Occupant Extrication in Vehicular Crashes: NASS and CIREN Analyses

Improvements in occupants extrication techniques are required due to enhanced safety features in modern vehicles. The research questions were focused on what force directions and what vehicle types, were most highly associated with an extricated occupant. Two national databases, FARS and CIREN were queried. Principal direction of force for the occupant vehicle and vehicle weight were used as delineating variables. From FARS data, the percentage of extricated occupants increased between 1993 and 2000. Left-sided crashes account for the highest percentage of occupants requiring extrication (18.8%) compared to occupants in rear crashes (lowest at 8.6%). Occupants in vehicles less than 2500 pounds were most often extricated (19.1%) compared to vehicles greater than 3500 pounds (lowest at 11.3%). From the CIREN database, for left-sided crashes, occupants required extrication 33.0% of the time when involved in truck-into-car crashes whereas car-into-car crash victims were extricated only 27.3%. These results imply an increased risk for extrication need for those occupants struck by a vehicle that is mismatched.