Section 1 Drivers Who Repeatedly Cause Accidents
  [Outline of the accident]
  Car A (passenger car) was traveling on a two-lane road that curved gently to the right, at about 10:00 a.m. in cloudy weather. For some reason, the car veered toward the left, went over the curb, and crashed into a utility pole (front left side of the car).
  The driver of Car A (male in his 80s) was wearing a seat belt, and the air bag deployed upon collision. However, the passenger (female in her 80s) seated in the rear seat on the left was not wearing a seat belt. The speed at which the car crashed was estimated to have been 30 km/h.

  [Damage to the car]
Medium damage (maximum 40-cm deformation on the front left)
Inward deformation of the car interior: None
Equivalent barrier speed (; see note at the end of this report): approximately 30 km/h

  [Impact of the crash; injury to occupants]
- Driver
  As the front of the car collided against the utility pole, the driver moved forward but was restrained by the seat belt and the air bag deployed, preventing him from hitting the steering wheel and other objects of the car's interior. The pressure of the seat belt against his chest broke his breastbone, but the injury was not fatal.
- Rear-seat passenger on the left

Fig. 1  Accident Diagram

Photo 1  Deformation of Car A

Photo 2  Damage to the passenger's seat-belt retractor in Car A

Fig. 2  Occupants' positions in Car A; restraint; injury severity

  [Comment]
  The rear seat passenger, unbelted, jerked forward due to the impact of the collision against the utility pole, and hit hard against the car's interior. If she had been wearing a seat belt, which would have effectively prevented her head from hitting the pillar, she would not have been killed.

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Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA)