Bus Collision Causation and Injury Patterns

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE UCLA TRAUMA RESEARCH GROUP WAS TO APPLY CLINICAL INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY TO THE PROBLEM OF SCHOOL BUS AND COACH PASSENGER PROTECTION. CURRENT AVAILABLE STATISTICS ON BUS COLLISION AND INJURY PRODUCTION ARE REVIEWED AND PRESENTED AS BACKGROUND MATERIAL. A MAJOR PORTION OF THE PAPER RELATES INJURY CAUSATION AND INJURY PATTERNS TO EJECTION, RESTRAINTS, STRUCTURE DESIGN, SEATS, ETC. OCCUPANT KINEMATICS AND THE SUBSEQUENT INJURY PRODUCTION ARE RELATED TO THREE CLASSES OF SCHOOL BUS AND COACH COLLISIONS. POST-COLLISION FACTORS INFLUENCING INJURY, SUCH AS EGRESS, EXTRICATION, FIRE ARE DISCUSSED. /AUTHOR/