Annotated Bibliography
Car Accident Spinal Injury. (2015). Retrieved October 8, 2015, from
http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/brain-injury/motor-vehicle-accident.html
In this article, different types of brain trauma as a result of car accidents were discussed. This included loss of consciousness, posttraumatic amnesia, concussions and whiplash. The article spoke in depth on the mechanics of these traumas, in that the article explained that when sudden stops occur, the brain continues to move in the liquid solution of the brain and smash into the skull. These effects are further magnified when the head smashes against the steering wheel or other objects. This can result in damage of the temporal lobe (selective attention system) and the frontal lobe (the emotional control system). This can also result in damage of the occipital lobe (found at the back of the head) due to the brain smashing against the back of the skull. When whiplash occurs, the delicate cells in the brain can be damaged and this can result in memory loss (retrograde and antegrade). As a result of whiplash, tearing and swelling of the brain can occur, and a buildup of blood in the skull can interfere with normal cellular processes, called hematoma. If left untreated, hematoma can be fatal. In order to reduce brain trauma in the event of a car crash, wear a seatbelt in order to reduce inertia.
Back Injuries from Car Accidents. (2011, July 17). Retrieved October 15, 2015, from
http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/accidents/injury-types.php
This article goes over the plethora of back injuries that can occur as a result of car accidents. It extensively describes the many common injuries that occur and specifically how they can occur. It also delves into the legal aspect of accidents such as these, mentioning the long-term expenses related to injuries and disabilities as well as methods of gaining compensation through a court of law. It paints a picture of how detrimental the costs are when it comes to back injury, taking into account medical bills, loss of income, and the inability to complete simple tasks. It ties together the general costs of most back injuries such as disc injuries, spinal cord injuries, as well as compression fractures.
Non-Stretching Seatbelt. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2015, from
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/seatb.html
In this article, damages to the human body in the event of stopping the car with a non-stretching seat belt versus a stretching seatbelt vs no seatbelt were discussed. When wearing a non-stretching seatbelt, the driver stops with the car. When wearing a stretching seatbelt, the driver stops after the car stops while staying stationary; impact force compared to that of the driver in a non-stretching seatbelt situation is decreased and the driver has more time to decelerate, which is healthier for the bodies organs. When not wearing a seatbelt, a driver faces many dangers. The impact force is greatly increased when not wearing a seatbelt because there is not much distance between the driver and the front of the car. The shorter the distance the driver travels, the larger the impact force. The speed with which you are going will also determine the impact felt by the driver in all three scenarios.
Miller, T. M. (2012, Febuary 22). Understanding Car Crashes-Momentum
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdwnJlPEjFM
Car crash can be separated into three parts: vehicle impact, body impact, organ impact. Car crash starts with car hitting another car or an object, this is the vehicle impact. Damage to the windshield, steering wheel dashboard, is usually when body impact happens. This causes damage to skull, pelvis, sternum (bone in between the ribs in front of the heart), knees, etc. At the same time as body impact, organ impact happens, like brain, heart, intestine, spleen etc hitting against body structures (bones). This causes bruising, inner bleeding, worst case, fracturing of bones. Windshield impact causes damage such as TBI, soft tissue neck injuries, flail chest, larynx tracheal injuries, facial bone fractures, broken nose, etc. Impact against the dashboard usually causes, knee injuries, femur, hip or pelvis injuries, head face injuries and cervical spine/neck injuries. T-bone crashes or lateral impact crash happen to the side of the passenger or the driver’s side and will cause doors, windows, arm rests to intrude into the occupant’s space, causing injuries. These crashes usually cause cervical spine injury, chest, pelvis, abdomen general area to the side of the crash. Rear-end crashes usually happen when the car is stationary and is hit from behind. The injuries are caused from the occupant touching the interior of the car, caused by the torso and seat launching forward then back. They cause lower/mid back injuries and wrist injuries (from holding onto the steering wheel). Car crashes can be avoided if people follow proper road rules. If you were in a car accident, it is highly recommended to consult a specialized lawyer in taking care of car crashes and that kind of stuff.
Murray, N. (1994). Chapter 3: The physics of impacts between deformable bodies. In When it comes to the crunch: The mechanics of car collisions. Singapore: World
Scientific.
In an elastic collision, the total kinetic energy in the system is the same before and after the collision. Losses to heat and deformation are much smaller than the other energies involved, such as when two pool balls collide and go their separate ways, you can generally ignore the losses and say that kinetic energy was conserved. If 2 cars colide and are deformed, the collision is inelastic, even if you can drive away after the accident. An elastic collision could occur if 2 cars are moving very slowly and there is a rear end collision. This could occur during bumper to bumper traffic. Elastic collisions also occur during car crashes inside the car. For example, when whiplash occurs, the head hits the seat and kinetic energy is the same. In an inelastic collision, the collision changes the total kinetic energy in a closed system. In this case, friction, deformation, or some other process transforms the kinetic energy. Kinetic energy isn’t conserved. If 2 cars weld together after an incident, or a car looks stuck to a tree (for example) after a crash, this is an inelastic collision. In a collision between 2 objects of unequal mass, the more massive car would drive the compartment of the lighter car backward during the crash causing a greater speed change for the lighter car and thereby more forces. That is why lighter cars offer less protection for ocupants than heavier cars.
(n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2015, from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_gateway/forces/crumplezonesrev3.shtml
Seat belts stop you tumbling around inside the car if there is a collision. However, they are designed to stretch a bit in a collision, because the material has some give to it. This increases the time taken for the body's momentum to reach zero, so it reduces the forces on it. (i.e. on the heart and internal organs within the body). When encountering a car collision, the driver and passenger tend to keep moving in accord with Newton's first law. Their motion carries them forward, but the nature of the seatbelt's structure is that it has give. Therefore the body continues to move forward, but at a slower speed. This increases collision time and mimimizes forces and making sure the body (and it's internal organs) do not get injured or experience trauma. Air bags are used in automobiles because they are able to minimize the effect of the force on an object involved in a collision. This is because they increase the time taken for the head's momentum to reach zero, so they reduce the forces on it. When encountering a car collision, the driver and passenger tend to keep moving in accord with Newton's first law. Their motion carries them towards a windshield that results in a large force exerted over a short period of time in order to stop their momentum. If instead of hitting the windshield, the driver and passenger hit an air bag, then the time duration of the impact is increased. This is possible because the material has some give. Airbags also act as soft cushions and prevent cuts. If a car does not contain airbags, or the air bags do not deploy, then both a driver and their passengers run the risk of stopping their momentum by way of collision with the windshield or dashboard. If the driver or passenger should hit the dashboard, then the force and time required to stop their momentum is exerted by the dashboard. Padded dashboards provide some give in such a collision and serve to extend the time duration of the impact, thus minimizing the effect of the force. That said, this give is considerably less compared to that of an airbag. Crumple zones are areas of a vehicle that are designed to crush in a controlled way in a collision. They increase the time taken to change the momentum in a crash, which reduces the force involved in a way similar to seatbelts, airbags and padded dash boards (as discussed above).