Toyota's Collaborative Safety Research Center recently announced two new research projects to be pursued in collaboration with the Virginia Tech - Wake Forest University biomedical program.

The first research project will focus on abdominal injuries, examining age and other factors which may affect injury likelihood and severity in automobile crashes in the United States. Researchers intend to study whether any specific segment of the population is particularly vulnerable to that type of injury in collisions.

The second project, involving George Washington University, will seek to upgrade a crash test dummy designed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The dummy is an advanced tool for risk assessment during crash tests, used by auto manufacturers to amass safety data. Research may lead to improvements that contribute to future safety and restraint innovations and developments.

In time, the research may improve safety, decrease injuries and fatalities, and contribute to lower auto insurance rates if the cost of accidents is decreased. Past work, partly with the Toyota collaborative Safety Research Center, recently earned the Virginia Tech - Wake Forest University biomedical program an award for research that could decrease traumatic brain injuries in automobile impacts.