New Crash Test Metric Enhances Brain Injury Assessment

31/01/2025 - 10:51 | Featured,   | IAB Team

Crash safety is evolving, and a new metric could help better evaluate brain injury risks caused by rotational forces during accidents. While modern vehicles excel at protecting occupants from direct head impacts, sudden side-to-side movements—similar to a boxer taking a punch—can still cause concussions.

Crash Test Dummy Inside A Car

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is integrating the Diffuse Axonal Multi-Axis General Evaluation (DAMAGE) metric into crash test evaluations. Previously used by the NFL for helmet assessments and adopted by Euro NCAP, DAMAGE provides deeper insights into brain strain from rotational forces. Unlike the traditional Head Injury Criterion (HIC), which measures linear impacts, DAMAGE accounts for successive movements like a head rebounding off an airbag and striking another surface.

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Testing across 800 crash dummies revealed that while most showed adequate protection, about 60 exhibited concerning head motions not captured by HIC. Solutions like deeper, softer airbags could reduce such injuries. Though DAMAGE scores won’t immediately impact vehicle safety ratings, IIHS will monitor them closely, encouraging manufacturers to innovate for safer cabins.

This advancement marks a step forward in making vehicles even safer, minimizing unseen brain injury risks in future crashes.

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