPLICATIONS, AND ACUTE CARE COSTS

A 3-year prospective study examined 76 frontal (F) and 45 lateral (L) motor vehicle crash (MVC) patients with regard to seatbelt restraint use and occupant compartment contact and intrusion injuries. These 121 MVC victims with multiple injuries (39 belted [B] and 82 non-belted [NB]), admitted to a level I trauma center, were studied by accident reconstruction and medical data analysis. They had a MVC mean impact velocity (delta V) of 30 +/- 11 mph and an injury Severity Score of 29 +/- 12. Proper restraint use reduced brain injury in F MVCs (30% FB vs. 47% FNB) but had no effect in L MVCs (63% LB vs. 30% FB [p or = 30 mph. Hospital and professional costs reflect the complex care needed for victims of multiple injuries: FB, $99,000; FNB, $95,000; LB, $75,000; LNB, $79,000; total, $10.7 million. Present vehicle safety standards are not adequate, and structural design changes are needed to improve restraints and protect occupants from intrusion-related injuries.