DaimlerChrysler Commits Funding for American Crash Research Center



Older Drivers, Passengers Are Focus of University of Alabama Birmingham Project

Older drivers are more likely to be involved in traffic accidents and they and their elderly passengers are more likely to be seriously hurt or killed when crashes occur. And that trend is expected to accelerate as the American population ages in the coming decades.

In response, DaimlerChrysler has committed up to $2.5 million for research into auto-related injuries and their causes - with an emphasis on preventing car crashes in the geriatric population.

The company is funding a Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). At the CIREN center, which is being established within the trauma program at the UAB Hospital, investigators will analyze collisions and auto-related injuries to learn more about safety than they can from simulated crashes and crash-test dummies.

CIREN investigators will examine accident scenes to identify factors that contributed to the accidents and pore over wreckage to determine precisely how vehicles performed during crashes. And they will gather information on the types of injuries suffered by drivers and passengers.

Researchers expect this detailed data to give them insights into the causes and effects of traffic accidents - and to suggest ways to prevent them and minimize their impact, said Dr. Loring W. Rue III, director of the Trauma Program at UAB Hospital. A better understanding of the types of crash-related trauma suffered by senior citizens, Dr. Rue explained, could lead to safer car designs. Investigators also will explore whether particular traffic conditions or physical limitations - such as diminished eyesight or reflexes - contribute to some crashes.

DaimlerChrysler, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, and Mercedes-Benz USA have jointly committed $1 million in funding over the next two years to establish the Mercedes-Benz CIREN Center at the university hospital. The companies also pledged $1.5 million in optional funding over an additional three years.

MBUSI is the Alabama-based manufacturer of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class sport utility vehicle. MBUSA is the marketing company for all Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the United States. Both companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of DaimlerChrysler.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) created the CIREN program in 1996 to improve the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of vehicle crash injuries. The Mercedes-Benz Center is eighth CIREN center and the first to be voluntarily funded by one of NHTSA's private-sector partners.

NHTSA funds CIREN centers at the University of Maryland, the University of Miami, New Jersey Medical School, and George Washington University. In addition, the General Motors Settlement Agreement funds centers at the University of Michigan, the University of Washington, and the University of California at San Diego.

All the CIREN centers are linked by a computer network that allows them to share crash and injury data and expertise. "We've seen already that CIREN has created a healthy dialogue between the medical community and manufacturers," said NHTSA Administrator Dr. Ricardo Martinez. "This greater understanding of what happens in the real world will lead to better designs for safety."