Motor Vehicle Spinal Injuries

The primary purpose of this research work is to present a comprehensive analysis of occupant kinematics and spinal injuries, during road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia from the points of view of statistical analysis, modeling of occupant kinematics, and biomechanics. An in-depth database containing information on 512 real world vehicle crashes was constructed. The study identifies the characteristics of the collisions and occupant spinal injuries in Saudi Arabia, and suggests measures to mitigate them. A logistic model has been presented which can be used to provide information about the crashes and spinal injuries. State of the art techniques for accident reconstruction have been demonstrated to mitigate the severity of the accidents and resulting spinal injuries. Computational simulations have been demonstrated to simulate spinal injuries in various vehicle crashes. The knowledge from this study can be used to better understand the injury mechanics behind spinal injuries, and to develop measures to aid in the identification of safety issues such as roadway design, human factors, vehicle design and crashworthiness related to occupant protection from spinal injuries.