Instructions:

The principal anatomical region of the body where a vulnerable road user sustained the most severe injury as a result of a crash.

Definition:

The primary or most obvious area of the vulnerable user’s body injured during the crash.

Rationale:

This element is important for evaluating crash causation, injury severity, and safety system design and effectiveness. Identifying the primary injury area for vulnerable road users supports the assessment of infrastructure design, protective equipment (e.g., helmets, reflective gear), and emergency response outcomes. It also enables analysis of injury patterns by user type and crash scenario, which is essential for developing evidence-based countermeasures to reduce the frequency and severity of injuries among non-motorized road users.

Code Attribute Definition Example
1 Head Used for injuries primarily affecting the skull, brain, face, or other cranial structures.
2 Upper Limbs Used for injuries primarily affecting the shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, or hands.
3 Torso Used for injuries primarily affecting the chest, abdomen, back, spine (excluding head/neck).
4 Lower Limbs Used for injuries primarily affecting the hips, thighs, knees, legs, ankles, or feet.
9 None Used when the vulnerable user did not sustain an injury in the crash.
97 Other Used when the primary injury is to a region not listed above. Please specify in the narrative.
99 Unknown Used when the primary injury area could not be determined at the time of the report.

FAQ

What if ‘walking, running, or cycling’ and ‘entering or crossing location’ both apply?

‘Entering or crossing location’ takes precedent because this value helps to illustrate the scenario.

Accuracy Checks

  • If this field is completed, confirm the vulnerable user check box is also indicated.

Other Related Fields

Vulnerable User Condition; Vulnerable User Indicator; Vulnerable User Location; Vulnerable User Type