IMPLICATIONS OF SMALL CARS ON ROADSIDE SAFETY

The safety implications of passenger car downsizing (i.e. the use of smaller cars) is a subject of much current interest. Vehicle-vehicle collisions and vehicle-roadside accidents are the two major accident modes that may be affected by passenger car downsizing. This paper reviews the nature of the current roadside fatal accident problem and the implications of passenger vehicle downsizing on major types of roadside fatal accidents. Rollover accidents comprise the largest category of current roadside fatalities and the number of these accidents is likely to show a major increase as the size of passenger vehicles in the vehicle fleet decreases. Utility pole collisions, currently accounting for more fatalities than any other man-made roadside object, are expected to increase significantly. Other currently important classes of roadside fatalities such as guardrail and bridge rail collisions may show a much lesser overall change, if any, as cars become smaller; however, significant changes in impact behavior are being identified in individual design types. The quantitative estimates of these various downsizing effects on future fatalities are at best of a very rough and first order nature. The implications from currently available information suggests that the outside of horizontal curves may be locations which justify special attention when decisions are being made to clear obstacles, flatten roadside slopes, or install guardrails. Guardrail may be cost effective in front of more roadside slope combinations than indicated by past accident research. Adjustments in the guidance given bridge rail designers as to undesirable geometrics and in the maximum desirable breakaway levels of signs and luminaire supports are other implications from current information. Research planned or now underway is intended to clarify these issues. (Author/TRRL)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas, October 3-6, 1983.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Association for Automotive Medicine

  P.O. Box 222
  Morton Grove, IL  United States  60053
• Authors:
  • Viner, J G
• Conference:
  • 27TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR AUTOMOTIVE MEDICINE
  • Location: San Antonio Texas, United States
  • Date: 1983-10-3 to 1983-10-6
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 357-374
• Monograph Title: PROCEEDINGS OF THE TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA, OCTOBER 3-6, 1983. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR AUTOMOTIVE MEDICINE

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Breakaway supports; Bridge railings; Compact automobiles; Conferences; Crash rates; Crashes; Design; Fatalities; Geometric curves; Geometric design; Guardrails; Overturning; Roadside; Rollover crashes; Safety factors; Scale models; Size; Structural models; Support poles; Utility poles; Weight
• Uncontrolled Terms: Horizontal curvature; Side
• Old TRIS Terms: Small car
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 1612: Accident rate; 1243: Car; 1631: Collision; 8525: Conference; 9014: Dimension; 1602: Fatality; 6205: Model (not math); 1637: Overturning (veh); 3312: Pole; 1686: Safety fence; 9074: Side; 5485: Weight
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00389451
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Institute for Road Safety Research, SWOV
• Files: HSL, ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 30 1984 12:00AM