Thoracic injury of Motorcyclists from Handlebar under Frontal impact in Thailand

Abstract

Motorcycle accidents can lead to chest injuries that result in high mortality rates among motorcyclists. Among the different types of front collisions involving motorcycles, front chest impact with the side of a four-wheeled vehicle was found to be the most likely cause of severe thoracic injury amoung motorcyclists in this research. The study analyzed information collected in Phuket from October 2021 to May 2022. The most common harmful part and angle of impact were extracted from the analysis of accident simulation.  The results from data statistical analysis significantly indicate that the side of a four-wheeler vehicle is the most influential area in causing more severe chest injuries in motorcyclists compared to other sites (P<0.05).  Notably, a handlebar is one of the most significant parts that cause thoracic injuries. The most influential area of a four-wheeler vehicle and the common thoracic injury of motorcyclists from the harmful parts were used to investigate the effectiveness of possible protective gear. Thus, a chest protective gear can play a critical role in providing thoracic protection. Therefore, the FE human body models of motorcyclist were simulated under front chest impact based on collected data analysis. As a result, it was found that the 2 cm thick rubber of thoracic protective gear is effective only in a 5^th percentile female's chest from the left-frontal attack case. In addition, the findings of data analysis in this research can be used by policymakers and stakeholders to focus on reducing the impact of four-wheeler vehicle on motorcyclists and developing more effective protective gear to mitigate the severity of chest injuries in motorcycle accidents.