Author(s) :

Zonghan Jia.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

This study investigates the influence of vehicle type on crash-test injury outcomes by analyzing multiple biomechanical metrics, including head injury criteria (HIC), chest deflection, femur loads, neck injury measures, rib deflection, abdominal force, and pelvic force, for both drivers and passengers. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) followed by ANOVA tests examined that vehicle type has a statistically significant effect across basically all the injury merits (Wilks’ Λ = 0.21, F(57,13683) = 48.72, p < 0.001). The strongest differences were observed in side-impact head injury (HIC36), abdominal force, and rib deflection. Passenger cars exhibited higher torso-related injury measures, vans showed elevated neck injury risks, and trucks demonstrated comparatively lower torso injuries but increased femur forces. These findings indicate that no single vehicle category provides uniform protection from all body regions. The study recommends that consumer safety regulators consider differentiated crash standards by vehicle type and that consumer safety ratings explicitly communicate the injury trade-offs that exist across different vehicle classes.