Protective Headwear for Car Occupants

Head injuries to car drivers and passengers could be reduced by as much as 25% if they wore light protective helmets, or even padded headbands, according to a research report released today by the Federal Office of Road Safety (FORS).

The report presents findings from a two-year study on head and brain injuries among car occupants. It was jointly conducted by the NHMRC Road Accident Research Unit (University of Adelaide) and the Monash University Accident Research Centre.

The study found that bicycle-style helmets would be as effective as driver airbags in preventing head injuries, and would provide considerably greater head protection than many other in-vehicle options, such as improved interior padding, side-impact airbags or advanced seat-belt designs.

Professor Jack McLean, head of the Road Accident Research Unit, said that use of protective headwear could be a particularly valuable safety option for people with older cars, but even drivers with airbags would benefit significantly from the added protection.

While full helmets would provide the greatest safety benefits, Dr McLean's detailed study of head injuries found that specially designed headbands could offer an innovative and practical alternative.

The proposed headbands would apply padding to the front and sides of the head, where most impacts occur. They would be lighter, cooler and less bulky than a conventional helmet.

A FORS spokesperson emphasised that protective headwear was being put forward as a voluntary measure only. "Car occupants are already better protected than cyclists or motorcyclists. But this research shows that safety could be improved quite a lot by using simple, low cost head protection. We are publishing these results so that the community can make informed choices."

Head injuries to vehicle occupants account for almost half of all injury costs from passenger car crashes. Beside the costs in human suffering, this represents a monetary cost to the community of about $1.5 billion per year.

The research report will be given to Australian helmet designers and manufacturers.

Copies of the report, Prevention of Head Injuries to Car Occupants: An Investigation of Interior Padding Options (CR 160), are available from the Federal Office of Road Safety by phoning (02) 6274 7185.

Media Enquiries: Brett Bayly (02) 6274 7522

PREVENTION OF HEAD INJURIES TO CAR OCCUPANTS

It is estimated that head injuries to car occupants account for nearly half of all injury costs associated with passenger car crashes on Australian roads. This represents a total cost to the community of some $1.5 billion per year.

Research commissioned by the Federal Office of Road Safety (FORS) investigated measures which could be used to reduce the level of occupant head injury

• the study examined a range of vehicle design options, with particular reference to padding the upper interior of the passenger compartment
  
• it also considered the potential benefits of protective headwear for occupants.

Key Findings

The research confirmed that considerable road safety gains could be made by providing car occupants with more effective forms of head protection. In particular, it concluded that:

• protective headwear, in the form of bicycle-style helmets or padded headbands, could significantly reduce the level of head injury and brain damage among car occupants
  
• helmets would be as effective as driver airbags in reducing head and brain injuries (though airbags also prevent other types of injury)
  
• protective headwear could be a valuable safety option for people driving older cars
  
• helmets would provide significant added protection even for drivers with airbags
  
• helmets would be substantially more effective than many vehicle design options, including improved interior padding, side-impact airbags and advanced restraint systems
  
• helmets could save the community as much as $380 million per year, or 25% of head and brain injury costs.

Effects on crash outcome

A major component of this research was an in-depth analysis of car occupants who had sustained brain damage in serious or fatal road crashes. Researchers from the NHMRC Road Accident Research Unit, University of Adelaide (RARU), examined each case to assess the likely effects on crash outcome of alternative forms of head protection.

As illustrated in the following chart, the study found that bicycle-style helmets would have improved the outcome for half the non-fatally injured cases, and saved the lives of almost one in five (18%) of the fatally injured.

By contrast, padding the upper interior of the vehicle would have benefited a significant minority (33%) of non-fatal cases, but would have had very little effect on fatalities. One reason for this is that many of the very severe head injuries involved impacts with external or intruding objects.

Notes: "Improved outcome" refers to overall level of recovery from injuries sustained. "Ideal head protection" would cover all possible head injury locations

Economic benefits

An analysis of the economic benefits of occupant helmets and other protective measures was undertaken by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC). Total annual savings attributable to reductions in head and face injuries were calculated using MUARC's well established "Harm reduction" methodology.

The chart below shows that helmets could potentially save $380 million to $500 million per annum

• the lower estimate represents the savings that would accrue if the entire passenger car fleet was equipped with driver airbags
  
• this highlights the fact that occupant helmets would deliver significant protective benefits in addition to those offered by the current generation of airbag technology
  
• these estimates assume maximum usage rates among car occupants, though voluntary usage as low as 10% would still have a significant benefit.

"Harm" is a measure of the societal cost of injuries. It takes account of the frequency of injury as well as the monetary costs of treatment, rehabilitation, loss of earnings, pain and suffering

PROTECTIVE HEADBAND

The protective occupant headwear referred to in the above findings is assumed
to be very similar in style to the lightweight soft-shell bicycle helmet.

However, a detailed analysis of head impact patterns conducted by the Road Accident Research Unit suggests that specially designed headbands could provide a practical alternative to full helmets.

The headband would cover the front and sides of the head where a large proportion of impacts have been found to occur.

It would need to have sufficient energy absorbing properties to provide the wearer with real protection, but would be lighter, cooler and less bulky than a conventional helmet.

With some imaginative designing, the headband might well be developed as a new fashion accessory.

RARU has estimated that protective headbands would offer about half the total benefits of a full helmet, which still compares very favourably with alternative, in-vehicle measures. Most importantly this would be a low-cost safety option, readily available to everyone in the community and not restricted to those who can afford a new car.