WHY WOMEN SUFFER MORE FOOT AND ANKLE INJURIES IN CAR CRASHES ....AND
OTHER MYSTERIES FOR AUTO SAFETY SLEUTHS

	With the growing use of air bags and improved seat belts,
devastating head and chest injuries in car crashes have declined
sharply, prompting auto safety engineers to direct their attention
to the foot and ankle. ItÕs not that damage to these is occurring
more often, but that more people with multiple injuries are
surviving so protection for the lower extremities is a higher
priority.

	When a research team studied 50 auto crashes under a grant
from the Centers for Disease Control an intriguing fact emerged:
Women in the group were far more likely to get serious foot and
ankle injuries than men. Why? Further sifting of the data indicated
the deciding factor was height, not gender. 

	Male drivers in the study group were simply taller on
average than the women, said the research team from the University
of Virginia, the University of Maryland at Baltimore and Dynamic
Science, a private accident investigation group.

	But why height? For the answer,volunteers of both genders
and a range of heights similar to those of the crash victims were
videotaped while using a driving simulator at U.Va .  After the
first few ÒdrivingÓ sessions the pattern became clear.

	ÒA taller driver is more likely to keep the heel of the
right foot on the floor and shift the ball of the foot back and
forth between the brake and gas pedal,Ó explained Jeff Crandall,
director of the U.Va. Auto Safety Lab, one of the nationÕs leading
centers for the study of auto crash injuries and ways to reduce
them.  ÒShorter people tend to lift the entire foot off the floor to
change pedals. When they suddenly see a collision looming they
instinctively thrust the foot forward. It moves several inches
before striking the metal toe-pan of the car, adding to the impact.
Also, when the foot is off the floor it can twist into more
vulnerable positions as it comes down.Ó

	Other observations from the study and other Auto Safety Lab
research:

	¥ If you can use only an air bag or a seat belt, the latter
is better (although itÕs best to use both).  Tests with dummies
showed that a driver using only an air bag may vault over the
inflated bag during a crash and slam into the steel header above the
windshield.

	¥ DonÕt sit forward, close to the steering wheel, when
driving a car with an air bag.  In a crash it will inflate faster
than you can react and could cause a painful neck or back injury.

	¥ Drive with your elbows low.  An inflating bag could slam
your arms and elbows up against the roof of the car or into the
driver-side window.

	Crandall says the collaborative study was too small to draw
extensive conclusions and the researchers are seeking funds for a
broader sample, but what theyÕve learned so far will help in the
development of safer toe-pans and pedal mechanisms.  One proposal is
to simply do away with pedals and install pressure pads, similar to
those used to punch-in cooking instructions on a microwave oven.
But this solution would need a change in driversÕ attitudes,
Crandall notes: Drivers would miss the feedback they get from the
play and back-pressure when they push the pedal to the metal.

	Jeff Crandall can be reached at (804) 296-7288, or by e-mail
at jrc2h@virginia.edu

	If you would like to arrange for photos or clips from the
driving simulator videotape, please contact Tom Doran at (804)
924-6858, or by e-mail at ted8f@virginia.edu.


August 9, 1995