CAR SHAPE AND PEDESTRIAN INJURY

MORE THAN 10,000 PEDESTRIANS ARE KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENTS EACH YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES. RELATIVELY LITTLE RESEARCH HAS BEEN DIRECTED TO IMPROVING THE PEDESTRIAN- CRASHWORTHINESS OF THE ATOMOBILE. HOEVER, IT HAS BEEN SHON THAT THE OVERALL SHAPE OF THE FRONT OF THE AUTOMOBILE HAS A CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH THE KINEMATICS OF THE PEDESTRIAN COLLISION, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THE NATURE AND SEVERITY OF A PEDESTRIANS INJURIES MAY BE DETERMINED, IN PART, BY THE SHAPE OF THE FRONT OF THE STRIKING CAR. THIS HYPOTHESIS IS EVALUATED BY COMPARING THEINJURIES SUSTAINED BY PEDESTRIANS HO WERE STRUCK BY ONE OF TO CARS HAVING VERY DIFFERENT FRONTAL SHAPES: VOLKSWAGEN AND CADILLAC. IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WEIGHTS OF THESE CARS IS A RELATIVELY INSIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN VIE OF THE GROSS DISPARITY BETWEEN THE WEIGHT OF THE VOLKSAGEN AND THAT OF A PEDESTRIAN. THE DATA BASE COMPRISES ALL PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS REPORTED IN ONE YEAR TO THE NE YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES. THE REPORTS ON ALL CASES INVOLVING A VOLKSWAGEN OR A CADILLAC ERE EXAMINED, AND CASES NOT REEVANT TO THIS COMPARISON ERE EXCLUDED. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS OBTAINED FROM THE DRIVERS AND THE SURVIVING PEDESTRIANS BY MEANS OF MAIL QUESTIONNAIRES OR TEEPHONE INTERVIES.

• Corporate Authors:

  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

  1005 North Glebe Road
  Arlington, VA  United States  22201
• Authors:
  • Mcleanaj
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Crash injury research; Crashes; Injuries; Motor vehicle bodies; Pedestrian vehicle crashes; Pedestrian vehicle interface; Pedestrians; Research; Traffic conflicts
• Old TRIS Terms: Automobile bodies
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Research; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224536
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 1974 12:00AM