Analysis of rider and child pillion passenger kinematics along with injury mechanisms during motorcycle crash

Abstract

Objective: Traffic fatalities among motorcycle users are intolerably high in Thailand. They account for 73% of the total number of road fatalities. Children are also among these victims. To improve countermeasures and design of protection equipment, understanding the biomechanics of motorcycle users under impact conditions is necessary. The objective of this work is to analyze the overall kinematics and injuries sustained by riders and child pillion passengers in various accident configurations. Methods: Motorcycle accident data were analyzed. Common accident scenarios and impact parameters were identified. Two numerical approaches were employed. The multibody model was validated with a motorcycle crash test and used to generate possible accident cases for various impact conditions specified to cover all common accident scenarios. Specific impact conditions were selected for detailed finite element analysis. The finite element simulations of motorcycle-tocar collisions were conducted to provide insight into kinematics and injury mechanisms. Results: Global kinematics found when the motorcycle's front wheel impacts a car (config-MC) highlighted the translation motion of both the rider and passenger toward the impact position. The rider's trunk impacted the handlebar and the head either impacted the car or missed. The hood constituted the highest head impact occurrence for this configuration. The child mostly impacted the rider's back. Different kinematics were found when car impacted the lateral side of the motorcycle (config-CM). Upper bodies of both rider and child were laterally projected toward the car front. The windshield constituted the highest proportion of head impacts. The hood and A-pillar recorded a moderate proportion. The rider in finite element simulations with config-MC experienced high rib stress, lung strain, and pressure beyond the injury limit. A high head injury criterion was observed when the head hit the car. However, the simulation with config-CM exhibited high lower extremities stress and lung pressure in both occupants. Hyperextension of the rider's neck was observed. The cumulative strain damage measure of the child's brain was higher than the threshold for diffuse axonal injury (DAI). Conclusions: This study revealed 2 kinematics patterns and injury mechanisms. Simulations with config-MC manifested a high risk of head and thorax injury to the rider but a low risk of severe injury to the child. Thorax injury to the rider due to handlebar impact was only found in simulations with config-MC. However, a high risk of skull, lower extremity, brain, and neck injuries were more pronounced for cases with config-CM. A high risk of DAI was also noticed for the child. In simulations with config-CM the child exhibited a higher risk of severe injury. ARTICLE HISTORY

The impact of body mass index on abdominal injuries in motorcycle crashes in South Korea

“…However, previous studies did not specifically focus on motorcycle injuries, which involve different mechanisms such as blunt and penetrating injuries. Previous research on motorcycle collision mechanisms has shown that abdominal injuries primarily occur due to rider‐handlebar or rider‐fuel tank collisions 25–27 …”

“…Previous research on motorcycle collision mechanisms has shown that abdominal injuries primarily occur due to rider-handlebar or rider-fuel tank collisions. [25][26][27] Abdominal injuries resulting from handlebar collisions are caused by direct impact on the torso. Among the torso injuries resulting from handlebar impacts, the abdominal region may be relatively more susceptible to organ damage, even at lower energy levels, compared to the chest.…”

“…The chest is anatomically structured to better absorb shock and protect internal organs with bony structure such as the ribcage, whereas the impact of the injury is directly absorbed by the abdominal organs, making them more vulnerable to injury. 26,27 Fuel tank injuries occur when a motorcycle abruptly stops, creating high peak loads between the rider's pelvis or abdomen and the motorcycle fuel tank. These injuries are commonly associated with pelvic fractures or injuries to lower abdominal organs such as the bladder and bowel.…”

Injury predictions for an electric-two-wheeler rider in simulated collisions with a car

“…Multi-rigid body simulation software such as PC-Crash and MADYMO are mostly used in related simulations. For the use of PC-Crash software, Carmai et al 7 used the PC-Crash multibody simulation program to generate possible accident scenarios in motorcycle crash test. Zou et al 8 reconstructed 57 real car-E2W accidents, and mainly analyzed the lower limbs and the speed of the car; Li et al 9 used the control variable method to simulate the case, and analyzed the sensitivity ranking of the relevant parameters in the car-E2W collision accident.…”

Optimal Motion of a Motor Cycle Rider on Sudden Halt

“…Prior to Wang several workers like Moeinzadeh [4] and Mizrahi [3] have attempted such studies from the angles of dynamic modelling. It is pertinent to mention that analysis of parameters that affect impact response have also been given a prime consideration [11,12,14]. Wang et al however dealt with the dynamic analysis of a human model -more eruditely, the musculoskeletal model by taking into consideration active motion of the muscles.…”