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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Injury Prevention and Control
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1429274
This article is part of the Research Topic A Holistic Approach to Safety Practices for Transportation Systems and Road Users View all articles

Abdominal Impacts of Handlebar Injuries in the PIPER Child Model: A Prevention Study

Provisionally accepted
Christoph Arneitz Christoph Arneitz 1*Nico Erlinger Nico Erlinger 2*Corina Klug Corina Klug 2Simone Oliver Senica Simone Oliver Senica 1Thomas Kuenzer Thomas Kuenzer 3Peter Spitzer Peter Spitzer 4Georg Schalamon Georg Schalamon 5Johannes Schalamon Johannes Schalamon 1
  • 1 Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery, Klinikum Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria
  • 2 Vehicle Safety Institute, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
  • 3 Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Documentation, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Styria, Austria
  • 4 Other, Graz, Austria
  • 5 Department of Trauma Surgery, Clinic Diakonissen Schladming – Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, Schladming, Austria

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Aim: Analysis of data from bicycle accidents reveals that handlebar impacts are a significant cause of injury, particularly among children. Despite existing safety regulations, such as helmet requirements, little attention is given to abdominal injuries.The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of handlebar ends on abdominal loading during bicycle crashes.Methods: This study delves into the impact of five different handlebar designs on abdominal injuries during bicycle crashes, using finite element simulations with detailed Human Body Models (HBMs) of a six-year-old child (PIPER child model, Version 0.99.0). Four impact locations were identified in the injury scenario, selected according to the anatomical location of the most commonly injured organs, liver, pancreas, spleen and abdomen.Results: Grip design features, such as shape and rigidity, significantly influence injury outcomes. Grips designed specifically for children demonstrate superior performance in reducing abdominal loading and injury metrics compared to standard grips. The highest injury potential was seen in a damaged handlebar end.Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of improved handlebar designs and standardized safety measures, especially for children.Implementation of such measures could mitigate the significant health and economic burden associated with handlebar-related injuries and enhance overall bicycle safety for children.

    Keywords: Handlebar, handlebar grip sample, Handlebar injuries, pediatric, Grip protection, child safety

    Received: 08 May 2024; Accepted: 02 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Arneitz, Erlinger, Klug, Senica, Kuenzer, Spitzer, Schalamon and Schalamon. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Christoph Arneitz, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery, Klinikum Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria
    Nico Erlinger, Vehicle Safety Institute, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.