This research will provide an evidence-base for countermeasures for injuries to rear seated vehicle occupants. Specifically the results will provide new data on rear seat occupant injuries, key injury mechanisms and how these might vary by age of occupant. This will provide the basis for regulatory or consumer evaluation of the rear seat as it will define the types of injuries and injury mechanisms need to be controlled, and for which occupants. In turn this will lead to enhanced rear seat safety across the Australian vehicle fleet and a corresponding drop in casualty rates for rear seat occupants.

Our study will also enhance the evidence-base relating to the relationship of known crash risk factors such as speed, fatigue and intoxication with crash and injury outcome (in terms of severity). This information will be useful to those setting priority areas for, and designing, road safety campaigns as well as allow for the improvement of current coding schemes used by organizations collecting mass crash statistics such as the Police and NSW Roads and Traffic Authority.