Breaking News for Culpeper and Warrenton Accident Victims

Virginia Tech and Toyota Join Forces on Head Trauma Research

Posted on Jan 05, 2012

Toyota Motor Corp. and its research partners announced four new projects this week to develop safety technologies with the objective to reduce head injuries. Virginia Tech, the University of Iowa, and George Washington University in Washington, DC are among the institutions participating in the projects.

One project relies on a study made in Japan showing that there is a high rate of abdominal injuries when older drivers are involved in a car crash. The research, in partnership with Virginia Tech, will study the correlation between these injuries and the age of motorists in the United States, which may lead to improved safety restraints. This project is particularly important considering that the US population aged over 65 is expected to double by 2040.

The Toyota Collaborative Research Center was founded in January 2011 and now has 17 research projects under way with 12 institutions. Chuck Gulash, who heads the Center, commented on their current research to improve the design of their virtual crash-test dummies and technology to reduce head injuries: “By understanding the mechanics of brain injuries, we can develop better restraint systems and part of the vehicle’s interior that the head might strike.”

Two other projects aim at the development of better crash-modeling technologies and the study of how drivers use their feet.