Octogenarian Motor Vehicle Collisions: Injury Patterns Matter

Introduction. Motor vehicle collision (MVC) is the second most common mechanism of injury among octogenarians and is on the rise. These “oldest old” trauma patients have much higher mortality rates than expected. This study examined potential factors influencing this increased mortality including comorbidities, medications, injury patterns, and hospital interventions. Methods. A 10-year retrospective review was conducted of patients aged 80 and over who were injured in a MVC. Data collected included patient demographics, comorbidities, medication use prior to injury, collision details, injury severity and patterns, hospitalization details, outcomes, and discharge disposition. Results. We identified 239 octogenarian patients involved in a MVC. Overall mortality was 18.8%. We recognized an increased mortality for specific injury patterns, patients injured in a rural setting, and those who were transfused, intubated, or admitted to the ICU. We found no correlation between mortality and medications or comorbidities. Conclusions. The high mortality rate for octogenarian patients involved in a MVC is related to injury severity, type of injury, and in-hospital complications, and not due to comorbidities and prior medications.

Velocity Obstacle-Based Collision Avoidance and Motion Planning Framework for Connected and Automated Vehicles

This study proposes a novel collision avoidance and motion planning framework for connected and automated vehicles based on an improved velocity obstacle (VO) method. The controller framework consists of two parts, that is, collision avoidance method and motion planning algorithm. The VO algorithm is introduced to deduce the velocity conditions of a vehicle collision. A collision risk potential field (CRPF) is constructed to modify the collision area calculated by the VO algorithm. A vehicle dynamic model is presented to predict vehicle moving states and trajectories. A model predictive control (MPC)-based motion tracking controller is employed to plan collision-avoidance path according to the collision-free principles deduced by the modified VO method. Five simulation scenarios are designed and conducted to demonstrate the control maneuver of the proposed controller framework. The results show that the constructed CRPF can accurately represent the collision risk distribution of the vehicles with different attributes and motion states. The proposed framework can effectively handle the maneuver of obstacle avoidance, lane change, and emergency response. The controller framework also presents good performance to avoid crashes under different levels of collision risk strength.

Opioids and the Risk of Motor Vehicle Collision: A Systematic Review

Background: Opioid analgesics are among the most commonly prescribed medications, but questions remain regarding their impact on the day-to-day functioning of patients including driving. We set out to perform a systematic review on the risk of motor vehicle collision (MVC) associated with prescription opioid exposure. Method: We searched Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and TRID from January 1990 to August 31, 2021 for primary studies assessing prescribed opioid use and MVCs. Results: We identified 14 observational studies that met inclusion criteria. Among those, 8 studies found an increased risk of MVC among those participants who had a concomitant opioid prescription at the time of the MVC and 3 found no significant increase of culpability of fatal MVC. The 3 studies that evaluated the presence of a dose-response relationship between the dose of opioids taken and the effects on MVC risk reported the existence of a dose-response relationship. Due to the heterogeneity of the different studies, a quantitative meta-analysis to sum evidence was deemed unfeasible. Our review supports increasing evidence on the association between motor vehicle collisions and prescribed opioids. This research would guide policies regarding driving legislation worldwide. Conclusion: Our review indicates that opioid prescriptions are likely associated with an increased risk of MVCs. Further studies are warranted to strengthen this finding, and investigate additional factors such as individual opioid medications, opioid doses and dose adjustments, and opioid tolerance for their effect on MVC risk.

Vehicle Body and Roll Cage Assessment involving Frontal, Side and Roll-over Crash Analysis by FEA using LS-Dyna

Simulating the vehicle collision has gained importance in the automotive sector due to its accuracy, cost effectiveness and enhanced reliability. It aids in improving the safety of driver and passenger and also examine the cause of crash or collision. This numerical analysis investigates the materials capability to enhance safety. A three-dimensional vehicle model was developed along with its roll cage using solid work tool. Hypermesh work bench was employed to discretise the sensitive parts of the body and roll cage using beam 189 element having six degree of freedom at each node. The existing structural steel members were replaced with reinforced carbon fibre in all the sensitive part of the body and roll cage and its structural stability was assessed using the frontal, side and roll over crash simulation using LS Dyna. This investigation also reveals the change in internal energy, kinetic energy absorption and momentum transfer for both structural steel and carbon fiber under all the crash scenarios. The outcomes of this numerical investigation proved that the reinforced carbon fiber can be effectively replaced with the structural steel to enhance safety.