As in-vehicle safety technology becomes more
prevalent, the corresponding fitment of side airbags
in the United Kingdom is now more commonplace.
This study adds to the body of knowledge on real
world impacts by presenting initial cases of
deployment from the UK, including examples
where there is some suggestion that side airbag
deployment may have contributed to injury
outcomes.
With the introduction of new restraint devices into
the vehicle fleet, manufacturers and engineers are
not only eager to quantify their benefit and injury
mitigation effectiveness but to also consider the
performance and application in the real world.
Whilst there are presently insufficient numbers of
cases to fully evaluate injury benefit in side
impacts, individual case evaluations can provide an
initial assessment of side airbag field performance.
In this study, data from 47 crashes in which the side
airbag deployed were available for analysis. Of
these, 19 occupants sustained a MAIS ≥ 2 injury.
Case reviews have identified 2 occupants where
serious (AIS 3) thoracic injuries may have occurred
through interaction with the deploying side airbag
and a further case involving upper extremity
fracture (AIS 3) was also thought to have been
associated with side airbag deployment. In these 3
cases, crash severity and compartmental
deformation were not considered to be extensive.
However in the majority of cases, side airbag
deployment did not cause injury to the occupant
and a general overview of these cases is given
